A poetic study of Judaism by photographer Noah Rabinowitz

Whether catching a glimpse of a funeral ceremony over a black-clad shoulder or seeing young boys play football in dappled sunlight, Noah Rabinowitz’s beautiful images truly make you feel like you’re observing something intimate, something special.

His photographic series Observances was taken in Tifres Bachurim Yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey, and follows a family through death, tradition, religion, education, and celebration. In collaboration with poet David Caplan for the Virginia Quarterly Review, they created a series of poems and photographs, seeking to “discover the meaning and narrative of the piece together and inspire each other to see deeper nuances.”

A warm, brown tone pervades the photos – the wood in the synagogue, the bookcases, the desks – making them comforting and familiar. Nothing is stereotyped, nothing is gawped at; the camera doesn’t feel intrusive, only inquisitive. We see what is lyrical in a life, in a lifestyle. Noah believes that “in the scope of visual art, still photography comes the closest to poetry of any practice.”