JEW
For four years I have travelled the world taking portraits of Jews. The odyssey has been an amazing one, to date I have been to twelve countries including, Azerbaijan, Argentina, China, Ethiopia, India and Ukraine. I have photographed the ordinary and the extraordinary, from the rich to the homeless and from the religious to the secular. Each portrait is titled not by the sitter’s name but rather by their job or their circumstances. So for example; Spy, Refuse Collector, Rape Victim etc. An unadorned snapshot that challenges the received view of world Jewry.
A book of the project containing 120 portraits is published by Skira Editore, in Milan, available from 28th November 2019. This year, the book won first prize at the International Photography Awards in New York, in the category Books - People.
John Offenbach’s wonderful collection of portraits, boldly and bluntly entitled Jew, could not be more timely. In a period when antisemitism and racism are rife, when ignorance and prejudice prevail, here is a captivating tale of the unexpected. A portrait of Jewish people which defies cliche and stereotype. From Brooklyn to Azerbaijan, from the homeless to the homeland, all human life is here.
Alan Yentob, BBC
This is an intensely mesmerising and important collection of photographs. I find myself looking and saying, not without emotion, ‘my people.’
Stephen Fry
