Jerusalem photo projects
here is a selection of galleries showing some of my works and projects in Jerusalem
This series is part of an on-going project, an attempt to observe the impact of the fascinating groundswell that constantly sweeps Jerusalem Old City.
Jerusalem Old City
Large numbers of visitors from all continents make the trip to visit the Holy Sites in the Land of Jesus. A visit in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the spiritual highlights of their journey. Yet, the sanctuary, although awe-inspiring, has become a tourist attraction with its inevitable crowds and perpetual agitation. The shrine is shared between several Christian churches in complicated arrangements, the result of tensions and power struggles.
Pilgrims come a long way to walk in the very last steps of Jesus. This visit is of great significance to them.
This series tries to inquire how the physical experience of a visit in the church of the Holy Sepulcher coexists with the spiritual one.
the church of the Holy Sepulcher
With this series I take a closer look at the the different Christian communities from the different denominations present and active in Jerusalem, mainly those who share the "Status Quo" agreement in the church of the Holy Sepulcher, namely the Orthodox and the Catholics, the Armenians, the Copts, the Ethiopians and the Syrian orthodox. Local Arab Christians, Pilgrims and casual Christian visitors are also in the focus.
Christians in jerusalem
this series focuses on the different annual Jewish festivals in the streets and shrines in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the Jewish quarter in the Old City, the ultra-orthodox neighborhoods and some private places.
Jewish festivals
What it means and what it takes to be a Jerusalemite....
Jerusalemites
In this series I try to inquire if the soul of Jaffa Street has been preserved in its previous glory, in the heart of the city and in the hearts of Jerusalemites, following the introduction of the light train, despite this far reaching concession to modernity in a city nearly five thousand years old.
Jaffa Street - Jerusalem
Roughly in the middle of the Old City lies a large flat roof. many reach out to find their bearings among prominent landmarks but also to enjoy a few moments of calm and serenity... The view is inspiring but disturbed with major features such as the Golden Dome and the Mount of Olives emerging among satellite dishes, water tanks, lamp post, air shafts and guarding rails.
The roof offers a view over the 3 spots which define the city of Jerusalem as an "Axis mundi", establishing the link between the earth and the sky, according to all 3 monotheist narratives.
In this series all the pictures have been taken from the same roof, only slightly changing view points and fields of view, using natural and street lighting, at different times of the day and year.
a roof with a view
Bab al-Rahma cemetery (Mercy Gate cemetery) is a muslim cemetery which extends along the eastern wall of the Esplanade of the Mosques.
Bab al-Rahma cemetery
During Easter Week in Jerusalem, large crowds of pilgrims join the Palm Sunday processions on Mount of Olives and the Good Friday processions along the Via Dolorosa. Walking in the steps of Jesus is at the core of a pilgrimage in the Holy Land.
Palm Sunday and Good Friday
Large quantities of solid waste accumulate daily at street corners in the Old City, while hordes of street sweepers crisscross the Old City and small tractors tow away towering heaps of rubbish.
Focusing on this aspect of the Old City of Jerusalem offers a perspective far removed from the perception most people have of this iconic destination.
urban stress
Until the 1860's, the entire Jerusalem population resided within the 1 sq.km of the Old City, behind the City walls. The human fabric of the Holy City was rich and varied with communities from all corners of the Levant and the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the 19th century the population increased drastically, with newcomers arriving mainly from European countries, further enriching the human fabric. As a result, the city expanded outside the walls and soon urban planning became a central issue.
Today Jerusalem is a city of nearly one million, the largest city in Israel in terms of jurisdictional area. Its population remains the most ethnically and culturally varied in the country. The city faces major challenges, all of which have impacted urban planning.
As a Jerusalemite, I try with this series to make sense of my own city, a modest attempt to uncover its soul...
urban space
Here is a series which conveys my perception of the way urban planning is transforming and affecting Jerusalem.
Urban corners
a series of portraits from the different communities in Jerusalem.
portraits
Jerusalem hosts annual street marches, some are fun, others are more political, all have an agenda.
Annual street marches
protests in 2023/2024 against a judicial reform aimed at limiting the power of the Supreme Court and of the government's legal councillors. this reform is viewed by many as anti-democratic. Protesters have called for the reforms to be scrapped.
Judicial reform protests in Jerusalem
Israel has led a war on several fronts for unprecedented duration, following the attacks and massacres by Hamas on 7.10.23 in the Israeli towns and villages surrounding the Gaza strip.
The highly unstable situation, the violence, the unending succession of depressing news and above all the inability to obtain the liberation of the hostages still alive for so long, all this has been taking a toll on the "civilian front".
This series is an attempt to probe the "mood" in israel. I sat from time to time at a coffee shop terrace in jerusalem and observed the people around me, as they share a coffee break with friends or relatives. Capturing a look, an uneasy posture, a certain melancholy maybe... this is as close as I could get to assessing the mood of a people under stress, "in real time".
Resilience
a series of photographs from 1998 of an Ultra-Orthodox family which i befriended. I focussed on 5 years old Hilel, one of their sons, who was just about to join the community's education system.
an ultra-orthodox Jewish family
The Western Wall
The Western Wall is the most important and prominent Jewish shrine in the world... yet it is not a holy site!
The holy place for the Jews is actually on the "Temple mount" itself (or today's "Esplanade of the Mosques"), above The Western Wall, where both Jewish Temples stood.
The esplanade of The Western Wall is in fact a huge open sky synagogue. It is also widely accepted that God's presence is permanent at the Wall which is why many Jews (and others) come to the Western Wall in order to pray and address God individually.
With this series my aim is to try to grasp and size up the fervor of those who come and pray at this awe inspiring landmark.
the Western Wall
The Mount has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years, and holds approximately 150,000 graves, it is central in the tradition of Jewish cemeteries.
the Jewish cemetery on Mount of Olives
This series focuses on a simple observation which inevitably jumps to the eyes of every visitor to Jerusalem: the city of Jerusalem is torn between its complex and controversial political status on the one hand and its role as a fully recognized holy city on the other hand.
In this series I explore the depth of this duality which undoubtedly is one of the Jerusalem traits.
Jerusalem duality
this series illustrate recent winters during which significant amounts of snow blanketed Jerusalem
snow in jerusalem
“Things, as they have been running until today, shall remain as at present, pending a final agreement.” This was the declaration made in 1852 that established what was to be known as the Status Quo. It is a document with a list of "temporary" rules that regulates the Christian holy sites shared by several Christian communities in the Holy Land.
In the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the Status Quo governs the organization of the space in the minute details: the divide of spaces, the ownership, cleaning rights, candles and bulbs that can only be lit by their owners...
but above all the status quo establishes a precise schedule of the rights and hours of worship, a schedule that needs to be strictly observed so as to avoid disturbing the hours of worship for the other communities.
One of the best ways to witness this in "real time" is to attend the daily Franciscan procession in the church of the Holy Sepulcher, commemorating key events of the passion, the death and the resurrection of the Christ , shortly followed by a similar procession by the Armenian community, taking place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. This series closely follows both processions.
Franciscan and Armenian procession in the Holy Sepulcher
"Project Mamilla" is a 10 hectares ambitious urban development including luxury housing, hotels and offices as well as huge underground parking lots and a tourist promenade combined with a shopping mall leading to the Old City through a steep fly of 22 stairs.
Project Mamilla
some revealing views in Jerusalem
Views in jerusalem
the city of Hebron in the West Bank has a Palestinian majority of more than 200,000 citizens and a small Jewish settlement in the city center, variously numbered between 500 and 800.
One sector of Hebron, home to around 170,000 Palestinians, is governed by the Palestinian Authority. Yet another sector, centered around the Cave of the Patriarchs, which was inhabited by around 30,000 Palestinians is under Israeli military control with an entire brigade in place to protect some 800 Jewish residents living in the old Jewish quarter.
Israel has declared that a number of special areas in the Old City of Hebron constitute a closed military zone. Palestinians shops have been forced to close. Palestinian residents, who are subjected every day to repeated body searches, must register to obtain special permits to navigate through the 18 military checkpoints set up in the city center.
Hebron Jewish settlement
Haifa
Haifa seen by a Jerusalemite...
Bahai gardens. Haifa
Bahai gardens. Haifa
Wadi Nisnas. Haifa.
Bahai gardens. Haifa
Haifa
Holocaust Survivors are the very last living witnesses of those who became the helpless target of unprecedented hatred and genocidal plans during the Nazi period.
During the Holocaust, each and every Jew saw his entire world collapse. Some went through the horrors of the Nazi extermination camps. Others managed to survive in less horrendous conditions. All of them had to face, at some point, the sudden crash of their previously well structured and apparently safe surroundings.
Today, more than 75 years later, fewer and fewer Holocaust Survivors are still among us. Having survived, they had to start a new life, often from scratch, despite the traumas and open wounds. Many have managed to raise a family and lead their own career.
They are now nearing the end of their life. Their living testimony in all forms is invaluable to us and to future generations.
Through these B&W portraits, I have tried to draw up a visual and evocative perspective of their life “then and now” with regard to their destroyed but not forgotten past.
