White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America,
1999-2002
After becoming an ordained rabbi in 1998, my former partner Malka, who is a Rabbi, realized that there was a huge difference between the work experience of male and female spiritual leaders. She felt the need to meet her female colleagues, both mainstream and alternative, to learn from their stories of success as well as of struggle. I accompanied her to make the portraits that are in the book published in 2003, White Fire: A Portrait of Women Spiritual Leaders in America.
As we met with the women, I could sense their relief as they shared the challenges of the work. In the book, Malka wrote, “Since community and interconnection tend to be feminine traits, sisterhood is important… I hope that upon finishing the book, the reader may feel that she or he has found a teacher that offers a new way to see women and the Divine.”
I chose to make color portraits because I didn’t want to abstract these people who were having a profound impact on the religious/spiritual life of this country. The women were willing to allow me to make the kind of picture I wanted, and I credit them for that trust. After I printed the photographs and sent each one an 8x10, most were pleased with the results, which speaks well for their level of comfort with themselves.
