In this creative project, artist Helene Fischman presents photographs of women lighting Shabbat candles. Her inspiration comes from both the transformative power of the ritual itself and its significance as an ancient spiritual tradition. To see all of the original images in this series, click here. Fischman, trained formally in painting and photography, is currently working in the social sphere creating opportunities for the public to interact with each other creatively, making spaces for art to become more accessible and possible in the everyday.
Helene Fischman on the Shabbat Candle Lighting Ritual:
"I have always found the ritual of lighting Shabbat candles to be transformative. As match touches wick, I gaze into the light and imagine the lineage of women whose eyes laid upon the same dancing flames for thousands of years. From oil lamps to candles, this collection of women lighting Shabbat candles functions as a women’s memorial through the living. In memorial to the dead and the living, the souls and spirits of all women who bring and who have brought Shalom Bayit: peace into their homes."