A Denver Couple Is on a Mission To Help Holocaust Survivors Living in Poverty

When the Illinois Holocaust Museum asked John Pregulman if he’d photograph a group of Holocaust survivors, the former fashion and dance photographer turned investment banker discovered that his subjects’ biggest fear was being forgotten. So John set out to document as many survivors as he could, a mission that would lead to an even bigger calling after John photographed a woman in Orlando, Florida, with the help of his now wife, Amy Israel Pregulman. “Like most grandmothers, she wanted to feed me after I took her picture,” John says, “but when she opened her fridge, there was nothing in it.” Research revealed that around a third of Holocaust survivors in the United States live in poverty (or nearly so), inspiring the couple to found Kavod in 2015. Last year, the Denver-based nonprofit recorded an $8 million operating budget, every cent of which went toward helping survivors with needs such as groceries, medical bills, and emergency home repairs. At the same time, John continues to photograph survivors. Once they’re all gone, Georgia’s Kennesaw State University will archive the collection to ensure that the thousands of people John has memorialized are never forgotten.