These images were created in Jerusalem, Israel. I wanted to document and convey the message of being devoted to a higher power.
Doves flying between cracks in the wall, sounds of prayer, davening, heads leaning, cries, pleas, singing, tiny birds, prayers, runny noses, children crying and silent as their mothers hold them, sounds of birds wings flapping, torn scraps of paper tucked wherever there is a spot, eyes closed, prayer books.“We don’t disrespect G-d” a woman explains when I ask why they walk backwards without their backs to the wall.
The Western Wall (in Hebrew – HaKotel HaMa’aravi) is the only fragment of the Great Temple to survive the Roman destruction. It’s the center of Jewish yearning and memory for more than two thousand years as well as a universal center of spirituality.
As I leaned towards the wall I began a silent prayer. I felt the prayers of all those who have come before me. I felt my own tears begin to fall. It felt as if someone was listening. I felt the energy of my inner connection with G-d. The wall embodies holiness of space. Yogi Bhajan; master of Kundalini Yoga; said the only constant is G-d and guru. These people in prayer have found devotion in the divine. Earth has fences and boundaries but our soul is free to tap into the infinite g-d inside of each of us.
My desire is to share that the feeling of devotion can move us into something bigger than ourselves. I wanted to connect with the palpable touch of the divine at the wall. I observed, I watched as they stood and sat in prayer. I experienced that the soul can merge with the divine. That the power of prayer can inspire and move us to tears. We can celebrate the glory and heartache of being human; able to reach out and feel. I hope to accomplish and convey that G-d is within each of us. All we have to do is believe and look inside. Status and possessions are illusions. Standing in the presence of these people in prayer brought me closer to the beauty and magnificence of the human spirit and their tears of joy. At the wall, no one is alone. The human spirit; with its pain and sorrow, comes shining through with rapture, bliss and happiness.
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