Among Danish Jews
Review excerpts from Danish daily newspapers
Information:
"The Jewish Denmark"
September 4, 1996
By Lisbeth Bonde
Linda Horowitz, herself not an observant Jew, has undertaken a task via documentary photography to unveil the essense of the personalities portrayed in her work.
This is a immense goal, but her photos are evidence of a completely free and poetic angle of thought to those portrayed, while ingeniously she holds her own personaliy on the outside. She is a fly on the wall, so to see. "If I as a photographer can catch a moment of reality, so that it also appears on my negative, then I have reached my objective.
And it is the rare presence on light sensitive paper, which has incapsulated a few moments, before they are forgotten by all of us. As a rule, those personalities portrayed are completely unconscious of her presence, and many of the photographs have slanted angles and a certain humoristic bite, but can also be profound and with double meaning.
All the works are somewhat dated, belonging to another disappeared time. Tradition and ritual are the nucleus. And the photos could have just as easily been taken from several years ago.Of her 4000 photographs, Linda Horowitz chose only 1 percent 40 in all, in her exhibition at the National Museum.
Berlingske Tidende: "Portrait of Danish Jews"
September 15, 1996
By Henrik Dannemand
Not everywhere was the door open, and many did not invite her in.
But it succeeded. The Israili-American photographer Linda Horowitz has photographed the Jewish community, or more correctly spoken, the Jewish communities of Denmark. The motives are mangifold and reflect the life of the community: kindergartens, old age home, shopkeepers, life in the synagogue of Krystalgade in Copenhagen, weddings, family activities, and well known Danish Jews Victor Borge, the former Chief Rabbi Bent Melchior and sculptor Yosef Solomon.
In addition to Linda Horowitz's beautiful photographs, the book includes a short passage of Jewish history in Denmark told by Dr. phil. Hanne Trautner-Kromann, who teaches as a professor at Lunds University.
Politiken:
"In a Danish Mini-society"
September 6, 1996
By Libbie Fjelstrup
The proprietor of samson Kosher Shop is photographed with cap, beard and spectacles in his shop on Rørholmsgade in Copenhagen. Isador Samson is a well known personality within the Danish-Jewish community; since 1969 he has delivered a stream of kosher provisions over his counter.
The photo is taken by Linda Horowitz, photographer with a Jewish background in USA and Israel. When she arrived to Denmark in 1985, she was completely unaware to her that there exists a Jewish founded communinty of approximately 6,000 souls, among them Mr. Samson.
This little selection of atmospheric glint from everyday and different events can be seen at National Museum until the 29th of September.
City Avisen:
"Jewish daily life at a glance"
September 10, 1996
By Peter Jürgensen
For the entire month of September, National Museum exhibits a small selection of 40 of Linda Horowitz' photographs. They portray with great sensitivity and warmth a particular culture, which is a natural part of the Danish society, and at the same time a closed world, which is locked around itself, but never so much so as to become completely foreign.
Jødisk Orientering: (Jewish community monthly) "Raw material for future historical
research "
October, 1996
By Margit Warburg, lektor, mag. art.
An artistic and documentary performance in comparison with Roman Vishniacs photographic book about the historical Jewish East Europe it is not.. Many of the chosen photos show Horowitz' capability to stick to a daily situation in it's dynamic. The majority of the photos are people in movement, and the participants don't appear to realize they are being photographed.
"If the development [of the Danish-Jewish community] continues, one out of every fifth younger Jew at the highest, will marry with another Jew. If the book is to document the causes which present a threat to the continuation of a Jewish community in Denmark, then I am missing a photo of the young Jewish man standing by the sausage wagon together with his light-haired wife and their children." |
That which the photographer wishes to pass on is also the atmosphere, and many show smiles and happiness and many people taking part in festivities and togetherness. The book is a warm protrait of simple people, who at the same time are Jewish.
Others of the photographs are static and have the eternal Jew over them, and at the same time photos in the book (but not the originals at the museum) are lightly brown-toned, which gives the impression of a time which has passed.
Apart from this, the book is in English and Danish provided with a short, well written account of Danish Jewish history written by a specialist in Judaism, Professor Hanne Trautner-Kromann.
Generally, the book should be complimented for avoiding exotisism, which would have been so easy to fall into.