Today we are flooded with abject, thoughtless, and even terrifying utterances of antisemitism all the time.
The Jewish community is stigmatized by proclamations of hatred and prejudice on a daily basis. To stand up against all the undignified trivializations, the smirking stares, the ignorant remarks, to pull the rug from under the feet of the haters, the best thing one can do is to respond with humanity’s greatest asset: humor.
“With my co-author Ben Bensimon, we wanted to offer a different vision of Judaism, at a time when antisemitism has become commonplace. With these images, we wanted to show a positive, poetic, spiritual and humorous view of the Jewish religion, an other way to fight preconceived beliefs.”
The men in black with hats are having fun in front of Sacha Goldberger’s lens. Their beards keep getting caught in doorways or car doors, they are carrying mountains of books; they are giving lectures while sitting on laundromats… In these images, the viewer sees joy, pleasure, faith, wisdom, and a passion for passing on traditions. The scenes are funny as well as moving. Here and now, the smile prevails.
The series was shot in Brooklyn in the center of the Lubavitch community, around 770 Eastern Parkway, in NY
The 770: Lubavitchs of Brooklyn
by Sacha Goldberger
A New Online Exhibition
