“Fruits of Our Labor,” a photo exhibit of Orthodox men and women at work, is on display in Berkeley through March.
The 34 black and white portraits, along with personal statements by the subjects, were taken by photographer Yves Mozelsio in the mid-1990s and exhibited across the country, including at the Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Osher Marin JCC and Yeshiva Museum in New York. Mozelsio gifted the works to the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life four years ago, and received permission to display them in his gallery at 1865 Solano Ave. in Berkeley.
The photographer began the project in 1996 while living in Chicago; it took him nearly five years to complete. After spending Shabbat with an Orthodox artist friend and her husband, he was drawn to the Jewish community. “Everyone supports one another and is so family-oriented,” he told J. in 2003.
“My exhibit gives Orthodox Jews the opportunity to share their experiences of working and living in a society of immense diversity, while maintaining the rituals and traditions of their faith,” he said.
“I had my own stereotypes. I never really thought there was so much diversity among the Orthodox in secular occupations.” — j. staff