By: Skip Sheffield
Michael Gora and Charles Cohen are two prominent Boca Raton lawyers practicing family law. Gora is also a columnist for Boca Raton Tribune as member of the Artists Guild of Boca Raton Museum of Art.
Both men have found a creative outlet in photography. Their growing body of work has been seen in many galleries and museums.
In June of 2012 Gora and Cohen went to Israel to record the experience through visual images. Their efforts, titled “Reflection of the Holy Land,” are on display for two months from Thursday, Jan. 10 at Griffin Gallery Ancient Art at GalleryCenter, 608 Banyan Trail, Boca Raton. The artists will meet the public at 5:30 p.m. A group opening is from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 10. The public is invited free of charge.
“We think of it as a road trip,” joked Gora recently. “One the road to Jerusalem, like one of those Bob Hope-Bing Crosby movies.”
“I always wanted to go to Israel,” said Charles Cohen. “I am not a particularly religious person, but there is so much there of historical importance.”
The itinerary was planned by a Boca Raton travel agency with the aim of including Israel’s most important scenic and historic sites. The photographers flew out of Madrid to Ben-GurionInternationalAirport in Tel Aviv and to a hotel in Jerusalem.
The first day began with a trip to the biblical Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Old Jerusalem. The men were accompanied by an Israeli guide, Moshe Mor, who lived in Boca Raton for a couple years.
“Many people are concerned about the dangers of traveling to Israel,” allows Cohen. “We never felt fear anyplace. However, after we left we learned a rocket strike hit near where we stayed in Tel Aviv.”
There are four sectors in Old Jerusalem: the Armenian, Muslim, Christian and Jewish sections. Once of the most important sites is the Western Wall. It is all that remains of the SecondTemple from the time of King Herod. It is the most sacred spot for devout Jews. For Christians, the Via Delarosa, or Stations of the Cross, is a must-experience, as is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
New Jerusalem has the HerzlCemetery, where three of Israel’s Prime Ministers and several presidents are buried. The men visited Vad Vashem- the HolocaustMuseum and the artist’s village of Ein Karem.
Highlights included two nights spent in a kibbutz on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a stop at Golan Heights and a side trip to the Dead Sea and Masada, which is the most revered symbol of Jewish courage and pride.
Capernaum was a large fishing village and trade center where the remains of a synagogue believed to be one where Jesus taught is located. Nearby is “Peter’s House,” where Jesus lived and did healing.
Other stops included Megiddo (the Armageddon), Mount Carmel and its Druze villages, the ancient seaside town of Caesarea and the old port of Jaffa.
“I’m ready to go back,” vows Cohen. “This time our wives want to go.”
For more information call Griffin Gallery at 561-994-0811 or go to www.griffingallery.net.
Caption: Gora’s pictures from Jerusalem & Tel Aviv