Brazil

After having witnessed and photographed the rich cultural and religious diversity of Crown Heights, a community comprised mostly of West Indian and  Lubavich  people  for so many years, it seemed only natural for me to visit my Father’s home town in Belem, Para, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River. In my initial  visit  I was primarily concerned with  seeing and sensing Belem, and, gaining a humanistic connection/understanding of its people. I reasoned that I could do this best by witnessing and experiencing the religious and cultural events which are unique to this area; I felt that The Cirio de nasere, a tribute to the Blessed Mother, reigned supreme in this connection, and was the subject of much of my photography. I chose to leave a study of the rich historic landscape of the area and explorations deeper into the Amazon,  for a subsequent visit.

My work in Crown Heights, Belem,Para, and indeed in all that I photograph has given me the opportunity to find faces of average people who serve as representatives of the human spirit.