It’s sometimes hard to put into words when an overall scene just blows you away. These from a big commemoration in a Hasidic cemetery not far from my home. I could’ve probably stayed there for hours, waiting for the light to change, and wondered if I could’ve finally have gotten inside the mausoleum. I was also kicking myself for not “getting close enough” to some of the men in prayer, particularly the faces I saw in the window of the mausoleum. On days like today, I truly believe the old photographer’s adage rings true: “You should be able to make good pictures close to home…” ~cg.
A young boy waits outside the mausoleum during the annual observance of the 1979 death of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum at the Satmar Cemetery #2 in Kiryas Joel, NY on Friday, August 2, 2013. Thousands of Satmar Hasidim and Orthodox Jews of other strips are expected to stream into Kiryas Joel today for annual observance of the 1979 death of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, founder of the Satmar Hasidic movement and namesake of the Orange County village. The death anniversary, or yertzheit, of revered leaders such as Teitelbaum are considered very holy occasions during which worshipers pray for the deceased’s help in their lives. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
A man prays near the mausoleum during the annual observance of the 1979 death of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum at the Satmar Cemetery #2 in Kiryas Joel, NY on Friday, August 2, 2013. Thousands of Satmar Hasidim and Orthodox Jews of other strips are expected to stream into Kiryas Joel today for annual observance of the 1979 death of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, founder of the Satmar Hasidic movement and namesake of the Orange County village. The death anniversary, or yertzheit, of revered leaders such as Teitelbaum are considered very holy occasions during which worshipers pray for the deceased’s help in their lives. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.