Yussie in the Old City, Jerusalem, Israel

The two young men in the photographs are nearly indistinguishable. Both are underdressed, both look at the camera with that self-confident pose so peculiar to Middle Eastern men, both radiate defiance and machismo. One man, the captions tell us, is Mahmoud from Jaffa, the other Yussie from Jerusalem; one man an Arab, the other a Jew. Yet, at first sight, the viewer may not be able to tell which is which; the only hints, planted in the background, such as an Israeli flag or a photo of the Al Aqsa Mosque, reveal the subject's ethnicity.

This is precisely the point photojournalist Gillian Laub's latest exhibit wishes to make - a simple but moving statement about the basic commonness Israelis and Palestinians share, one that makes the conflict between them all the more tragic.

While the exhibit's straightforward title, as well as the artist's reputation working for such leading publications as The New York Times, Newsweek and The New Yorker, suggest an uncomplicated, photojournalistic approach, the photographs, instantly and with great force, disarm the viewer.
-Liel Leibovitz