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work Roth already knew and 
admired, became her mentor 
and a lifelong friend. From her, 
Roth learned street photogra-
phy principles, shooting in low 
light without flash, and using 
black-and-white film instead of 
color. Another great friend, Sid 
Kaplan, has printed all of her 
photos for more than 30 years.
Giving Roth wings was her 
businessman second husband, 
Leonard Sanders. They were 
married from 1988 until his 
death in 2011. “Lenny was 
always very supportive of my 
career,
” she said.

PHOTOGRAPHING 
JEWISH WOMEN
Around 1984, Roth became 
interested in helping Ethiopian 
Jews during their crisis to leave 
the oppressive country. That led 
to her joining American activist 
Susan Pollack in Ethiopia and 
taking a series of moving pho-
tos. Works from Roth’s book, 
The Jews of Ethiopia — a People 
in Transition, were exhibited 
in the Jewish Museum in New 

York and Beth Hatefutsoth 
(Anu-Museum of the Jewish 
People) in Tel Aviv. Her most 
recognizable photo shows an 
Ethiopian mother, Abbae, nurs-
ing her baby. “She told me she 
wanted me to take it in case she 
never made it out of the coun-
try,
” Roth said. 
 Operation Solomon, orga-
nized under Pollack’s leadership, 
was the name given to the dar-
ing, covert military operation 
that in 1991 airlifted thousands 
of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
After Ethiopia, Roth made 
a career decision to turn her 
lens on capturing the images 
of Jewish women worldwide. 
Since then, some of their Jewish 
communities no longer exist. 
The intimacy of these photos 
shows how the women trusted 
Roth. She bridged any language 
barriers encountered on her 
frequently self-financed jour-
neys. Dressed unobtrusively 
in black, Roth spent 12 years 
photographing the daily life of 
women and girls in more than 
40 places, including Kenya, 

China, Morocco, India and the 
former Soviet Union. The resul-
tant book, published in 1995, 
is Jewish Women: A World of 
Tradition and Change.
The photographer is still 
active in her 80s, so much so 
that Gorelick said additional 
sections may be added to her 
mother’s documented story. 
Works by the acclaimed photog-
rapher are displayed in muse-
ums and featured in limited 
exhibitions, especially in Israel 
and New York. 
Roth is represented in a 
current exhibit, “
Artists on 
Antisemitism.
” The Manhattan-
based multimedia show can be 
viewed through Aug. 30 at 81 
Leonard Gallery, in association 
with Jewish Art Salon (JAS). 
 “We use our voices to counter 
antisemitic and anti-Israel 
messages all around us and aim 
to counter isolation with con-
nection,
” according to the JAS 
website. 
A display of Roth’s photos 
was included in Jewish Art 
Salon’s 2024 Spring Jerusalem 
Biennale, which ran March 
12-April 29. Titled “
ACTIVATE: 

A New York Women’s Perspec-
tive,
” the exhibit featured diverse 
contemporary feminist artists. 
Roth was among those present-
ing visual political statements in 
response to the Oct. 7 Hamas 
terror attack on Israel, and 
Israel’s ongoing war against the 
organization in Gaza.
Especially exciting for Roth, 
she said, was having Black Box 
Gallery present her display, 
“Jewish Women: A World of 
Tradition and Change,
” to open 
the aforementioned Jerusalem 
Biennale. 
“I had 6-foot photos in 
light boxes on Jaffa Street in 
Jerusalem,
” Roth said. 
A recent honor for Roth con-
cerns the photograph she took 
in 2022 of Rabbi Sally Priesand, 
commissioned to mark the 50th 
anniversary of Priesand’s ordi-
nation as the first U.S. woman 
rabbi. The National Portrait 
Gallery of the Smithsonian 
Institution in Washington, D.C, 
informed Roth that her photo 
will be added to the collection. 
“I’m among the few Jewish 
woman to have a portrait in that 
prestigious gallery,
” Roth said. 

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

The Joan Roth Legacy

Melanie Roth Gorelick is the founder of 
Making Women Visible: The Joan Roth 
Legacy Project, intended to preserve her 
mother’s photographic collection as a 

contribution to Jewish history. The project, 
according to Gorelick’s mission statement, 
“will inspire and empower young women, 
activists and philanthropists by showcasing 
how women’s courage and humanity 
have changed — and continue to change 

— the world.” 
Charitable, tax-deductible contributions 
to the Joan Roth Legacy Project are 
sought. For information, email 
makingwomenvisibleproject@gmail.com 
or call (917) 331-4428.

continued from page 9

Joan Roth, her daughter Melanie Roth Gorelick 
and Joan’s sister Marjorie Krasnick

Roth photographed co-founders Gloria Steinem and Pat Carbine

celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ms. magazine in 1982.

JOAN ROTH PHOTOGRAPHY

ESTHER ALLWEISS INGBER

