Train Ticket

 

The photographs were taken in the Bat-Galim neighborhood, Haifa. I discovered the group of children on my way to the train station. They pass the days of their childhood in the shade of the trees, among old swings and benches.

These are children of professors and engineers who emigrated from the Soviet Union and have been working odd jobs since their immigration to Israel. Some of the children live alone with their grandmothers, but refrain from volunteering information about their families and prefer to focus on the photography.

During the period of photography they became familiar with the kind of light that I was seeking and led me to magical spots of light and shade. They were truly happy when the light was just right for the photograph and were curious to know how the light could look different from hour to hour.

Each child responded differently to me. Some never seemed to recognize me, while others awaited my arrival confidently. They criticized the work that I shared with them from the previous week, and I learned from their perspective and innocence. The camera assisted us, the children and I, as together we coped with profound issues such as death, anger, love and sensuality. The coping was done through the camera, silently.

The frequency of our encounters resulted in the children often standing before the camera tired and exhausted, shedding off the mask they had originally put on. They were submerged in their own world, one that we as adults are too far away from in order to truly understand.

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