Lower East Side Bris - Part 5: The Deed

The time comes in every Jewish boy's life when his mother turns him over to be carried to the mohel (pronounced moy'-ell) for the circumcision. It's a ritual that connects every Jewish male to our biblical founding father - Abraham.

Lower East Side Bris - Part 4

Lots of photos for this entry. I want to get to the actual deed in the next post. The synagogue where the bris was held, Chasm Sofer - named after a famous rabbi/torah scribe of the late 18th century, is a restored building on Clinton Street of the Lower East Side. I've been to the building a number of times over the past few years, but this visit was special. It had been through a restoration, and the finished project was beautiful.

Two shots from the women's gallery:

Brothers of the new baby:

Lower East Side Bris - Part 3

More faces from the congregation in attendance at the bris.

Lower East Side Bris - Part 2

The lighting was very difficult in the synagogue because the congregation was facing east and the eastern wall of the building had two long narrow stained glass windows through which the morning sun was very strong but it created some very interesting patterns. One of the grandfathers of the baby was sitting in a patch of light that had four different colors. The shots in color were impossible, but as b/w they came out rather interesting.

Lower East Side Bris - part 1

I had the opportunity today to photograph a bris on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I've been working on a project for many years and it all began in this neighborhood. I've known many of these people for almost 25 years. The ceremony was in the Chasam Sofer synagogue on Clinton Street which has just been through a complete renovation. The results of the overhaul are breathtaking. The building is one of the very few remaining in the area which at one time boasted a regal synagogue on almost every block.

Here's some interesting characters from the neighborhood.