A disproportionate number of major twentieth-century American photographers are Jewish. Given that Judaism has no extraordinary tradition in the plastic arts, why is this so? In this one-day course, we will look at some of the central contributors to American photography, their influences, subjects, techniques, effects, and themes. By examining the work of men and women committed to a medium that is heretical (according to the second commandment), we will see how photography became a sharp instrument of tikkun-olam in our then-young democracy. We will apply an ancient technique of scriptural exegesis, pardes, to famous and obscure images that still have the power to change the viewer. At the Ambrose School, 27 High Street, Winchester