The Jewish Museum in Berlin is showing German Jews Today by Leonard Freed until April 27, 2025.
Leonard Freed (1929–2006) initially wanted to become a painter, but after studying graphic design, he decided to pursue photography instead. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he undertook many journeys all around the world. His constant travel companion was his camera, which helped him process his experiences much like a diary.
In the late 1950s, he began working as a freelance photographer. He mostly focused on long-term documentary projects on themes that occupied him for years and resulted in extensive series. In 1967, his photographs were shown in The Concerned Photographer exhibition, organized by Cornell Capa. In 1972, he became a full member of the prestigious Magnum agency.
He also set out to explore his own identity with his camera. As the child of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, he turned his lens to his fellow Jews. Thinking back later, he recalled specific formative moments that sparked his frequent engagement with Jewish themes. One of them was the day when he returned home from school in Brooklyn to find his father lying on the kitchen floor, absolutely shattered by the news that many of their family members had indeed been murdered during the Holocaust, as confirmed by a letter in his hands. The photographer also mentioned a notable encounter with three Orthodox Jews on the New York subway, who brought back his own childhood memories of Jewish customs and holidays.
In 1954, Freed photographed Orthodox Jews in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Starting in 1958, he turned his camera to the Jewish community in Amsterdam, and from 1961, he documented Jewish life in West Germany. He also photographed in Israel on numerous occasions. Several book projects emerged from this series. In 1958, his first book on Jews in Amsterdam was published. In 1965, he released Deutsche Juden Heute (German Jews Today). In 1984, he published La danse des fidèles (The Dance of the Faithful) in France, featuring pictures on Jewish themes taken around the world over a 25-year period.
Leonard Freed : German Jews Today
Until April 27, 2025
Jewish Museum Berlin
Lindenstr. 9–14
10969 Berlin, Germany
https://www.jmberlin.de/en
