Hungry for Music - Chanukah Feast concert

These photographs are from the soundcheck at this year's sold out Hungry for Music Chanukah Feast concert at the Strathmore Center in Rockville, MD. Pictured are Seth Kibel, Scott Harlan and Helen Housemann of the Alexandria Kleztet, plus Klezcentricity with David Julian Gray, Wendy Morrison, Rich Seidel, with Marc Glickman.

Hungry for Music provides musical instruments for needy kids both in the USA and abroad. A truly worthy endeavor.

Please check their website at:
http://hungryformusic.org
and consider purchasing one of their terrific music CD's and/or making a donation.

DCJCC volunteer effort: December 25th 2008

For the umpteenth year in a row, I documented the DC Jewish Community Center's annual December 25th volunteer effort. Over 1,000 volunteers serve in food banks, senior homes, homeless shelters, youth programs, at-risk womens' organizations, homes for the disabled, and many more similar institutions.
For more info visit: www.washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer

I was ably assisted, again, by Ruth Stromberg. Pictured sites include Food & Friends, Mother Dear's, DC Central Kitchen, Central Union Mission, New Endeavors for Women, Change, Inc., Christian Community Group Homes, and the DCJCC blood drive.

"Justice, justice shall you pursue"

Sunrise, sunset...

Photographs of walls and other phenomena revealed by light

The first picture was made at dawn on December 25th, in the parking lot of Food & Friends, in the 200 block of Riggs Rd, NE, Washington DC (they supply meals to the sick and needy).

The second was taken the same day, just before sunset, in the 1500 block of Q St. NW, also in DC.

"We will really understand when we understand light"
Dr. Harvey Picker, physicist (1974)
Siegfried Halus, photographer (1971)

Neon Street Rose

DC. Like it oughta be.

Dr. Grady Dale

I recently had the opportunity to meet and photograph Dr. Grady Dale, an urban psychologist in Baltimore, MD.

He is doing exceptional work in his community as an activist and healer to uplift the lives of many who are powerless and cut off from positive services.

The photographs will appear in an upcoming profile for the American Psychological Association's magazine, the Monitor.

Homage to Masahisa Fukase

For the past two years, I have observed a crow migration route near my mother's assisted living home in Rockville MD. Just before dusk at this time of year, crows mass in trees to roost, and wheel about raucously overhead.

Interestingly, a mass of crows is termed a "murder."

I have been deeply moved over the years by Masahisa Fukase's beautiful photographic poem in book form "The Solitude of Ravens." I learned just today that he has been in a coma for years, after a terrible fall.

Here's to your great spirit sir.

Black Jew Dialogues

I photographed a particularly thought- and laugh-provoking presentation last night, the Black Jew dialogues, created and performed by Ron Jones and Larry Jay Tisch. They were performing for an event sponsored by an organization close to my heart, Operation UnderstandingDC, at 6th & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC.

http://www.theblackjewdialogues.com

www.oudc.org
About OUDC: Operation Understanding DC’s mission is to build a generation of African American and Jewish community leaders who promote respect, understanding and cooperation while working to eradicate racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination. To reach our goals, African American and Jewish high school juniors from the Washington, D.C.-area participate in our year-long leadership development program of educational seminars, cultural activities, a summer journey, and facilitation and public speaking training.

Simcha

A few personal observations I made at the wedding of my friend Lisa Beltz (to Shlomo Zalman Jessel)... Mazel Tov!

Portrait at a wedding

This woman from Nigeria was a guest at the recent wedding of my friend Sue McCarley to Vance Sheperd.

Lovely person.

Serious hat.

Mekbib Gebertsadik

I recently photographed the exceptional Ethiopian-born artist, Mekbib Gebertsadik, for the Columbia Pike Photographic Documentary Project. He has a degree from an art college in Addis Ababa, and is currently pursuing his MFA at Howard University. He arrived in Arlington seven years ago, part of the large Ethiopian community that has settled in the Washington DC area. His parents, Wodajo Gebretsadik Worke and Tadesech Tafferi Wube, just arrived in the United States one month ago.

Mekbib's website, which also highlights the work of his wife, painter Meseret Desta is:
www.artmesk.com

Halloween Mischief

Ruth & I went to an annual Halloween party hosted by Nadine Bloch and friends, this year at Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center.

Fun.

Scariest costume in my opinion? Sarah Palin.

At least Senator McCain didn't nominate Eva Braun to be his running mate, though his campaign appears to be descending into the dark realm of the dead.