Aging In NYC: Photographer Captures Senior Life In The City

This is Eva. I was very fortunate to meet her. My friend David's grandson, Russell, had decided that for his Bar Mitzvah project, he would contact someone who had survived the concentration camps during World War II and visit that person once a week. Russell wanted to have a conversation, learn about their personal history in the camps and what their life is like now. Of course, this would be more than just a history lesson for Russell; it would provide an important and meaningful social contact for both. So, on a cold New York Tuesday afternoon, David, Russel and I took the subway to Chelsea to meet Eva.

Eva met us at the door. Russel had informed me beforehand that Eva is 93 years old. The woman greeting us appeared to be much younger-spry and mentally alert. I asked how was it that she was so fit at the age of 93? She said her secret to youth was to have young friends and getting out. As we entered, I noticed there were many colorful, bright abstract paintings throughout the apartment. They were all done by Eva.

Eva was born in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. She didn't offer much about her childhood but did talk about her time in the concentration camps. She was held in camps, one on the Yugoslav Adriatic coast, one was Kraljevica and one on the Island of Rab. These camps were run by Italy. Eva said that the Italians did not kill the way the Nazis did.

Eva said there is no love lost for the people of Croatia. She went to her desk and took out a button that I had never seen before. It was a round yellow button with a large black Z and a small V on top of the Z. This stood for Zidov, the Croatian name for Jews. She said that she was forced to wear it during the Nazi occupation. It is not unlike the yellow star of David the Jews elsewhere in Europe had to wear.

It is clearly very important to Eva that what happened during the holocaust not be forgotten. She tells her history to as many people as possible. She was asked to be interviewed by the Steven Spielberg project, "Shoah," but she declined to be interviewed. Eva didn't want to appear in the project because she wrote her own memoir, which is not yet published.

I asked Eva what she likes best about living in New York City, and she immediately said the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to frequenting the city's museums, Eva also attends plays and movies. She briefly considered moving to San Francisco, but decided against it. She lived in Rome for several years before moving to New York City and spoke fondly of the Italian capital. However, New York City is her home. When I asked her what she disliked about New York City, she thought for a while and then said, "what's not to like about New York?" She added that the city is a very ugly place, citing the subways and some of the streets. She said that New York is a very ugly city with some beautiful buildings. She is sure to get out every day to see those buildings within the city.

I am grateful to Eva for letting me photograph her and interview her. She said that she does not give many interviews because it is too painful.

Herb Bardavid is a social worker with a passion for photography going back to his childhood years. When he was 12 years old, Bardavid commandeered his family's only bathroom to serve as a part-time dark room for developing photos.

At his wife's suggestion, the Upper West Side resident chose to chronicle the lives of New York City senior citizens for a year-long photography project. Bardavid, who's in his 70s, is inspired by New York City's elders who don't let their age get in the way of how they live their lives.

"Elderly people in New York City are sometimes invisible," Bardavid told Patch. "People walk by and nobody pays attention to them. So when I stop people they're are not only surprised but also happy because people don't often talk to them."

Check out Bardavid's blog here.

Photos by Herb Bardavid