10 | JULY 11 • 2024
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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