“Open your heart to me, baby. I hold the lock and you hold the key.” Madonna

Meet Rafi. “I was born to an Ultra orthodox family and I’m the oldest of 11 brothers and sisters. At the age of 14 I came back home with an earring and coloured hair which caused my mother to faint. In about a week I rented my own place and never looked back. The first time I came to Tel Aviv I remember telling my self: ‘A MECHAYEH!’ People kissing in the street, and shops open on Saturday. I felt a sense of freedom that can only be described as Marc Renton said, “Take the best orgasm you ever had…multiply it by a thousand, and you’re still nowhere near it.” That is how much I love Tel Aviv. “I only knew how to speak Hebrew & Yiddish but that doesn’t get you very far in the secular world. I could read a page of the Talmud and decipher it with ...

Meet Akiva. “I was born in Singapore and was raised as a Christian. All of my life I have been asking myself existential questions. After a long search I found all the answers in Judaism and decided to convert. It was a long and meaningful process but it was all worth it. Sometimes I feel like a biblical character for deciding to leave my HOME and family behind me and devote myself to God.”

Seen on Shenkin st.

“The Star of David, The Mezuzah and my ‘Dog tag’ are the symbols that I cherished more than all.”

“Clothes aren’t going to change the world. The women who wear them will.” Anne Klein.

Meet Oded. “I stopped beveling in god after I had my accident but sometimes I still put Tefillin. I know it’s a paradox, but from my experience, life is full of them.”

Meet Lucy. “People tell me you shouldn’t be here, it’s not your place, go live in Gaza, you have 22 other states. I say no, no, no. This is my country, I am a citizen. You have to give. me. my. rights. as. a. minority. I am not the victim of the Jews or the Arabs, I’m not a victim of the society, and I am not a victim of the government. The minute I will stop seeing myself as a victim, this is the minute that I can … fly, This is the minute I can break this glass ceiling that everybody’s talking about. When I lit the Torch in The Independence Day Ceremony and said the traditional phrase, ‘for the glory of the State of Israel,’ I sent a message to all the people that don’t think I belong here. I exist whether you like it or not, I ...

Meet Dror. “I am a religious Jew, I am Gay, and I am proud of them both. I volunteer in a group helping young guys like me in trying to find the right path for them. We are all god’s children.”

“I was born in Iraq and as a kid I remember my father playing with the Masbaha. Even though it’s used in the Muslim world as a prayer beads I used it to clear my mind. It’s a great tool for restarting your Consciousness.”