She Also Served

Talie Shalmon was inspired by the story of Lieutenant Nursing Sister Sarah Lack.  Lack served as a nurse in the Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branch for over five years and spent more than four years of her service working in England. However, when she returned to Canada, nobody seemed interested in hearing about her war experiences. Regardless of this indifference, Lack was proud of her service and shared her experiences with her children. In her piece, Sarah Lack’s Story, Shalmon focuses on the duality of Lack’s identity as both a Canadian and a Jew. In the wreath surrounding the central portrait of Lack, Shalmon includes a Star of David, maple leaves and poppies.  Talie notes "the Star of David symbolizes the Judaism of both the servicewomen and those who they were fighting for, maple leaves symbolizing Canada, where many of these women were born and served in the military, and red poppy flowers, which commonly symbolize peace and death and are an enduring symbol for the remembrance of fallen soldiers."  The globe represents how these Canadian servicewomen were part of a worldwide alliance to fight Axis domination.  Shalmon wants her work to express a sense of the darkness of the history but also pride in the contributions of Jewish servicewomen and hope for a future where such darkness has been dispelled.

Toronto artist and graphic designer Talie Shalmon graduated with a Master of Design in Industrial Design from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from Queen's University. Talie has participated in a number of group exhibitions and public installations in Canada.

For more information on the featured servicewoman see

Sarah Lack (Cohen), She Also Serves Website