The Blogs: PHOTO ESSAY: Chasing rainbows

I always wrote my story. Like a diary. Just for me. That changed when I made aliyah.

A view of the communities of Gush Etzion. (Laura Ben-David)

Israel was the spark I needed. Being in Israel compelled me to share. I was too excited about, well, everything. And, as far as I was concerned, everyone else just needed to hear about it.

What surprised me was that everyone else WANTED to hear about it.

My story was personal, but also so much more, as the reactions of others made clear to me. I began primarily with words, and then images quickly took over. I used my camera to capture what I needed to share. It was what I saw, what inspired me, what drew me in…

What captured me often included magnificent sunsets, or rainbows. I’ve been known to chase both for my shot. In fact, there may have been one or two times when I got my husband in on the sunset chasing… I think that’s when his family knew that we were going to last. The fact that he joined me without complaint.

But then my story changed. Suddenly, cancer entered the picture. Quite uninvited, I might add. It did NOT inspire me. It did NOT draw me in. It made me want to run away. And yet, there it was. I didn’t have the choice. And so it became part of my story.

Because I’m me, my story was shared with all of you, primarily on social media. And I’ll admit that I thought I would lose people who had shared in my story until then. I thought people would turn away from what was becoming a less than happy story.

Instead, something incredible happened. From everywhere, an overabundance of love, warmth, hugs came my way. I was overwhelmed with love. And strength. And those waves of support have truly helped me get through everything I’ve had to deal with, until today. It helped me more than I will ever be able to explain fully.

Our beautiful Jerusalem. (Laura Ben-David)

That upswell of support also helped me realize that my art, my photos, my story — none of it has ever been one-sided. I am in a rich, deep conversation with you all, with my community, with everyone who reads my words or views my photos. There’s a dynamism, and connection on many levels.

A panoramic beach view. (Laura Ben-David)

One more thing I have to say is that the ones who always see and read my posts first — my best critics and biggest fans: my husband and my children — they are always there for me and I want to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.

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In honor of Laura, some of her closest friends put together an exhibit of her stunning, impressive, heart-warming photographs. It is currently — and briefly! — running at the Nefesh B’Nefesh Entrance Hall in Jerusalem (details below). To the organizers, Laura says: “Let me just say how deeply in awe I am at all of the love and effort, the logistics… It is beyond my comprehension and really beyond my wildest dreams to have this. I am so incredibly grateful to so many of you. In particular, my good friends Sarah Tuttle-Singer and Timna Seligman, who conceived the idea, and, with Tzipora Lifchitz, Shira Lankin Sheps, Yitz Woolf, and Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll, made this labor of love into this exhibition that has moved me so much. Thank you to StandWithUs, for generously hosting the beautiful opening event, and to Nefesh B’Nefesh for these several days of exhibition!

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Learn more about Laura Ben-David as a photographer par excellence, and also as a friend, in Sarah Tuttle-Singer’s blog post, With Laura Ben-David’s new exhibit, the world comes into focus.

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Nefesh B’Nefesh Entrance Hall
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Monday-Tuesday, March 31-April 1, 2025
17:00-21:00
10 Sderot Yitshak Rabin
Through Cinema City