The bris of the seventh great grandchild to my parents was held in Kfar Chabad last month.
They married young as did their children and grandchildren.
Many genuine smiles as the newest member of the family joined the covenant of Abraham.
This baby was quite alert and I could see a difference or so it seemed to me, in the maturity of the newborn just moments after the brit.  He went from just a newborn baby to a person.  His name is Levy Yitschak.

This slideshow was impromptu.  We heard the music and ran out to see where it was coming from.  As the freshly completed Sefer Torah was paraded along the street, blocking traffic, people came out of their homes to join the procession that was led by a music blaring van, followed by the donating family and the members of the shul receiving the torah.  It felt like a holy event.  As the sun set, I was sorry I hadn't brought outdoor lighting.  Click the photo to see more.

I waited a year to post these photos.  One of the younger grandchildren, about 9 years old, peered over the edge of the open grave. He too wanted to stay that one minute longer.  Like waldo, he appeared in many photos.  The uniformed grandchildren were serving in the IDF and given a day off to attend.  Having lived a full life and suffering a long illness, this funeral was not a sudden shock.  She had left her legacy and they all missed her now.  Click here for slideshow.

The look on the girls face in the next photo show that she is anxious about the way the man approaching her is looking at her.  She seemed about 12 and probably borrowed her moms pumps to look grown up but succeeded a bit too well.  In contrast, the orthodox girls always wear long skirts and, by not watching the models in the media, don't feel the pressure to dress otherwise.  Click for more

Throwing a water bottle.

I love Purim in Israel.  Even in trying to capture diversity by travelling to several cities with contrasting cultures and religious observance, I still found the common celebration and underlying unity rather than differences.  Everyone dressed up, everyone delivered baskets of goodies and פורים שמח was sounded all around by cab drivers and singing yeshiva bochur groups alike.
In general, Israeli's do not drink alcohol other than a polite sip for kiddush and when they meet someone really drunk they have this look of amusement to perplexity though there are those with outright aversion for anyone even slightly inbibed.  I thought that those drinking were still sweet, singing kindergarden songs such as "Today is Friday, tomorrow is Shabbat Kodesh." or pronouncing loud words of torah and telling everyone that they love the Am Yisrael. 
Click here to see Purim slideshow

I was raised both  in Jerusalem with Bais Yaakov and Bais Chana (Chabad)  and in California.  Both worlds have influenced my photography and being fully bi-lingual I can put people at ease in both ultra orthodox and non religious settings.
Being a mother and grandmother,  I'm on the lookout for adorable children in real moments knowing they pass too fast. My oldest daughter is a videographer who works for JEC in New York.  My mother is an artist who always points out shades of pastel in sunsets, how the light plays on leaves and mountains.
Not married at the moment, I still believe in the happily ever after.  Know a good frum guy age 47 - 55?  Let me know.

The people in Israel are special. Enthusiastic, entrepreneureal, dedicated, with an inherent faith in G-d, devoted to their families and of course, opinionated. I've tried to showcase those particularly Israeli moments. Soldiers, firemen, mothers with strollers, construction workers, bus drivers, people on the train and at the train station and of course celebrations: Sefardic and Black Hat Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzva's, Holidays, chassidic celebrations and day to day events.

שנות הילדות שלי היו בירושלים בין חסידים וכן בקאליפורניה. בתיכון למדתי בבית חנה (חבד) בארץ ובית יעקב בארהב
בתור אמא, וסבתא לשלשה אני נותנת תשומת לב לתמונות של ילדים קטנים
שולטת בעברית ואנגלית כשפת אם, אני נהנית לצלם במגזר החרדי וגם את חיי היום יום ברחובות העיר של תל אביב וירושלים
חיילים, שוטרים, כבאים, אמהות ועגלות ,תחנות רכבת, כל עוד התמונוה היא של רגע חי אני מנסה להביא אותו אליכם