Irina Raffo's serene demeanor and the graceful finesse of her speech radiate charm and depth. She holds a unique position as the sole granddaughter of Eva Balog, who, along with her sister Ana Z"L, was born in Uruguay and tragically became the only Uruguayan to perish in the darkness of Auschwitz.
Irina's latest film project, "Intermitencias," emerges from her personal sensitivity and an intrinsic need. Through her grandmother's story and recollections, she embarks on a journey to reconstruct not only her and Ana's narrative but also Eva's emotions, encapsulated in the face of immense pain.
Back in 2009, Ana Jerozolimski conducted an interview with Eva. Today, it is her granddaughter who retrieves these stories and projects them, carrying the testimonial weight that only timeless conversations with her grandmother can bestow.
Irina's grandmother consistently shared her wartime experiences; it was never a concealed story within the family. Since childhood, Irina harbored a fervent desire to comprehend - sometimes even obsessively - the events that unfolded during those tumultuous European years. Her mother gifted her "The Diary of Anne Frank" at a young age, and Eva's own accounts of her arduous life further fueled Irina's quest to delve into the Holocaust.
This "family memory," which became an "individual quest" over time, forged her artistic connection with this theme. She felt compelled to express the emotions and narratives that resided deep within her.
During a trip to Budapest with her grandmother, Irina set foot inside a synagogue for the first time. She speaks of a "genetic memory," a realm of perceptions and sensations that transcend words, and unconscious decisions that repeatedly bind her to her Jewish identity.
Irina is a true adventurer and a deeply passionate about her work. She holds a degree in Social Communication from the Catholic University and currently splits her time between Montevideo and Buenos Aires, where she is pursuing studies in film at the University of Torcuato Di Tella. At just 35 years old, she boasts an impressive career that encompasses individual and group photography exhibitions, accolades, and a diverse artistic education acquired in various international settings.
Every journey has its origins...
Eva and Ana's mother, Cornelia Frenkel, hailed from an Orthodox Jewish family, while their father, Seguismundo Balog, was a Christian who had converted to Judaism. Due to the complexities of their relationship, the couple relocated from Hungary to Uruguay, where their daughters were born—Eva in 1928 and Ana in 1930. Later, the couple separated, and faced with dire economic circumstances, Cornelia made the difficult decision to return to Hungary with her two young daughters.
Life in Hungary...
Upon their arrival in Hungary, Cornelia found herself unable to care for her daughters and made the heart-wrenching choice to place them for adoption. Eva was raised in Tokai (Tokaj), 250 km from Budapest, by her mother's sister. Meanwhile, Ana was sent to live with her maternal grandmother in Ocs. Eva grew up in the Elias family home, where traditions held little sway, and the family identified as communist Jews. In contrast, Ana was welcomed into the Frenkel family, deeply rooted in orthodox Jewish practices.
Eva managed to survive the war, but sadly, the same fate did not befall her adoptive family or Ana's, who was deported to Auschwitz. Eva embarked on a harrowing journey, escaping on a train bound for Budapest in search of her mother. They were eventually reunited at the Argentine Embassy, where Eva was employed, and from there, they fled to Sweden, ultimately finding their way back to Argentina.
Irina, I would like to ask you what, in your opinion, were the circumstances that led your grandmother to share her sister's story.
Within the family, I can't recall exactly when my grandmother first talked or shared Ana's story. I know that the narrative was always somehow present, and personally, I always wanted to know more. At different points in my life, I asked her to tell me how everything happened; I always felt the need to understand and learn more.
Beyond the family circle, my grandmother also spoke publicly about her sister's story. I have a vivid memory of a significant interview and an excellent investigation conducted by Adriana Loeff for Galería magazine, as well as some articles published when Ana Balog's birth certificate was taken to Yad Vashem in Israel or when the commemorative plaque for Ana Balog was placed at the Holocaust Memorial of the Jewish People in Montevideo.
From what perspective does "Intermitencias" seek to rescue Ana's life story?
More than just a film, "Intermitencias" could be considered an attempt to reconstruct our family's memory—a study that aims to understand how we remember, how we narrate, and how memory operates within a family and beyond it. It's an ongoing film project where various memories and narratives are being integrated.
At this point, we have arrived at Ana's story through Eva's survival account and my own exploration of her testimony. I am currently in the process of organizing the production of the second part of the film. I will likely travel to Poland and Hungary in March 2018, and there I will likely delve more directly into Ana's story.
Why "Intermitencias"? What is the underlying idea you aim to convey through this term?
The work on the project has always been accompanied by various readings. One of the books that greatly influenced the work is "The Survival of Fireflies" by Didi-Huberman, in which an article by the Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini is quoted. In this article, Pasolini discusses fireflies, which are characterized by intermittent illumination.
I imagined, then, that in some way, the image (or the story) could reside in the transition of light, from presence to absence, within that mysterious space that could hold information one is unaware of... For this reason, the film is projected on two screens, and the images circulate or shift from one screen to the other, intermittently (like fireflies), allowing each viewer the possibility to create their own montage or narrative in this process.
What was your research process, and what sources did you rely on to construct your grandmother's testimonial account?
The primary source for this narrative is the oral testimony of my grandmother, Eva, and my relationship with her – the grandmother-granddaughter relationship. On one hand, there are the coldest or most historical facts, such as dates and places, about how and where everything happened. On the other hand, and what the project focuses on the most, is my connection to this testimony that is so close to me, my relationship with how this story of survival can be told, what remains, and what disappears.
The project, in a way, contemplates where I stand in all of this, what of it is carried forward into my generation, what is lost with my grandmother's generation, how we can take responsibility for or rescue stories that are on the brink of disappearing, and what our responsibility as artists is to treasure these testimonies and give them a voice.
When did you feel the need to translate this story of love and pain into a cinematic product?
I believe it was a long process that developed over many years. I've always felt a very special connection with my grandmother, Eva, and her story. In some way, I've always paid close attention to her narratives. At a certain point, when I began developing my work as a photographer and filmmaker professionally, I naturally started working on topics that were already latent within me. Exploring Eva's story happened naturally, without much premeditation. It resulted from a need to express, to narrate, to gain a deeper understanding of my family's history, and through it, my own history and roots.
From a material perspective, what resources do you have to fund this production, and why did you choose a collage of images?
"Intermitencias" is a film that is being shot in parts; it's not a traditional production with a predetermined budget or shooting plan. These are more like visual notes, groups of images that I film and edit. I handle the filming, sound recording, and editing myself. Certain parts of the project, filmed in Mexico during an artist residency for Latin American Jewish artists, received support from Asylum Arts, an organization that invited me to participate in the retreat. In Buenos Aires, I have benefited from the intellectual and educational support of Laba Ba (Buenos Aires Jewish Culture Laboratory) and the guidance and training from the Film Program at the Torcuato Di Tella University under the direction of Andrés Di Tella (Argentine documentary filmmaker and director). Within this program, I have worked on and developed the film/installation alongside a group of artists and filmmakers who have been following the development of the project throughout the year.
Beyond the narrative and experiences, what message do you aim to convey in the film?
I cannot clearly envision a specific message I want to convey because I believe the experience with an artwork is very personal. Each viewer, when encountering a work, constructs their own message. However, I do wish to offer the audience a different experience, a new approach to audiovisual language, and through this tool, a unique and personalized connection with the story being told. I am also interested in creating a space where memory can unfold, where one can reflect and revisit what can never be forgotten.
To what extent is Ana's story, your great-aunt, a means to rediscover your Jewish identity?
To a great extent, this project and my connection with my grandmother's testimony, her narratives, and the research and readings that have unfolded throughout the working process, have been a review and an intimate exploration of my Jewish identity. I have always felt it as something that was part of my origin and life. While I did not receive a religious Jewish education or upbringing, I have always felt a very special connection to Jewish traditions and the history of the Jewish people.
My relationship with Judaism is very personal, and I have largely developed it in solitude within my family, as my mother also did not have a Jewish education or any contact with Jewish culture beyond direct contact with her mother and grandmother.
As the only daughter, I feel somewhat like a vehicle for the preservation of Judaism within my family—not in its religious aspect, as I am not a religious person, but in terms of the identity of Jewish culture and its connection to our family history.
What aspects of the narrative impacted you the most, and how did you construct Ana's personality within yourself?
What strikes me the most about the story is the expression of such contrasting fates—a tragic destiny on one side and a story of survival on the other. Two sisters with parallel stories, raised in the same country in different cities; one manages to survive, while the other is murdered in the Auschwitz extermination camp.
I think about how many families must have experienced a similar fate. I reflect on the inevitability of destiny, on death, on life, on the value of the witness, and how I could never say anything that could even come close to what a witness, someone who somehow survived to be one, experienced. This is precisely why it is so important to create works or rescue operations of this nature.
Lastly, can you distinguish between an Irina before and after "Intermitencias"?
The entire process of creation and research that has led to "Intermitencias" has generated significant internal movements within me, not only on an intellectual level but also on a sensitive and personal level. Since I started working on the project, I have studied extensively about the Holocaust, approached the topic from different perspectives, and have been revisiting how this story within my family has shaped my own history and artistic work. As an artist, every work I engage with and develop transforms me. As a creator, there is always a before and after with each piece.
Published for: Uruguayan Hebrew Weekly
Date: 2017
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