Patch and writing by Raquel Partnoy.  A patch about her daughter Alicia lies directly above this one on the quilt, and above that lies a patch made by Alicia's daughter and Raquel's granddaughter, Ruti.

My grandparents were Russian-Jewish immigrants who settled in Argentina in 1913, shortly before World War I. My father arrived with part of his family, the ones who remained in Russia died during the war. My mother went with 24 family members. As a painter I have always been interested in preserving my family memories. All those old photographs told me stories about generations that come and generations that go. They spoke of life, exile, and death. I used those stories to create some series of paintings. In one of them I portrayed my grandfather, who fled his country, because of the Czar’s discrimination and persecution against the Jewish people, and also because of the army who used to forcefully draft very young boys who never came back to their homes.

If I look back, I see that all my paintings reflect both my heritage and my own life’s experiences. I painted some series related to the military dictatorship in Argentina - 1976/1983, when more than 30,000 people were “disappeared.” Many youth who believed in justice were arrested, tortured, and eventually killed by the authorities.

I also created some series of paintings about women: “The Brides,” “Women of the Bible,” “Women of the Tango,” to tell their stories about abuse and discrimination.

As a daughter of immigrants I feel deeply connected to my roots but I also feel close to those who suffer repression and injustice.