Dear "Faces-of-Israel"- Webpage visitor. I am happy to welcome you to take part in a virtual journey. Through my pictures I want to share some of the experiences I made in Israel.

For me Israel is a country full of cultural and religious contrasts. As much as there exist conflicts, fears and suffering there also exists hope, joy and beauty and the most important: LOVE.

So... the journey can begin!

PEACE to you
Claudia Henzler

PS: If you have an interest in my photography, or would like to share a comment please feel free to contact me: Claudia.Henzler@henzlerworks.com

 
 

"My house is a house of prayer... for all peoples". God has no enemies. Just friends. Everyone is included.
Sign at the entry to the wailing wall, Jerusalem.

 
 

Love gives us strength. Love is the biggest power in the universe. Love is life.
Jewish cupple at the wailing wall, Jerusalem.

 
 

Love is priceless.
Detail of a handicrafts shop, Jerusalem.

 
 

"Come and pray in My mosque that I will be glorified by all mankind."
Dome of the Rock, Old City of Jerusalem.

 
 

"... not everything that shimmers is gold". What does the future provide for the coming generations?
ethiopian monk, Old City of Jerusalem.

 
 

Sometimes our hope is weak. But as the sun rises again and again, our hopes rise again, too.
Early morning seen from a roof top of east Jerusalem.

 
 

"I pray to You for peace."
Jews at the wailing wall, Jerusalem.

 
 

... because life is precious and I do not want to die. I want to live. I want to grow. I want to enjoy the life you have given me.
Green trees growing on a graveyard. Jerusalem.

 
 

Do heads really have to roll? Do we need to go on playing this game of the victimizer and the victime? Is anyone going to win this kind of a game at all?
Head of a doll in the ruin of a demolished house, Al-Khadar, near Bethlehem.

 
 

Can I carry this load?
a palestinian woman carrying hear load amidst a crowd of people through the Bazaar of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 
 

"I carry your load on my shoulders. I will alliviate your suffering."
Via Dolorosa, Old City of Jerusalem.

 
 

"Throw yourself into my arms. I am here for you. I pray for you."
Mother Mary, Detail of a painting in the crypt of the Dormition Church on Mt. Zion, Jerusalem.

 
 

Fear will die. Love will live. And a cactus bears flowers on top of a grave. Prayers are efficient.
Graveyard of Muslims on the mount of Olives, Jerusalem.

 
 

To make friends, that is of importance. To share. To laugh together, to exchange thoughts and feelings.
Sheikh Bukhari is an internationally known peacemaker. The custom of welcoming others has a family tradition of over 400 years.

 
 

Friends...
Bazaar in the Old City of Jerusalem.

 
 

Friends!
Jews at the wailing wall. Shabbat. Time of Prayer. Jerusalem

 
 

Can we be FRIENDS???
Poster seen in Ramallah, a palestinian city near Jerusalem.

 
 

Can we be stronger then the beliefsystems that our politicians want to make us believe? Is it possible to trust?
Fence at the Dead Sea.

 
 

Can I let go of FEAR? Can I TRUST? Is that POSSIBLE?

 
 

Allah, let me forget the conflicts. Let me forget the wall.
Let me dream of...
Muslim woman at the checkpoint in Ramallah.

 
 

... Forgiving. Let me wash the feet of my friends and even the feet of my enemies... like Jesus did on the same earth. In the same country. I want to choose love over hatred and fear. Help me to be strong enough, to achieve this goal.

 
 

" My child! I honor your love for Me and My creation. And this flower is a gift of mine. For you. To fill you heart with joy. To remember My beauty. I am with you."
Flowers and mountains near Qumran, Dead Sea.

 
 

Mary pray for us. Open our hearts. Teach us to feel love. Teach us to feel compassion. Icon of Mary and little Jesus in Tabgha, Church of the Benedictines.

 
 

Lord let Your light shine through me. And let your light of love be contagious. That it may spread and multiply.
Candles at the church that commemorates the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish, Tabgha.

 
 

Church of All Nations. Do further comments have to be added? Jerusalem, Garden of Getsemani.

 
 

"Christians, Jews, Muslims, people of this world, I welcome you all at my place." Ibrahim Abu el Hawa is living peace in many ways in Jerusalem and around the world.

 
 

Somtimes there is a space for UTOPIA to happen on this earth. Even in Israel. Lake of Gallelee,Tabgha.

 
 

Let me dream. Dream about a better future... Beduin woman, beduin camp near Jerusalem.

 
 

Lord, I look for You. Where are you? ... In the land beyond my dreams. Sunset time at Tiberias.

 
 

Actions are important. Actions of peace. No matter what religion. Peace beyond boundaries. That is what counts.
Abu Hatoum, a christian peacemaker from Nazareth, talking about talking actions in peace without distinguishing between the different religions.

 
 

Life is like a river. To create a space for something new, it is important to let go of the old. River Jordan, Yardenit.

 
 

Baptism. Ribirth. Letting go of old patterns. Surrendering fears. Choosing to see life with the eyes of God. With eyes of love.
Baptism at Yardenit, River Jordan. Where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist.

 
 

Lord, let us praise you in the temple of our hearts. You are everywhere. You reside within us and around us. You are omnipresent.
Mt. of Beatitudes, Galilee.

 
 

What am I here for? Is there hope for me and my people? Can I make a difference? Beduine child, beduin camp near Jerusalem.

 
 

What is my future going to be like? Beduine child, beduin camp near Jerusalem.

 
 

Mother Mary is suffering with her children. Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerusalem.

 
 

Please, listen to our prayers. Help us. Be with us. Let us feel Your presence. Believers praying in the Greek orthodox church of Mary, Jerusalem.

 
 

Flowers of Prayer. Early morning after a night full of rain. God listens. And results can be seen. Flowers in the morning light, Tiberias.

 
 

Rise! A new day awaits you. You are here on earth for a reason. You are here with a mission. You can make a difference. Use this day. Every moment is precious. Sunrise at the lake of Galilee, Tiberias.

 
 

Trusting one another gives us nurishment. Peacemakers from different cultures embrace each other in the center of Jerusalem.

 
 

What in the beginning might seem impossible, proves eventually as being "inevitable". Take the risk. Be positive. Be patient. And you will realize: positive efforts will always bear fruit. Sunset at the Dead Sea.

 
 

Our Creator is a perfectionist. No matter how small things are, they show utter beauty and uniqueness. Here this is reveald through the salty layers of soil at the Dead Sea.

 
 

Where there is even a drop of love, there will always be hope for a better future. No matter how aweful the suffering is. Love will always be stronger. In the end LOVE always wins.

 
 

God has an "open door policy" for everyone. No one is excluded.
Sign posted at the entry of the wailing wall - a sacred site of the jews in Jerusalem