Shiduch _ Engagement ceremony in Yavniel

This series of photos were taken within the hasidic community of Yavniel, situated in the Northern District of Israel, where underage minors have been secretly married against the law, then celebrating the marriage in a party which they present as a fake engagement ceremony.

I arrived שא this ceremony in the midst of the covid crises by a friend of mine who left religious life in his youth. The event was for one of his sons and I was directed immediately to the woman section, who treated me with suspicion yet allowed me to take photos. I was not allowed to enter the men section yet could peek through with the rest of the women.

This series is my attempt to portray the human, communal and complex relationship of these women between themselves. Their compassion, care, devotion, acceptance and love to the family structure they are part of. It is my viewpoint over this ambiguous community, putting aside my own prejudgment and attempting to find a shared common ground between me and them.