Loli Kantor 

She spent the first half of her life in Israel, where she was born to Polish Jewish parents who fled to Israel during World War II. Later she moved with her family to the USA, where she still lives today. The loss of her mother in childbirth intensified her lifelong struggle to understand and search for her own roots. She has traveled and documented the places (in the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, etc.) where Jewish refugees took refuge. She records their contemporary life and history with the traditions they preserve.
Loli Kantor is the author of three books, two of which are primarily devoted to this topic - Beyond the Forest: Jewish Presence in Eastern Europe, 2004-2012 and There Was a Forest: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Today, 2005-2008. Her work is part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, among others. 
The artist will be present in person at the installation and festival, and the exhibition in the synagogue will be a combination of photographs and small found objects.