She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots

Bronze statue of five women and girls standing close together on a pedestal, surrounded by greenery; plaque reads, "In honor of brave mothers Eva, Wiena, and Sofia Subaliuk.

Victoria Milstein, "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots", 2023, bronze. Greensboro, NC

About

As in Greensboro, NC, the installation at Fairfield University will provide rich interdisciplinary learning materials, including:

An on-site, self-guided tour of the memorial
A full-length documentary film that expands on the story behind the sculpture and its significance
A modified high school curriculum designed to meet Connecticut’s Holocaust and Genocide education requirements, as mandated by state legislation on May 10, 2018.

Date

September 11, 2026 - Onward

Location

Fairfield University Art Museum, Sited between the Dolan School of Business and Bellarmine Pond.

Explore the Exhibition

In Liepāja, Latvia, on December 15, 1941, thousands of Jewish women and children were taken to the women’s prison. From there, in the freezing cold, they were marched to a nearby beach called Skede, forced to strip to their underclothes, taken to the edge of a trench, and shot dead in groups of ten.

Many of the victims were photographed in their final moments by a Nazi photographer. One such photograph serves as the basis for Victoria Milstein’s monument, She Wouldn’t Take Off Her Boots.

A group of women stand together outdoors, dressed in undergarments, with scattered clothing and people in the background. The image is in black and white.

The photograph of the Liepaja massacre, upon which the monument "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots" is based. Some historical sources identify these women as: (From right to left) Emma Epstein, Maya Epstein or Naomi Yankelowtiz, Miriam Parve, Roas Epstein or Frume Purve, and Sorella (Sarah) Epstein, 10 years old. Photo Credit: Yad Vashem

As the artist explains her work, “Standing arm-in-arm are five women in their last act, looking straight at us today, with grace, humanity, and defiance. The older woman, asked to strip, stands in the center with her boots on as she clutches onto the arms of generations of women in her family.

The two figures at the end of the grouping bring us physically into the sculpture, revealing an emotional narrative of their impending death. With a snap of the camera, we almost can’t comprehend the innocence that we see. One sees the subtle emotions of fear, disbelief, terror, and even hope. The youngest, with her head bent, clutches her fists, communicating the human horror of the Holocaust and reminding us of the several million children that were exterminated.”

At the heart of the memorial stands a bronze camera, symbolizing the Nazi photographer’s lens through which the victims’ last moments were documented. By interacting with the camera’s lens, viewers become witnesses, observing the stark contrast to the photographer’s original intent. This immersive experience creates a deep, personal connection with the history and lessons of the Holocaust.

Please check back for further details around the statue’s installation in late summer 2026.

Gift to the Fairfield University Art Museum by Paul Frederick Burger, a Fairfield native born May 22, 1939. Dedicated to his parents, Zoltan and Ida Miller Burger.

In remembrance of the women and children, and all victims of the atrocities of the Holocaust.

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