one

 two

      three          

 four 

I am a retired geologist.  In 2009 I made aliyah as part of the Nefesh B’Nefesh Go North program, and I live in Nahariya, by the sea.  About three times a week, I take the 30 minute walk on the promenade that parallels the sea to the local health club. Usually I am carrying the camera that my wife, Yosefa, gave to me last year for a birthday present. Once in a while something of interest pops up and I take a picture.  I have taken 100s of them.  Most wind up in the recycle bin: either they really weren’t too good or the lighting was poor or it was plainly a lousy shot.

However, once in a while everything just clicks and I get lucky.  Last August, Nefesh B’Nefesh announced that they were holding an art show, and invited immigrants who live in the North to submit their works for presentation. I figured "what the heck; I’m no photographer, but I’ll give it a try … maybe I’ll get lucky."  And I did. I submitted four photos and, to my surprise, they were accepted for presentation.

The exhibition, entitled “From There To Here” was housed in the Lady Roslyn Lyons Gallery on the Ort Braude College campus in Karmiel. Fifteen immigrant artists exhibited works ranging in artistic expression from photography, painting, mobiles, crewel work and more.

The exhibition opened on January 6. I was told that my attendance was mandatory. But that edict aside, I seriously had second thoughts about showing up.  I expected to be so embarrassed. When persons that I did not know came up to me to say good things like, "I admire your work", I was completely taken aback - that is until the old ego kicked in; and then it was like the cat that swallowed the canary. 

Just as ESRA, by its very nature, supports immigrants in their integration into Israeli society, being able to express oneself creatively helps them adapt more easily into their new home with its new culture, language and societal values. Self-expression is one of the ways of coping with the new challenges that immigrants meet as we build our new lives in Israeli society.

See for yourself - each one of the photos tells a story or makes a statement: 

-In “Birds in Flight”, the two stationary birds in the lower left corner are asking one another "where is everyone going?" The answer, of course, is that they are going to Israel, making aliyah.

-The “Surfer” points towards Israel’s dynamism, the element of danger and the need for us to maintain balance.

-“Casting a Wide Net” reflects the diversity of our land.

-“Generations” depicts a Druze grandmother, hand-in-hand with her granddaughter, gazing out into the sea of eternity, thinking about the future.

A week after the exhibition opened, an Israeli TV station interviewed three of the contributors; I was one of them. The newscaster asked me if making aliyah was difficult.  I replied that coming to Israel was like coming home, and coming home is never difficult, whether or not you bring your camera with you.