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What can a family portrait tell us about the story of the Jewish people?
For the JFCS Holocaust Center in San Francisco and ANU—Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, the answer is: quite a lot.
The two institutions are joining forces in an official affiliation to advance Holocaust education, Jewish identity, and peoplehood on an international scale—connecting communities to the broader Jewish story and inspiring future generations with a deeper sense of pride and belonging.
That vision comes to life through the Manovill family portraits.
In San Francisco, students learn a story of resilience with the portraits of Serena Manovill (1891 – 1976) and daughter Lily Manovill (1920 – 1987).
Three portraits survived the Holocaust—one in Israel, two in San Francisco. At ANU, visitors encounter a portrait of Alfred Manovill, a prominent Berlin banker, philanthropist, and arts patron before World War II, painted by renowned Russian artist Leonid Pasternak. Across the globe, two companion portraits are preserved in the JFCS Holocaust Center’s Tauber Library and Archives: Alfred’s wife Serena and daughter Lilly, gifted by local community leader Dr. Ingrid Tauber—Alfred’s granddaughter. A fourth portrait, of Alfred’s son Robert, was destroyed by the Nazis.
Portrait of Alfred Manovill (1880 – 1944) by Leonid Pasternak, displayed at ANU Museum of Tel Aviv.
Together, the surviving portraits tell the story of a people whose resilience continues to shape the world today.
Lilly Manovill embodied that resilience. During the Holocaust, she bravely helped Jews escape the Budapest ghetto. Her legacy lives on through the JFCS Holocaust Center’s Manovill Institute, inspiring young people to become upstanders in their own communities.
“The Holocaust is our tragedy, but it is not our rationale,” said Dr. Anita Friedman, Executive Director of JFCS. “If we want future generations to understand the Jewish experience, we have to teach them who the Jewish people are. That’s how we strengthen Jewish pride, build understanding, and create a more inclusive society.”
This partnership opens an exciting new chapter—expanding educational experiences and bringing Jewish history and culture to audiences around the world. It also reflects the vision for the new JFCS Holocaust Center building in San Francisco: a destination for Holocaust remembrance and Jewish peoplehood, where people of all backgrounds can explore what the Jewish story can teach us about building a more just and compassionate future.
Separated by war, geography, and time, the Manovill portraits are once again connected—helping inspire a future as vibrant as the history they preserve.
To make a donation to build our community’s Holocaust Center or for more information, visit jfcs.org/neverforget.