DCJCC volunteer effort: December 25th 2009

Herer are some views of the DC Jewish Community Center's annual December 25th volunteer effort. Many hundreds of volunteers serve serve food, cheer the aged, young, the homeless and the bereft.

I have been documenting the effort for about 17 consecutive years or so.

For more info visit: www.washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer
Thank you to Erica Steen, Randy Bacon, and Rose Cranna of the DCJCC for their leadership and help.

I was ably assisted, again, by Ruth Stromberg.
Pictured sites include Mother Dear's, DC Central Kitchen, Dream Academy, Change, Inc., and the DCJCC blood drive.

"Tzedek tzedek tirdof l’maan tichyeh— justice, pursue justice, that you may live" (Deut. 16:20).
What is it to pursue justice, and why is the word tzedek repeated?
Medieval commentators offered some ideas:
Saadyah Gaon — pursue absolute justice.  
Rashi and others — your courts should be exemplary.  
Ramban — the word tzedek is repeated to teach that justice is paramount, whether the judgment is in your favor or not. 
The Etz Hayyim bible commentary quotes Abraham Joshua Heschel, "You must actively pursue justice" and 
Simcha Bunem, "The means you use to pursue justice must also be just." - from a commentary by Jonathan Kremer in the Philadelphia Jewish Voice
http://www.pjvoice.com/v4/4202justice.html

Soft evidence of the deluge everywhere...

Views from my house and about, during and after the heavy snowstorm that blanketed everything deep cold and white on December 19th, two days before the solstice was marked. Hello winter my old friend...

See also
http://cpdpcolumbiapike.blogspot.com/2009/12/dreaming-earth-was-covered-deep-snow.html:

Documentation / Phillips

Photographs chosen from an assignment tonight at the Phillips Collection. Three of these are documentation of an historic performance art event, "Re: Happening," based on a work "Theater Piece No. 1" originally staged at Black Mountain College in 1952.


The other image, of the woman on the staircase, I simply just like.

Portrait of Dr. Michael Bourke "Champion of the innocent"

This portrait was recently made on assignment for the American Psychological Association's APA Monitor magazine of Dr. Michael Bourke, who is the US Marshall's Service's Chief Psychologist in charge of analyzing and apprehending sexual offenders who victimize children.

He has difficult and important work protecting the community. I found him to be a very positive, cheerful, and open person, who also clearly approaches his difficult mission seriously.

Portrait of an art collector

I made this picture recently of a noted art collector...

Writing with light.

J Street

I documented the inaugural J Street conference in DC this week. J Street is the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. They had many members of Congress, the Obama Administration, the Knesset, and significant leaders of moderate Arab nations visit, support, sponsor, and speak to the 1500-plus crowd.

It was an energizing, positive success in galvanizing Jewish and other groups working to create an effective peaceful solution to the long sad conflict between Israeli Jews and their Palestinian neighbors.

These images are just a few of my personal impressions, and are included on the basis of visual integrity and preference, not politic nuances.

A sad handful of crackpot protesters outside the meeting had no effect on the proceedings whatsoever.

I pray this new coalition's voice resounds like a mighty shofar.

Peace. Shalom. Salaam. Pax.

For more information, visit:
http://www.jstreet.org
and:
http://conference.jstreet.org

Outtakes and intakes

Some images that meandered by serendipitously this week, and ended up ensnared in the web of my consciousness.

I am still fascinated by the knowledge that I learned this summer from an opthamologic surgeon that "the retina is a part of the brain."

Drew, Annika, and a bit of Morgantown WV

I just had the pleasure of meeting Annika, Drew Stromberg's curious and energetic young cat, in his room in Morgantown.

It was fall, and besides the cat, there were a number of fancies about town that spoke to my eyes.

The Klezmatics - in concert- new views

A few images from a concert on October 18, 2009 at the Clarice Smith Center of the University of Maryland. Amazing music and musicians.

I had a bit of fun with the images, working under some constraints imposed by the venue. A different way to channel and share energy.

Thanks to the whole band, filmmaker Erik Anjou and Professor Miriam Isaacs.

Flower photograph in my dresser drawer

I recently scanned this polaroid SX-70 picture, of flowers on an end table. I probably made it about 1978.

The flowers were from my garden I think. This little picture has been sitting in my dresser drawer for thirty or more years, under my socks, occasionally reminding and rewarding me of its graces.

Editorial- recently published

I just had these images published - the magazine cover was for the National Apartment Association, the grandmother and the child was for Mothering magazine, and the image of the researcher from Childrens National Medical Center's research clinic was published in Parade magazine. The other cover, of a pediatric surgeon at work, is also for Children's Hospital

Youth Advocates

I covered a training program in Washington, DC for Advocates For Youth, an organization that works both in the United States and in developing countries with a sole focus on adolescent reproductive and sexual health.

It's a lively, diverse, caring, creative, and energizing group of young people.

www.advocatesforyouth.org

L'Shana Tovah

Blessings and kind wishes in the New Year

A bunch of politicians

These shots were made on assignment at the White House and Capitol Hill.

Pictured are Senators Chuck Schumer, Sam Brownback, Joe Lieberman, Congressmen Howard Berman and Eric Cantor, former National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams, plus Ambassador Dennis Ross.

Synectic Theater- Dracula

These shots are outtakes from a cover photo I created for Rosslyn BID's magazine story highlighting Arlington County's new arts and culture complex.

The models are from Synectic Theater's production of Dracula.

http://www.synetictheater.org

Thanks to Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili of Synectic, and their talented troupe; to Maureen O'Grady, Cecilia Cassidy, and Eric Battle of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District; and to art director Paul Montgomery of Palm Tree Studio.

http://www.rosslynva.org
http://www.palmtreestudio.net

Orleans County Fair

I love everything about rural county fairs. Something about racing pigs, tractor pull, 4H displays, gaudy kiddy rides, hucksters straight out of Mark Twain's era, and the smell of fatty foods frying...

This is one Ruth and I spent a happy vacation day wandering around in Orleans County, Vermont.

Lake Willoughby Vermont, and environs 2009

Ruth and I vacationed here again with our wonderful hosts, Steve Dentel and Carol Post.

Thanks.

Ruth in Vermont

Happy

Vacation blur images

Continuation of a form of visual exploration that I began in the late 1970's, when I determined that focus can be an arbitrary and, at times, potentially limiting choice.

I often appreciate the way these consciously-created experiments look - the thoughts & emotions they evoke. And that's the bottom line in approaching or engaging art.

These are all from Vermont. The focused image is of a bed in an inn at about four in the morning. Moonlight through the pines.

New York City walk- randomized street images

We visited our friend, artist Tine Kindermann, in New York. These photgraphs were made while walking with her through the Lower East Side and in Chinatown. Once again I set the camera to automatic and had the camera make all technical decisions. I did not look through the viewfinder; but just pointed the camera in the general direction of interesting subjects.