‘What if‘
This series has come from curiosity. What if I grew up in Germany. I was born and raised in Israel and spent my whole adolescence there. I moved to Germany at 22 and have been exposed to its youth culture. It felt so different than how I grew up.
I decided to have a closer look into it, to join an authentic hangout of a young group of people from Israel and one from Germany. To spend a day with them and experience it, talk to them, feel their feelings and get a nostalgic breeze. To meet my young self. To reconnect to those strong emotions before the walls went up.
The Israeli group was shot in 2021, the Berlin one in 2023.
1/2
Thanks to @lindilerac which by the way is a very talented photographer for inviting me to shoot that night and to all the friends who welcomed me into this beautiful world 🖤
Israeli cowboys
Personal, 2023
@orel_benhemo was my best friend growing up; he was like a brother to me. We’ve spent a few years together, 24/7. His family treated me like a son and affected my life a lot.
With years passing by and life taking turns, I moved away from Israel; he stayed and started his family. We lost the connection.
One of the stories I remember the most from his father was about friendship. He always told us a story about having half a friend. There was a son who was bragging to his father about the number of good friends he had, saying, „My friends will help me with anything I need.“ The father said, „I have only half a friend, but it’s better than 50 friends.“
They decided to test it. The father took the corpse of an animal and placed it in a big black bag. He told his son to take this bag and knock on the doors of his friends and ask to spend the night there. The son went to the first friend, but he wasn’t accepted; the friend said it wasn’t a good day after seeing the suspicious bag. The second friend also declined. This happened with all of them. The son returned to his father and told him the results. The father said, „Well, now go to this address and tell him you are my son. I haven’t seen him for 10 years.“
The son arrived, and the guy welcomed him, offering him to stay for as long as he needed without asking any questions, treating him like his own son. He took the bag and assured him, „Don’t worry; I’ll take care of it.“
Orel father tried to teach us what is true friendship and how to be there for each other.
Orel is my half friend forever. In my last trip to israel I called him and asked to visit and document his life nowadays. It was emotional and beautiful for me to visit him on his farm and get inside the world he’s built around the dogs and horses he’s training. I even got electrocuted this day from the horse fence, almost fell from a horse, and was a meter away from a very angry dog. I also learned that horses can sweat!
A very, very special day.
