Jerusalem Pride, 2019

In June 2019, the annual Pride march in Jerusalem unfolded under heightened security, reflecting the city’s complex social and political landscape. Unlike Pride events in more secular contexts, the march in Jerusalem carries a distinct weight — shaped by religious sensitivities, historical tensions, and the memory of past violence.

This body of work documents the event as both a celebration and a negotiated presence. Participants moved through the city’s streets surrounded by visible layers of protection — police lines, barriers, controlled access points — transforming the march into a carefully managed passage through contested space. The images focus on the intersection between visibility and vulnerability. Rainbow flags and expressions of identity emerge against a backdrop of surveillance and restraint. Moments of joy — dancing, singing, embracing — exist alongside caution, as participants navigate an environment where acceptance is not uniform.

Security forces remain a constant presence, not only as protection, but as a reminder of the fragility of the space being occupied. In parallel, small groups of counter-protesters mark the ongoing tension surrounding LGBTQ+ visibility in the city. Rather than presenting the march solely as a celebration, this project observes it as an act of presence — a temporary claiming of space within a city defined by layered identities and divisions. It examines how public expression unfolds within constraint, and how visibility itself becomes both statement and risk. Through close, observational framing, the photographs seek to capture the complexity of the moment: a march that is at once festive and guarded, open and restricted — a reflection of a city where identity, belief, and space are continuously negotiated.