Entrance of the synagogue of Ulm, Germany, 2023.

On March 2nd I posted a picture of the synagoge of Ulm designed by KSG architects (second photograph). Apart from being a synagoge the building also houses a Jewish community centre within its beautiful and extremely well proportioned modernist cubical structure.

A Mezuzah (Hebrew: מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: מְזוּזוֹת‎ mezuzot) is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jewish followers of Rabbinical Judaism affix to the doorposts of their homes. In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism, a mezuzah must generally be placed at the entrance and in every doorway in the home, with some exceptions such as bathrooms (which are not a living space) and small closets.

In the Bible, the word mezuzah only refers to the two 'doorposts' or 'doorjambs' of a door, the upright posts on either side of it which support the lintel, and appears in various contexts unrelated to any religious commandment or parchment. The word later acquired the modern meaning of piece of parchment in post-Biblical Hebrew due to the Deuteronomy commandment requiring to write verses on doorposts.

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Containers at the thrift store Maasmechelen, Maasmechelen, Belgium, 2025

I believe in living a conscious life - or at least trying to. We are surrounded by stimuli influencing our every action, decision and thought. Mostly harmless, though some are designed with intent to manipulate and steer us in a certain direction. To blindly choose the door that is opened for us without reacting and reasoning, we live an unconscious life. We become the products of witty or clever manipulation. We follow the preachings of the loudest of most convincing politicians. We forego control and no longer see other choices available to us. It’s not possible of course to consider every stimulus. Though I believe we should at least try to consciously consider those that matter most in life.

Choice Theory, developed by psychiatrist William Glasser, states humans are motivated by a never-ending quest to satisfy 5 basic needs woven into our genes: to love and belong, to be powerful, to be free, to have fun and to survive. Specifically: Survival, belonging, power, freedom, and fun.

#streetphotography #contemporaryphotography #colorphotography #abstractphotography #window #minimalism #modernarchitecture #arcitecture #newphotography. #colorphotography #colourphotography #containers #choice