We dream of a world not threatened by destruction

This series is informed by memories passed down by my grandfather, a survivor of Nazi occupation and imprisonment at Auschwitz, as well as my own experiences as an American Jew reckoning with conceptions of place and statehood. For my entire life, Judaism has been about the wisdom of the past, about refusing to let history repeat itself. Faced with echoes of descriptions heard in my grandfather’s voice, in the name of protecting my family, I fear that I am watching a great part of my people use my faith to justify doing unto others what has been done to us.

Through my work, I strive to carry out what I perceive to be a moral, religious, hereditary obligation to those who have not yet been liberated as one of a people who have been taught to recognize and counter oppression, while questioning narratives of Israeli Zionism as intrinsic to Jewish values. “We dream of a world not threatened by destruction” is a quote from a prayer for peace from my family’s Haggadah, in which we pledge to remember our ancestors’ enslavement and to strive for the liberation of oppressed peoples during our lifetimes.

All proceeds from the series go to those they depict, or to a family facing similar circumstances if the original reference is uncontactable. In the latter case, I use Operation Olive Branch, a grassroots humanitarian organization that keeps a spreadsheet constantly updated with links to support families seeking aid, in order to locate beneficiaries.

Please click on each portrait for more information about the individuals they represent and the families they will benefit.