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Two tall, white marble sculptures stand against a clear blue sky. The left sculpture is taller and more cylindrical, while the right one is shorter with a jagged top. Both have a smooth texture and a gentle curve. Underneath the image is a logo for Heller Museum.

Sacred Land

Two tall, white marble sculptures stand against a clear blue sky. The left sculpture is taller and more cylindrical, while the right one is shorter with a jagged top. Both have a smooth texture and a gentle curve. Underneath the image is a logo for Heller Museum. Text Reads "Heller Museum Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion"

June 7 - August 31, 2025

In Sacred Land, legendary American photographer Ralph Gibson, and producer Martin Cohen, have created a unique photographic exhibition and publication that capture the soul of Israel, both ancient and contemporary. The photographs convey the fundamental humanity and underlying affinities that connect all who deem this land as sacred, and express aspirations for mutual understanding and peace. At a time when the war and suffering in Israel and Gaza overwhelm us, Gibson’s images offer a compelling and hopeful outlook for the future.

Sacred Land invites us into the eye of the photographer as a first-time visitor to Israel – we see what he sees, what captures his attention. It is in the details, a particular gesture, a candid pose, a fragment, a moment, that we glimpse a deeper meaning. The essence of the images is their intimacy, we are drawn close to people, places, things, the instantaneous and the eternal. Their juxtaposition reveals the convergence of antiquity and modernity.

This exhibition is organized by the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Image: Ralph Gibson, (American, b. 1939), Untitled (Caesarea), 2019, Archival inkjet print, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

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