Jewish London through an American lens

When the heavily tattooed, American-accented photographer Nick Rosenoer began taking pictures of Orthodox Jews in north London, he needed a Jewish calling card to let them know he was one of the tribe.

“I would say little greetings in Yiddish or Hebrew to bring people's anxiety level back down to earth so they know, ‘OK, he's one of us - we might not know what his intentions are or what he's up to, but we know that he's one of us,’” said Rosenoer, 34, who began taking pictures of London Jews last spring for his ongoing photo series Pok Hazi, a portrait of Jewish life in Britain.

“It probably took me two years of trying and failing and trying and failing before I could even barely begin to take real photos,” Rosenoer said. Now, he’s known as the innocuous "kind of weird American dude that walks around with a camera,” and has been able to capture intimate photos of the daily comings and goings of Jewish Londoners old and young, Orthodox and otherwise.

Originally from the San Francisco area, Rosenoer speaks in the cadence of a Californian but with the sensibility of a Londoner. He earned his British citizenship just before the pandemic,  thanks to his father, who’s from Golders Green, and discovered soon after moving to the UK that “the Jewish community in California is worlds different than the Jewish community over here.”

A Jewish traveller rests in the guest room of a synagogue. (Photo: Nick Rosenoer)[Missing Credit]

Charedi children gather around a fire. (Photo: Nick Rosenoer)[Missing Credit]

“Within my first week I got a Hitler salute on the train presumably because I was looking identifiably Jewish,” Rosenoer said.

Despite picking up on what he describes as subtle but pervasive antisemitism in the UK capital, he was moved by the diversity of the local Jewish communities in London, especially compared to the predominantly Reform Jewish circles of his childhood in California. Suddenly rubbing shoulders with Orthodox Jews, Mizrachi Jews, Beta Israel Jews, Sephardi Jews and myriad others, Rosenoer thought it would be interesting to start taking photos of the people he met on the street.

A menorah is reflected in a puddle. (Photo: Nick Rosenoer)[Missing Credit]

Photo: Nick Rosenoer[Missing Credit]

Photo: Nick Rosenoer[Missing Credit]

Pok Hazi, the title of of his photo series, pays tribute to this “ground level” insight into the community. It refers to a portion of the Talmud in which two rabbis are debating, essentially, the halachically permissible size requirements for the width of a doorway, and it concludes with Rava bar Rav Ḥanan saying to Abaye: “Go out and see what the people are doing — pok hazi mai ama davar.”

“It leads to this idea that the manner in which people negotiate carrying out their religious practices ultimately supersedes the wisdom of the sages,” said Rosenoer. “Despite all their studying, it doesn't really surpass the common traditions of the people.”

The series offers an honest and warm portrayal of London Jewry, depicting diverse members of the community as they experience the mundanity and pleasure of their daily lives. Among these photos are portraits of Charedi families, children dressed in costumes for Purim, a pro-Palestine protester with a Magen David tattoo, and action shots of Charedi boys at play after yeshiva. 

Photo: Nick Rosenoer[Missing Credit]

Photo: Nick Rosenoer[Missing Credit]

Photo: Nick Rosenoer[Missing Credit]

While the majority of Rosenoer’s images are of Orthodox Jews, a community he sees as misunderstood outside Jewish spheres, he also photographs people who might be less instantly recognisable as Jews.

One such photo shows Rosenoer’s neighbour Monifa, a black Jewish woman, sitting in front of an off-license beside a giant dog.

“She's a Caribbean Jewish woman, which is quite interesting because I feel like that's definitely a demographic that people don't think about too much,” said Rosenoer. “She's not identifiably Jewish, so outside of the context of being around other photographs of people who are Jewish, people just can't really add that up. But Jews can look like anyone.”

While the  project is still in its infancy –  weaving together a truly representative tapestry of British Jewry takes a lot of footwork and patience, he notes -- he hopes Pok Hazi will evolve into a book and exhibition. For now, the series’ only platform is social media, where Rosenoer also shares his work as a professional tattoo artist.

Yes, Rosenoer is artistically dexterous not only with a camera but with a pen – a tattoo pen – which he has wielded in support of the Jewish community since October 7, offering free Jewish-inspired tattoos for several months.

“By doing Jewish tattoos I kind of caved my career a little bit –  people weren't so excited that somebody was standing up for Jews during the conflict,” Rosenoer said. More happily he has become, he says, “kind of the de facto Jewish tattooer in London.”

Photographer and tattoo artist Nick Rosenoer has been taking photos around North London for his project Pok Hazi, documenting Jewish life in Britain. (Photo: Nick Rosenoer)[Missing Credit]

His social media reflects his combination of artistic interests – and the intersections of these interests, where Pok Hazi photos depict the Jews he has tattooed – and an unwavering pride in Jewishness, something which Rosenoer has intentionally brought to the fore since October 7.

And the choice of camera used for Pok Hazi is deliberate too; Rosenoer employs a Mamiya 7, a medium-format handheld camera which only allows 10 shots per roll of film, necessitating careful consideration before each photo. The decision to use film, which produces something you can hold in your hand, was also significant. 

"I like the physicality of having an archive of negatives. As long as you take care of those negatives, they'll survive forever –  and these photos are designed to survive.”