Nelly Toll

Nelly Toll was a Polish-born American Jewish artist, writer, and teacher, whose life was profoundly impacted by her experiences during the Holocaust. Born in 1932, Toll survived the Holocaust along with her mother, Rose, with the two being the only members of their family to do so. During 1943 and 1944, they spent over eighteen months in hiding, a period that would later influence her artistic work.

As a child, Toll created watercolor paintings that documented her experiences during the Holocaust, forming a significant historical record. These paintings have been archived in museums in the United States and Israel, and have been exhibited internationally. Toll also wrote a book about her experiences, which has helped to preserve her story. After immigrating to the United States, Toll settled there and went on to teach art and the history of the Holocaust at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, sharing her knowledge and story with others until her passing in 2021.