If a picture’s worth a thousand words, Devorah Rothmann is massively prolific. Perched above a sea of dancing women, or crouched near the spotlights in her studio searching for the best angle, her job is much more than a profession; it’s an integral part of her avodas Hashem. The name of her studio — Ayin Tova — says it all.
How did this French Judaic studies teacher and her avreich husband became one of the most sought-after photographer duos of chareidi weddings — including those of famous rebbishe families — inIsrael?
“Ten years ago we decided to make aliyah” soft-spoken Devorah begins in her lilting French-perfumed Hebrew. “Parisis not the ideal place to raise children — the pritzus there is not to be believed. At the time I taught limudei kodesh and my husband was learning. When we asked rabbanim in Eretz Yisrael about coming we were told: ‘There are enough poor people in Israel. If you want to make aliyah you need a parnassah!’ ”
Devorah and her husband Isroel then embarked on a mission to find a suitable profession. They didn’t need to look far. Isroel had always naturally assumed the job of designated photographer for his yeshivah’s events and the couple had recently photographed a family simchah presenting their relatives with an album as a gift. “Your pictures were better than the professional photographers!” came the heartening response.
“We had a knack for it so we decided on photography” Devorah says. But it wasn’t easy to learn the profession in a city where photography like other art forms is largely off-limits to the exalted Torah-true eye.
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