I have a complicated relationship with Ukraine, because right there on one of their bills they honor a man who killed many of my ancestors.
Author: Joel M. Hoffman
The Girl Carrying Water
Is it okay that this girl spent her day carrying water instead of going to school? What if she didn’t mind?
Rajaji National Park
On a chilly winter day I woke up at 4:00am and excitedly put my camera gear together for a day of adventure. What would I see at Rajaji National Park, the picturesque and sparsely visited wildlife refuge near the foothills of the Himalayas in India, best known for its frequent leopard sightings? 🐆
Fire and Water at the Ganges
Tens of thousands of people converge every evening on the Ganges River as it flows through the city of Haridwar, and I was lucky enough to see it. The primary goal may be a dip in the water of the holy Ganges, but the gathering is an impressive combination of fire and water, of chants…
The Children at the Parade
Did these kids feel left out? Or maybe we were their parade?
Sunset on Mars
My experience has been that people differ from each other more than landscapes, but every so often I encounter something really unusual, as with this sunset in the Sonoran Desert. (It’s not really from Mars.)
The Limo Driver (And a Lesson in Tolerance)
“I’ve been to Palestine… or ‘Israel’ or whatever ‘you’ call it,” my driver said, his words highlighting a deep divide between our peoples. We clearly disagreed about a matter of great importance to us both. My Israel was his Palestine. I knew it. And he knew it. So…
The Smiling Vendress in Old Delhi
This woman has risen at 4:00am every day for the past 40 years. What could she possibly have to smile about? And what does it teach us about wealth and poverty?
The Shop Owner in Old Jerusalem (And a Nuanced Lesson in Perspective and Narrative)
It started as a linguistic curiosity, and ended as a lesson in perspectives, as I understood why this man didn’t give a damn what the UN decided in 1948, when that body created the modern State of Israel for the Jews.
Amazing Jaipur, India (And Wisps of the Ancient Indus Valley)
Walk through Jaipur’s flamboyant celebration of life and you’ll encounter modernity infused with wisps of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Here more than anywhere else, I felt the presence of the past permeating daily life.
