Photographer Tori Ferenc’s compelling series of a community of Hasidic Jews in North London 

After working in Stamford Hill in north east London, photographer Tori Ferenc was intrigued by the community where over 30,000 Hasidic Jews live: “I found it fascinating that there are people who remain true to their tradition in a city that stands in stark contrast to everything they are holding on to,” says Tori. 

It took a while for the photographer to work out how she wanted to capture the community in her project – “Hasidic Jews are extremely private people" – but she landed on the most festive Jewish holiday, Purim. “During the Purim festival, the community celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman,” she says. “As tradition has it, grown-ups are obliged to drink a sea of alcohol, while children dress up in phenomenal costumes and parade in the streets at Rubik’s Cubes, princesses, stewardesses and popcorn boxes.” Mostly shots of the children, there’s an innocence to Tori’s images heightened by the disparity between the modern references of Elvis costumes and fake cigarettes, and the traditional values at the heart of the community’s faith. 

Most people were open to being photographed but Tori’s Rolleiflex camera eased any suspicions: “A lot of the time the camera helped me in convincing my subjects to pose for me because they were curious to see if the piece of junk even worked.”

Shot in black and white, the series has a filmic quality to it, as though they’re stills from an archive documentary. “Black and white photography has a completely different mood to colour,” Tori explains. “As a photographer you start focusing on different things when shooting monochrome.” The process was also why Tori was drawn to shooting in this restrained palette: “I love developing my own film. You’ve taken the picture and you’re eager to see it, but there is something great in being forced to wait – you learn to be patient with everything.”