An image from the series Mesamche Lev.
I learned a new word this week: “Schmeichl” (Smile!) It’s actually an old word in Yiddish. But spending time in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox neighborhood, it seems that Yiddish is alive and well. Photographing in Mea Shearim is like having a chance to go back in time to take pictures. This picture is from a fundraising series I began this week for Mesamche Lev, an organization that gives out 60,000 pairs of shoes in Mea Shearim for Passover. The only one who didn’t schmeichl was my son, Ya’ar, who we posed in the picture to show some “diversity”…I guess I need to teach him some Yiddish.