In the summer of 2020, Israel was in the midst of a struggle against both the plague and government corruption. Within the sequence of demonstrations that swept the public space in Israel during these months, there was one struggle that called to me personally. Throughout my life I have been helped more than once by social workers, all of whom have always been attentive to me, seeing my needs and addressing my distress. At that time the social workers in Israel, a transparent sector, which does such an important and invaluable job, striked to improve their working conditions and wages and I wanted to help with my tool, photography.
I photographed social workers that were in their homes at the time of the strike, through the windows of the houses. I wanted to simulate their transparent, invisible situation in this way. I have met women who have been working in the profession for twenty, thirty or even more years, most of them with a master's degree and a variety of other trainings, and they all really like what they do. For them a strike is to go against nature, not to render help to those who need it. In a sense, I too went against nature in this project. Usually in portrait photography I try to illuminate the subject with flattering lighting. Here, it is precisely the hard lighting that serves the project and allows me to show the invisibility.
The reflections in the windows participated in the scene. Lines and dots of light in the reflected background separated faces and created discomfort. It is uncomfortable to sit in front of a child who has been sexually abused by someone close and gather details from him. It is inconvenient when a project that you set up together with people with disabilities and for their sake was closed because the state stopped supporting it. It is also inconvenient when your job consists of many part-time jobs because there are not enough positions.
At the end of the strike I hear that its success is very partial. Very quickly this struggle is forgotten in the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded us and the social workers returned to being transparent. I know that the difficult situation is leading more and more people to need social work services. I too am facing a difficult situation at home due to the prolonged restrictions and am considering seeking help again. Who knows if the social workers will get to see the fruits of that strike, or if the eyes of us all will continue to be wide-shut.