Earlier this year, I was contacted by Zoe and Jenny about a street photography project they were about to start which sounded like a very interesting concept. I was more than happy to offer some insight and encouragement. They recently submitted this contribution to ILNH and it’s fantastic work – Chris
About the Crossroads Project: “Throughout life,
everyone is presented with pivotal moments where he or she must make a decision
that will affect their future. As seniors, we have reached a critical junction
in our life as we graduate high school, leave our homes, and go off to college.
For the first time, we have much more control in making life-altering decisions
for ourselves. Bewildered and excited by this newfound freedom, we started The
Crossroads Project to explore how other people deal with the crossroads in
their lives. We’re interested in how people shape the course of their lives and
how they try to find or create a purpose in their lives.” – ZoeLoewenberg and Jenny Ibsen
Check out and like the Crossroads Project on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thecrossroadsproject) A few days ago, by chance, Zoe and Jenny questioned our very own Jeffrey Kerekes downtown, so he will probably be appearing on that page soon.
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| Compromise |
“We’ve been married 61 years.”
What’s the key to sticking together for so long? “Compromise.”
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| A New Perspective
“The biggest decision I’ve ever made was giving up school. That way I felt that I still had my own creative freedom versus a teacher always telling me, “That’s not right,” even when it feels right to me.” |
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| Street Smart |
Looking back on your past, do
you see any turning points; that is, a key event or experience which changed
the course of your life? “Mymother’s death when I was eight years old. My father was deaf and consequently,I had no one. So I had to fall back on myself. I essentially became streetsmart and continued to be smart for the rest of my life.”
What does “street smart” mean to you? “I grewup in New York so you had to negotiate a very complex crowd and a very complexkind of society. Street smart meant you had to know very fast who was trying topull the wool over your eyes. It still goes on, even in a town like New Haven.”
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| Dynamic Aspirations
I’m a retired gynecologist. I tried one thing and then another until I found out what I wanted to do.”
What did you want to be when you were younger? “The Prime Minister of Australia.” |
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| Victory
“One of the biggest decisions I’ve made in my life is to come off the corner. When you live in the hood and see negative things, you’re going to do negative things. So I made the decision to create a new situation: to get a job and my own apartment.” |
Was that hard? “Well, when you’re in the hood, people don’t think you’re intelligent or have the guts to do certain things. But I have intelligent visions. It wasn’t difficult because the way I see it, anything is possible and nothing is difficult in this world. Everything is basically within yourself. If you’re not confident with yourself, you’re twice beat in life. If you let society get to you, you’re going to be beaten. Whenever you have a dream or goal, you have to do it or else you’ll become easily influenced by non-progressive elements.”
Were you always this optimistic and driven? “Yea, because I lost my mom at age six. Everything coming up from that time was pretty hard so I had to grow up fast. I had a lot of elder people around me and that influenced me to think positively. People always say I have an old spirit, which is good. I mix my old school with my new school and that drives me to success. Although I’m not successful right now, I’m headed in that direction.”
What does the V stand for? “Victory.”
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| In Transit
“What advice would you give your eighteen-year-old self? ” I would’ve saved college for later. I got out of high school when I was sixteen because I dropped out and got my GED so I could start college because it would be paid for if I was under eighteen. I did two years of college and got out. I didn’t appreciate it. I got nothing from my two years. I feel like I could’ve held off and gone to college later because there was a lot more I wanted to do. I would’ve traveled first.” Did you travel after college? “Oh yeah. I’ve been all over the United States. I’ve gone hitchhiking and train-hopping.” |
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| A Work in Progress
“The biggest decision I’ve made in my life is deciding to become a rabbi. That’s what we’re studying in New Haven. We want to give to the Jewish Community, so we decided that rabbinics was the right job for us and went right after that goal. For us, a lot of Judaism isn’t just interesting; it isn’t just a nice addition. It’s really our life. It’s where we find meaning and it’s how we connect to God.” |