Capturing a journey of Jewish discovery
FOR over five years, photographer D-Mo Zajac captured precious moments of the Sydney Jewish community from behind her camera lens.
FOR over five years, photographer D-Mo Zajac captured precious moments of the Sydney Jewish community from behind her camera lens.
Several of those photos will now be on display at the State Library of NSW, showcasing Zajac’s photography of the various events, traditions and people that make up our community.
The first event that she covered was a communal Chanukah celebration at Double Bay in 2010, just a few months after she found out her maternal grandmother was Jewish.
“This came as quite a surprise to me because I was 32 years old when I was first told this by my parents,” Zajac, who was born in Poland and raised as a Protestant Christian, told The AJN.
“My family never spoke about my heritage, and to this day my mother still cannot find the words to explain to me and my siblings the reason for never telling us until we were well into adulthood.”
Zajac’s photography is very much intertwined with her own journey.
An initial source of inspiration for her photographing Jewish life in Sydney was “a personal desire to share the wonderfully caring, joyous, kind and proud community I have observed and come to experience over the past years”.
“My photography is kind of telling a story of where I am and what type of people I am surrounded by,” she said.
A small selection of the hundreds of photos Zajac has of the community will be featured at the library until June 5.
The exhibition, entitled Celebration: Jewish Community Photographs, is part of the library’s Multicultural March 2016 program.
State Library curator Anni Turnbull describes the exhibition as “highlight[ing] the depth and diversity of Jewish culture and the importance of ritual”.
Zajac is honoured that her photos will be on display at the State Library.
“After many years, sometimes decades of dedicated work, it is hard to explain the feeling when your work is appreciated and recognised,” she told The AJN.
ELENORE LEVI
D-Mo Zajac will be discussing her journey and the photography display at the State Library on Thursday, March 10 at 6pm. The event is free but booking is required: Email bookings@sl.nsw.gov.au.
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