Jews have been a part of the German community for 1700 years. But in contrast to this long history they almost disappeared from the public eye. Discriminated against for perceived wealth and their faith Jews have been victimised, isolated and annihilated by the Nazis during the Third Reich, only a few were spared from terror or did not migrate to Israel. Therefore we always see Jewish life in Germany as a retrospective.
We are aware of the images from Dachau concentration camp, the uprising in Warsaw and we have the pictures of Polish photographer Wilhelm Brasse who photographed newly arrived prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp for registration at the camp management. In many media articles, Jewry in Germany is condensed into the time before 8 May 1945 or shortly afterwards. It seems the Nazis have almost been successful in making the Jews vanish.
Therefore my intent of this project is to make them visible again in today's Germany. I want to show that they are not only a part of our history, they are a part of our community and our present day lives too.
Here you will have a look on my first Work in Progress portfolio:
It is an ongoing project. So check frequently about new portraits and shoots. Here are is a complete overview:
