Home is where my mum lights the Shabbat candles. A ceremony that marks the end of the week (at Friday sunset) and signals the start of rest, of family coming together and of religious and cultural identity. A scene repeated in Jewish households wherever they may be. However, it is also the manner in which my mother wraps her head with a scarf or a shawl that speaks to me of home. As an individual of Arab-Jewish/Mizrahi descent, I have always sought to turn my camera lens on the nuances of Mizrahi identity that continue to connect us to the Arab world. It's the manner in which Mizrahi/Sephardi women cover their heads during religious ceremonies, like a small unconscious nod to their Middle Eastern roots. There is something in their instinctual reach for a shawl or scarf, thrown over their shoulders or resting beside, in a manner reminiscent of a loose hijab rather than donning a hat or wig as practiced by European tradition. It is a simple, silent act but like your choice of coffee in the morning makes a comment on your home and cultural identity.
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
LEEOR OHAYON
UNITED KINGDOM