Cameras give voice to Israeli, Palestinian kids

BOSTON – Two dozen Jewish and Palestinian kids from Jerusalem’s Old City have turned Jason Eskenazi into a believer.

Three years ago, the New York-based, award-winning photographer traveled to Israel for six months to teach a kids’ photography class sponsored by Kids with Cameras, a non-profit group started by Zana Briski, the Academy Award winning photographer and director of “Born into Brothels.”

Eskenazi spoke no Hebrew or Arabic. He arrived with little more than the tools of his trade – 24 cameras, 250 rolls of film, and a flyer translated into Arabic. He also says he didn’t understand the ways in which photography or art could affect kids.

Through trial and error, mishaps, and a touch of serendipity, Eskenazi learned the transformative power of art, turning 24 kids into keen-eyed photographers who chronicled their lives and the world they inhabit. Along with developing pictures, he earned their trust and helped them develop an interest in learning about each other, as well.

An exhibit of their stunning photographs, “Kids with Cameras: Beyond the Wall,” is now on view through July 31, at the Boston Public Library, co-sponsored by Zionist House/Israel Cultural Center and the Consulate General of Israel to New England.

“My goal was to empower [the kids] to see the world they live in,” Eskenazi said at a July 18 talk at the opening reception of the exhibit, in honor of Jerusalem Day. Twelve Israeli and 12 Palestinian children, who ranged in age between 8 and 12, were chosen to photograph the Old City and its ever-present strife, according to press material.

“There was no hidden agenda, no political motivation,” Eskenazi said. “The cameras gave voice to the kids.”

“It was important to have this exhibit in a public place, not in a religious setting, because it opens it up to many people from varied backgrounds,” says Avis G. Jacobson, chair of the Jerusalem Day Celebration.

Jacobson, who says she is very impressed with the quality of work produced by the young kids, says exhibiting at the Boston Public Library gives people a chance to see something they’re not expecting.  

Standing in front of one of the photographs, “Pensive Girl Looks at City,” by 11-year-old Tchiya, Eskenazi tells The Voice & Herald that he particularly likes the more personal photos shot by the kids. In the photo, a girl looks out over the Old City, at twilight.

“It’s sort of mystical and magical. You can go into the head of the person pictured. The empathy of that, to be able to do that, is very powerful. That’s what I look for when I take photos,” he commented.

Eskenazi described how the two different groups of kids accidentally discovered that he was teaching the other group. He used the opportunity to share the two groups’ photo albums with each other. The kids curiosity to see the others’ photos and glimpse their lives trumped the initial school-yard type animosity, Eskenazi recalls.

He brought the two best Jewish and Palestinian students together to meet and look at each other’s photos.

The momentous scene, of Zvi, and Raneen, both 12-years-old, sitting on either side of Eskenazi, is captured in a photo also on display at the Boston Public Library show.

By using cameras, the kids were able to find their own voices and learn how to see others, says Nadav Tamir, Israel’s consul general to Israel, who spoke at the reception. “It’s a great lesson on how people can have different perspectives and different narratives and have empathy for the other.

“It’s a good way for all of us in Jerusalem to learn how to live together,” Tamir told The Voice & Herald.

The photographs have been exhibited across the country including New York City and Austin, Texas.

Eskenazi hopes to be able to return to Jerusalem and mount an exhibit, to bring the kids and their families together, and to expand the program throughout Israel.

Through the process, Eskenazi says he learned the only way to make a difference in big policies is to encourage change organically, through individuals.

“I’m into the Jewish proverb,” admits the completely secular Jew. “If you save one life, you save the world.”