Humans of Israel Photo

Meet ZIDAN & ABDOUL: (Sudanese Asylum Seekers)
“When people think about Africans, they usually have the notion that we are all like the Graffiti figures behind us: Spear in one hand and Bone stuck to our head. We hope that one day people will see us the way we really are, and not in a preconceived way.”

Meet Yehuda: There is nobody more ‘Asli’ (genuinely) Tel Avivian than me. I was born on Shabazi Street in Neve Tzedek. I will never leave this neighborhood. My roots are too deep to uproot. My soul will always be entwined with this place. For better or for worse until death do us part.

Meet Louise: Speaking different languages is the most essential skill you can acquire in life. It’s the key that will open every door. If you really want to communicate with the world, you have to speak its language, and that is the reason why I speak 17 of them. I think Arabic should be a mandatory language in the Israeli education system, and Hebrew in the Palestinian one. So many wars start because of miscommunication, so we should all do ourselves a favor and learn a new language. It might save our lives’.

Meet Rafi: I was born to an Ultra-orthodox family and I’m the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters. At the age of 14, I came back home with an earring and colored hair which caused my mother to faint. In about a week I rented my own place and never looked back.

Meet Dror: I am a religious Jew, I am Gay, and I am proud of them both. I volunteer in a group helping young guys like me in trying to find the right path for them. We are all God’s children.

Meet Manny and Yarit: When I gave Manny my phone number, I didn’t think anything would come of it. My family is slightly religious (Masoretim) so the issue wasn’t the color but rather the fact that Manny is not Jewish. Love can triumph over everything.

Meet Miriam: If we go out to meet the diversity, the others, we will know, we will feel, we will see the painful and happy eyes, and even if there is an abyss between us, we can build bridges over them… If you miss one piece of the puzzle, the picture will not be complete, so I will not give up any part of my people.

Meet SHMULIK:
I am not your typical Ultra-Orthodox Jew. Nine years ago, friends took me to Uman (a pilgrimage site for Breslov Hasidim Jews), where I discovered the teaching of Rabi Nachman. It was like an awakening for me and I became a Breslov. Faith comes from the inside out. I’m your modern hipster Jew.

Meet Asher: I didn’t go to the Ballot box today because all the politicians are the same. Once they claimed their Throne in the Parliament, they tend to forget the people who sent them.

Meet Mahmoud: The problem is that the average Joe feels that he doesn’t have any influence on the situation, so everybody is concentrated on their own personal life and not seeking to change reality. We have to start building bridges between Jews and Arabs because nobody is going anywhere. We have to start educating people on both sides to respect one another and it has to start from kindergarten. Living in the Middle East doesn’t have to be a sum zero game.

Meet Alon: I came from a house that is Shomer Masoret (traditional) but I consider myself an Israeli more than a Jew. I see myself as a free spirit and sometimes that can contradict Orthodox Judaism. My philosophy is simple: Live and let live.

Meet Kassa: If there is someone out there who is reading this and has been sexually assaulted, I want you to know that you will find the strength inside, as I did to survive the hell you have been going through.

Meet Simcha and Natan:
Simcha (87, left) and Natan (80, right)
What kept us together all these years was a good sense of humor. We tend to look on the brighter side of life. If you don’t, you become an ‘old fart’, regardless of your age.

Meet AKIVA: I was born in Singapor and was raised as a Christian. All of my life I have been asking myself existential questions. After a long search I found all the answers in Judaism and decided to convert. It was a long and meaningful process, but it was all worth it. Sometimes I feel like a biblical character for deciding to leave my HOME and family behind me and devote myself to God

Meet AMIT: Kids are born pure, but they are checking their boundaries all the time. In that process they can behave to others like monsters and most of the time they don’t have a grownup that will stop them. When I manage to stop a child from hitting another child, I feel that I accomplished my calling: saving little souls from being abused.

Meet Azam: I’m 52 years old but I tell everyone I’m 44. The 8 missing years I left on the floor of the notorious Tora prison in Cairo. I was charged with espionage for Israel, but the charges were bogus.

Meet Zehava; I’ve managed to flourish for 100 years of constant shifts. Shifts from the analog world, where everything functions in a sluggish manner- to the digital age, where everything moves at the speed of light. From a time where it would take more than two months for a letter to get to New York- I now live in a time where you can get a message to the other side of the world at the push of a button. I’m surrounded by Facebook, Twitter, and this new thing called Snapchat- that I’ll never understand the point of.

Meet ADAM: My mother got herself a Danish husband in the Kibbutz, so I found myself spending almost ten years of my life in Denmark. I came to the conclusion that I prefer the chaotic life in Israel than the calm and systematic life in Denmark. The only thing I miss is the port and the beer.

Meet Yoav: “I am a pianist and musician. Tel Aviv inspires me because of her colors and sounds. I just love her soundtrack.”

Meet Ovadia: “My Mom Is Jewish and my Dad is Muslim, so according to both sides I belong to the two religions simultaneously. It’s not an easy ride, but that’s life and I am proud of my heritage. On my shirt, you can read my answer to those who criticize my origin.”