L’dor Vador (From Generation to Generation) is a project which captures the coming-of-age experience of Jewish youth through the quintessentially Jewish-American ritual of sleep-away camp.
Anti-Semitic attacks reached a record high in 2023. The last Holocaust survivors will soon die. And, Jews make up less than 3% of the U.S. population. With the lowest birth rates and highest inter-marriage rates of all religious groups in the U.S., there has never been more pressure to preserve and sustain Judaism as a culture, ethnicity, and religion.
By embedding herself at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah in Milford, Pennsylvania, over the last 3 years, Rachel Wisniewski captures how campers form their identities as they transition from childhood to bat mitzvah. In doing so, her photographs offer a positive perspective on Jewish identify—focusing on joy, rather than the more typical narratives of struggle and loss.
Summer camps helps youth to establish strong friendships, ethics, and pride: all of which contribute to a lasting sense of community. Though L’dor Vador focuses on a Jewish camp, the themes Wisniewski depicts of friendship, exploration, and identity are universal. Each and every person deserves a safe space to learn, grow, and have fun.
Today, as the community struggles to raise a new generation of committed Jews, camps are one of the most important resources for the Jewish experience and identity. The future of American Judaism rests on the shoulders of today’s youth—shoulders which get tanned at sleep-away camp.
Artist Bios
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Rachel Wisniewski
Rachel Wisniewski is an independent photojournalist and writer based in Philadelphia, USA.
Her work often explores stories at the intersections of community, identity and trauma—including topics that personally affect her, such as Jewish identity, hearing loss, and the #MeToo movement. She has six years of professional experience and is a regular contributor to publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more.
Wisniewski was a Gwen Ifill Fellow through the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2020, and was a mentee in The Center at the Anderson Ranch, led by Ed Kashi and Jim Estrin, from 2020-2022. She received a grant from National Geographic Society in 2021, and grants from the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Solutions Journalism Network in 2022. In 2023, she had ten photographs acquired by the Library of Congress.
Beyond photography, Wisniewski is passionate about volunteering, reading, and food. When she doesn’t have a camera in her hands, it’s probably because she’s eating pizza.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
L’Dor Vador
Featuring: Rachel Wisniewski
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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