Voices of Holocaust survivors heard

“They’re the exact opposite of what you’d expect,’’ said Davidson, a journalist, poet, and filmmaker who has also written two books about the Holocaust and postwar Germany. “They saw their families murdered and came to this country with nothing, yet they’re upbeat, life-affirming people who are making real contributions to the same world that did all these things to them. They’re also very humble and would never promote themselves. So I took that on.’’

Davidson spent two years making a one-hour documentary “The Holocaust: Memory and Legacy,’’ which includes interviews with Holocaust survivors, children of survivors, soldiers who liberated the concentration camps, and Holocaust educators. The film, which received a 2009 Massachusetts Cultural Council arts grant, is narrated by Jordan Rich of WBZ-AM and features the theme song “Child of a Survivor’’ by Groton resident Ronnie Earl, a blues musician whose parents survived the Holocaust.

Rather than producing a documentary on a “sad and thoroughly covered topic,’’ Davidson said the film is a “vibrant’’ work incorporating poetry, art, and music in addition to photos and World War II footage.

“I believe genocides are linked, and the brutish attitude of superiority is still going on today,’’ said Davidson, who is co-coordinator of the Boston chapter of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life and a board member of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow.

“I hope seeing this film will inspire people to take action and speak out in their own lives.’’

“The Holocaust: Memory and Legacy’’ will be shown monthly beginning Sunday at 7 p.m. at Outpost 186, 186 ½ Hampshire St. in Cambridge’s Inman Square. For more information, go to irefusedtodie.com.

ACCIDENTAL TOURIST: Boston resident John Martino’s exhibition at the Brookline Arts Center is called “Shots Abroad: International Photography,’’ but visitors shouldn’t expect typical travel pictures. Rather than depicting tourist sites or scenic landscapes, he takes “street-style’’ snapshots to isolate moments in time.

Martino said he was inspired during a trip to San Francisco 10 years ago to begin planning extended trips abroad.

He has since traveled to Southeast Asia, Europe, and North Africa, living in inexpensive youth hostels anywhere from weeks to months at a time.

Among the 16 black-and-white photographs on display are images of a little boy staring in amazement at a man on stilts at a country fair in Liechtenstein; a Malaysian child’s hand holding out four fingers to represent her age; two Cambodian boys engrossed with a keyboard even though it isn’t connected to a computer; and his own reflection in a store window in Italy.

“The universality of these little moments reminds us that the same kinds of experiences connect us all over the world,’’ Martino said.

“Shots Abroad: International Photography’’ is on display through July 17 at the Brookline Arts Center, 86 Monmouth St. For more information, call 617-566-5715 or go to brooklineartscenter.com.

LOVE AT FIRST BITE: When she was assigned to create a rich, dense dessert for a class project at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Emily Kooris of Ashland began experimenting with a family brownie recipe. She brought her latest version into her class and then to a friend’s dinner party.

“The reaction was so strong,’’ she recalled, “I thought, ‘Maybe I could sell these!’ ’’

Kooris, who calls her brownies the “fudgiest on the planet,’’ now bakes them one small batch at a time through her business, Emily’s Brownies.

Although the recipe is a secret, ingredients include pure creamery butter, fresh eggs, superior cocoa, King Arthur flour, and Callebaut chocolate drizzles.

Because brownies are her passion, that’s all Kooris makes. The most popular flavors are chocolate fudge, M&M, and walnut fudge. All brownies have chocolate chips in the batter.

“I really enjoy supplying my product to local mom-and-pop establishments,’’ Kooris said.

“Talking to people and hearing about how much they love the brownies just makes my day.’’

Prices range from $4.25 for a mini brownie bag to $42 for a half-sheet pan.

For more information, go to emilysbrownies.net.

LOCAL ‘BUSINESS CHAMPION’ HONORED: Alice Rouse (inset) of Bedford has been named as the 2009 Business Champion by the Billerica Community Alliance.

Rouse, who is associate dean of college advancement at Middlesex Community College, has worked at the college since 1985. She was previously the director of community affairs and special events for the college’s Bedford campus.

As a community liaison, Rouse builds and maintains partnerships with area businesses and civic and nonprofit organizations such as the Billerica Chamber of Commerce, Billerica Partners for Education, and Billerica Council on Aging.

In her current position, Rouse helps raise funds for the college through the Middlesex Community College Foundation and supervises its scholarships and annual fund.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me, but it also represents tremendous recognition for the college and president Carole Cowan, who truly believes a community college’s mission is first, education, and second, being part of the community,’’ Rouse said. “I’m delighted to be able to share the honor.’’

THE SOLE MAN: Eddie Keshishian of Waltham can still remember learning how to make shoes by hand in his father’s shop beneath their house in Lebanon. Beginning at age 5, he was progressively allowed to punch holes in the Italian leather uppers and stitch the parts together.

The family moved to Newton when Keshishian was 15 years old. And although he no longer makes shoes, he enjoys repairing and customizing them at his shop, The Sole Man in Waban.

Keshishian replaces heels and soles, mends all things leather, and mixes his own dye for touch-ups. Most satisfying, however, is helping customers alleviate pain in their feet or back by observing how they walk and adjusting their shoes accordingly.

While he appreciates his customers’ confidence that he can do anything and tries never to tell them no, he must occasionally break the news that a requested repair isn’t worth the time and cost.

“I like talking to my customers and I enjoy the work,’’ Keshishian said. “I was born into it.’’

People items may be submitted to cantrell@globe.com.