Ultra - Orthodox Boys, Mea-Shearim, Jerusalem, 1996 CLICK TO ENLARGE

From an early age, the ultra-Orthodox are suspicious of cameras, especially those of a stranger. It is nearly impossible to get close enough to capture a good image. These children were gathering wood to build a bonfire for the holiday of Lag B'Omer. They charged me, screaming and making faces. I held my ground, and used their game to capture the close-up image that I wanted.

During the Holy Week of Easter, the churches and streets of Jerusalem's Old City are full of people and activity. Pilgrims, priests, and nuns converge upon the narrow alleys carrying palm branches and crosses along the Via Dolorosa. These Greek Orthodox nuns walks "The Way of the Cross," passing by walls of the Old City which are covered with graffiti expressing political unrest.

Good Friday, Old City, Jerusalem, 1990. CLICK TO ENLARGE

Moslems Pray in Manger Square, Bethlehem, 1995. CLICK TO ENLARGE

In the world's mind, Bethlehem is a Christian city, the birthplace of Jesus and the cradle of Christianity. For many years, this was true, as the Christian community outnumbered the Moslems. But in recent years, the Christians of Bethlehem have been fleeing their native city because of subtle and periodic persecution from their Moslem neighbors and economic difficulty. This photo was taken on the first Friday after the Israeli army left Bethlehem following the peace agreement. The Moslem worshippers came out in large numbers and filled Manger Square to show that they were now the most dominant and powerful religion in Bethlehem.

The Hasidic community is never easy to photograph. As a secular woman, I have an especially difficult time. While trying to take photographs, people have shouted and thrown vegetables at me, and have charged me in the back with baby carriages. But sometimes, the men simply drop their hats over their faces to avoid the camera. In this photograph, Israeli border police prevented the religious men from stoning passing cars driving on the Sabbath.

Hasidim Demonstrate on Shabbat. Jerusalem. 1996 CLICK TO ENLARGE

Purim, Jerusalem 1990. CLICK TO ENLARGE

The holiday of Purim commemorates the Jewish community's redemption from Haman, the Persian ruler, around 450 B.C.E. Most children celebrate the holiday by masquerading in costumes of their heroes or favorite cartoon characters. The streets of Israel fill with miniature soldiers, ninja turtles, clowns and other figures. However, in the ultra-Orthodox communities, the children are not exposed to any secular forms of entertainment. Thus, most often, boys dress as their fathers and girls as the heroine of the holiday, Queen Esther.

Thousands of pilgrims from Cyprus and Greece travel to Jerusalem for Orthodox Easter. Unlike those who arrive from Western countries for the Latin Easter, most of these pilgrims are poor and stay in inexpensive hospices in the Old City. As I observe them clutching their tiny crucifixes, and praying in the churches, I often wonder about their sacrifice and how long they have saved to make this once in a lifetime pilgrimage. I do not know this man's personal story, but the joy in his eyes says everything.

Orthodox Easter, Old City, Jerusalem, 1997. CLICK TO ENLARGE

Western Wall, Jerusalem, 1993. CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Western Wall is Judaism's most holy site, the only remnant of the Temple complex to survive the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. It is not uncommon to find people praying there 24 hours a day. Here, a rabbi meets at the Western Wall with his followers.