Thursday, July 9, 2009

Photographer Jono David's portraits of Jewish facilities are so good that some see them not as art, but as security risk

Japan-based photographer Jono David has been creating portraits of Jewish communities all over the world, but Australian Jewish institutions—citing security concerns—have rebuffed his requests to photograph synagogues and other Jewish places on that continent.

According to Australia bureau chief's Garry Fabian's report in another section of today's issue, however much they admire David's work, Jewish leaders are concerned that images of so many Jewish institutions could be of help to terrorists. In response, David said that he doesn't focus on the kinds of things that terrorists might be interested in — security cameras, entrances, and exits, but rather tries to illustrate the history nd beauty of the communities of his fellow Jews throughout the world.

Above are two examples (in lower resolution) of David's work, which he kindly provided to San Diego Jewish World. At left is a synagogue in Mumbai, India, and at right, a synagogue in Subotica, Serbia.