Inspiration

inspiration behind the PIP

After hundreds of conversations and hours spent listening to what students at Tulane care about, one thing became glaringly clear: there is no single story about what it means to be Jewish despite what we might have learned growing up.

As an artist and a photographer, I had to do something with this realization. I began using photography to create the Portrait Identity Project as a way for students to see a part of themselves in others’ stories, to instigate radical perspective shifts about what being Jewish “looks like,” and to encourage viewers to embrace the fact that identity is multifaceted. Exploring intersectional Jewish identities in more depth created the space for students to process the full range of their experiences with Judaism, allowed them to dig deep into their own personal beliefs and values, and showed viewers about the many different ways to be Jewish.

The Portrait Identity Project also showed us invaluable insights that ensure our Hillel learns, in a deeply meaningful way, what students are passionate about, what their needs are, and how we might support them, and we are excited to expand the scope and impact of this initiative by executing this meaningful project with your community.