The Many Faces of Jerusalem

REGISTRATION CLOSED, WALK UPS WELCOME: ABOUT THIS LECTURE: 2017 marked 50 years to the Six-day War and going back to the old city of Jerusalem and the Jewish holy sites. The talk takes an in-depth look at this
remarkable city, discussing different aspects and perspectives: spiritual / earthly,
East / West, religious / secular, old / new, different religions, etc. It will make sense
of all the scattered information people might have about the city, giving them a
logical and cohesive idea of one of the oldest cities in the world. The talk is
accompanied by Udi’s photography.

ABOUT THIS SPEAKER: Born and raised mostly in Israel, Udi is a travel photographer, speaker, educator and writer.

Like many other young Israelis, following his military service Udi Goren set out to travel the world. His wonderlust took him to many different corners of the planets and at the same time- strengthening his appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness of his native country of Israel. His urge to document and share the sights he’s seen sent him to photography school in California, following which he interned with National Geographic and world-renown Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren.

Udi returned to Israel with every intention to use his skills to document and tell the amazing stories of the people and the land of Israel. Shortly after, in the summer of 2014, operation “Protective Edge” took place. Many people from Udi’s close circle were recruited and sent to the front, including his brother.

The reality of living in Israel became a stark contrast to what he had planned: missiles over head almost every night, alarms in the middle of the night, numerous casualties on both side of the fence and a storm of violence which impacted many around him. The consuming concern for his loved ones, both at home and in the front (namely his brother) and the sense of helplessness at the face of another round of violence, had led to a crisis in his relationship with Israel. This, in turn, has motivated Udi to set out on a two and a half months journey through the Israel trail.

Several years of traveling around the world made Udi the story collector he is and directed him to pursue professional photography. He is an honored graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography in California.

Udi has had his work displayed in exhibitions both in and out of Israel and published in various media outlets internationally, including the National Geographic Channel.
He is an occasional contributor as a photographer and writer to “Yediot Achronot”, Israel’s largest circulating newspaper.
He has also produced, shot and edited several short documentaries about the work of different international NGOs.

Udi is the first professional still photographer to have walked and documented the Israel National trail in its entirety, a project that took him on multiple international speaking tours. He is the creator of the first-ever photo book about the journey on the trail: “A Walk of the land: A photographic journey of the Israel National Trail”.

Following his talks in the US, Udi became more and more involved in the American- Jewish world and has been developing additional programs to enrich and make an impact on his various audiences.

In Israel, Udi documents its varied cultures, people and natural beauty. Apart from his travel photography and commercial work, he takes on activist projects and aim to make an impact with his photography. He believes that when done right, photography and storytelling can bring forth great changes.