Exploring Ethiopia or New York City, Aviva Klein has photographed celebrities and immigrants and their first generation children. Whether it's telling the story for a nonprofit or a brand, Aviva’s work shines a light on the human spirit and the power of connection and understanding.

REALITY: Describe what you do and how you are trying to make an impact.

Aviva: I’m a documentary and portrait photographer and I’ve worked with big brands and celebrities like Puma, Belvedere and Beyoncé. A lot of my storytelling investigates the relationship between young people in urban spaces and marginalized communities and how the humanity of each group is perceived by their cultural peers and by the outside the world. I recently directed my first documentary for a NYC-based organization called The Bridge, a non-profit that provides critical services, including supported housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, case management, and job training and placement, to 2,300 vulnerable New Yorkers each year. The work they do is absolutely incredible, and in working with them on this project I learned so much about myself. Since REALITY, I’ve taken up teaching photography (again) to a group of Hasidic women in Brooklyn, encouraging them to express themselves creatively where they may feel empowered to do things they haven’t done before. Lastly, since the journey I've signed up to be a mentor for novice photographers.

REALITY: Who inspires the work that you do?

Aviva: I’m inspired by all sorts of people, just humans in general. The quest to discover and understand people and to actually see them and see myself in them is an inspiring experience for me. Light is also a huge inspiration for me, I’m always so transfixed by it.

REALITY: What was the most meaningful moment on your REALITY journey?

Aviva: The most impactful parts of the journey for me were all of the conversations. Every conversation I had was so meaningful in its own way.

REALITY: How did REALITY impact you personally?

Aviva: Since my journey, I have continued to step out of my comfort zone and take on projects that are challenging to me, whether personal or in my craft. I like to push myself and try new things and prove to myself that I can do things and show up in ways that I didn’t think were possible. I like to challenge who I think I am. My time with REALITY also opened me up to a group of people who I really hold dear to my heart. The relationships and friendships are so authentic and I feel like when I see these people, it feels like our journey was just yesterday. I really cherish these relationships.

REALITY: How have you shifted reality since your return?

Aviva: I’ve been working on a photographic series documenting first generation Americans. In 2016, I felt that there was something I needed to do to shift the reality of the world in hopes that it would challenge the way people view immigration and celebrate their stories, sacrifices and journeys. The project was inspired in part by the political climate, but also by me being a first generation American. I felt like I had a social responsibility to speak up about the way that immigrants are treated in America. The goal of the project is to communicate what the American dream looks like now, 20 or 30 years after these immigrants first moved here.

REALITY: How have you stayed connected to Israel since your journey?

Aviva: After REALITY, I was introduced to another Schusterman alumni through the ROI community who is working on an amazing documentary called The Youth of 1948. So far, she has interviewed 70 people who were involved in building the State of Israel. I’ve been working with her on finding funding to complete the film and so that I can create the portraits of her interviewees. We’ve come up with a whole plan for an exhibition and traveling to different JCCs around the country. We’d like to have this all ready for the 70th anniversary of Israel.

REALITY: Since REALITY, how “do” you Shabbat? Share a short story.

Aviva: Whenever anyone from my journey (or any other journey) contacts me to join their Shabbat, I’m there, because I know how powerful and how deep the connections are. I’m always the first person to RSVP! I’m so grateful to REALITY for showing me what Shabbat could be. Growing up, I had a very different idea of Shabbat and it makes me so happy to be part of a community that creates Shabbat in such a fun and connected way.

REALITY: What do you want the REALITY community to know about you?

Aviva: I’m an incredibly passionate and loving person and I work really hard on my craft and do my best to tell stories in the most eloquent and meaningful way that I can.

REALITY: What can the REALITY community contact you about?

Aviva: Contact me for all things NYC! You can also reach out to me if you want to know what it's like to build successful career, the 2nd time around. I became a photographer/director after I had a career in music marketing for almost a decade. I love nothing more than photographing and directing content for agencies and companies that are looking to really touch people all over the world, if that's you, I'm your girl!

 

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is proud to empower emerging leaders to explore their values, identity and new ways to strengthen their communities. We believe that as we work together to repair the world, it is important to share our diverse experiences and perspectives along the way. We encourage the expression of personal thoughts and reflections here on the Schusterman blog. Each post reflects solely the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation, its partner organizations or all program participants.