Photo by Hedva Rokach
This symbol provides the organizing principle for the initiative. It reflects the understanding that identity is rarely singular or easily categorized. We live with contradictions, with histories that overlap and identities that shift over time. We are shaped by where we come from and where we are going — by tradition and change, by personal experience and collective memory. None of us is static. We adapt and evolve as our lives unfold. Our stories do not stand still, and neither do we.
Too often, conversations about identity flatten people into caricatures or talking points. The Ampersand Project takes a different approach. It invites viewers to encounter individuals first, to listen to their experiences and see them in their full humanity.
Demographic studies and community surveys can tell us a great deal about a population. Yet even the most thoughtful data cannot create a fully realized portrait of a community. Numbers can describe patterns and trends, but they cannot capture the texture of daily life — the relationships, memories, and experiences that shape how people understand themselves and one another. The Ampersand Project grew out of this recognition. It places human stories alongside data, moving from numbers to narratives and from statistics to lived experience.
More than 300 individuals from communities across Maine — representing more than 1% of the state’s Jewish population — were photographed for the initiative, and a growing number of them have participated in video interviews. Each photograph represents a person or family whose experiences contribute to a broader portrait of Jewish life in the state. Collectively, these images and interviews create a record of a community that is dynamic, diverse, and continually evolving.
Today, the Ampersand Project integrates visual storytelling, oral history, and education into a coordinated framework for community engagement and learning. Its components include photographs, oral histories, curriculum development, and partnerships with schools, cultural institutions, and community organizations across Maine — each working together to foster dialogue, deepen understanding, and strengthen connections across generations.
The ampersand remains the guiding symbol behind this effort — a reminder that identity is not a fixed category but a relationship among people, places, and histories, and that community is sustained through connection.
Photo by Brandon Blinderman
The photographs at the center of the Ampersand Project were created by Israeli photographer Hedva Rokach, who traveled more than 7,000 miles across Maine to meet individuals and families in communities large and small, from coastal towns and rural villages to cities and college campuses.
Over the course of this journey, Rokach photographed participants in their homes, workplaces, synagogues, schools, and community spaces. Each encounter began not with a camera but with conversation. Participants were invited to reflect on who they are, where they come from, and how they understand their place in the broader fabric of Maine life.
The work was built on dialogue across geography, generations, and difference. As an Israeli artist working in Maine, Rokach approached the assignment as both an insider and an outsider. She is deeply connected to Jewish history and identity, yet encountered a uniquely local expression of that identity shaped by Maine’s landscape, culture, and traditions.
The initiative led to a major exhibition, There Is Always an &, presented at the Maine Jewish Museum from March through May 2026 and featuring nearly 200 photographs, with a scaled-down display continuing through March 2027. The exhibition also served as the foundation for a traveling presentation at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (July 2026–July 2027).
Explore the full gallery of photographs from There Is Always an & here:
mainejewishmuseum.org/ampersand-photographs
Photo by Hedva Rokach
Many participants in the Ampersand Project also chose to share their experiences through recorded interviews — conversations that place a living voice alongside each photograph.
These recordings add depth and dimension to the images. They invite listeners to connect with people not as categories or statistics but as neighbors, parents, teachers, business owners, students, artists, elders, and clergy — individuals whose lives unfold in distinct and sometimes surprising ways.
The oral history component reflects the collaborative spirit that came to define the work. Toby Adelman — a third-generation Aroostook County potato farmer, professional documentarian, and Ampersand portrait subject — volunteered to travel across the state to conduct interviews, partnering with videographer Brett Wiese Saunders, whose skill and sensitivity helped bring each conversation to life.
Watch interviews and explore the oral history collection here:
mainejewishmuseum.org/oral-history
Photo by Hedva Rokach
The Ampersand Project includes a remarkable publication: Faces & Facets of Jewish Life in Maine (Itay Bahur Publishing, 2026).
The book brings together the complete collection of portraits — more than 300 in total — in a single, comprehensive volume. Spanning 272 pages of richly reproduced, full-color photographs, it reflects exceptional care in design and printing, honoring both the artistry of the images and the individuals whose lives they portray.
Copies of the book are available for purchase in person at the Maine Jewish Museum by cash or check. All proceeds from sales support the artist.
For more information about purchasing a copy, please contact .
Photo by Hedva Rokach
Educational materials connected to the Ampersand Project are being developed for use in schools and community programs across Maine. These resources help students explore questions of identity, belonging, and community through real stories and lived experiences. Additional resources will be added to this page as they become available.
Photo by Brandon Blinderman
On March 5, 2026, participants, families, educators, and community members from across the state gathered at the Maine Jewish Museum for the opening night reception of There Is Always an &.
The video below captures moments from that evening — a celebration of collaboration, trust, and shared storytelling.
Watch Opening night reception highlights
As the work has expanded beyond the Museum’s galleries, it has sparked conversations in classrooms, universities, and community settings across Maine.
The video below captures a public talk delivered at the University of Southern Maine, where photographer Hedva Rokach reflected on her travels across the state and the relationships that emerged through the project.
Photo by Hedva Rokach
The Ampersand Project continues to grow in scope, partnership, and possibility.
What began as a photographic initiative has developed into a statewide collaboration linking schools, cultural institutions, libraries, and community organizations. New interviews, educational materials, and community programs will continue to be added over time, ensuring that the initiative remains responsive to the people and communities it serves.
This page serves as a central hub for these efforts — a place where stories can be shared, preserved, and revisited as the work evolves.
The Ampersand Project has been made possible through the generosity, partnership, and shared commitment of many individuals and organizations across Maine and beyond.
Major Support
Sam L. Cohen Foundation
Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine
Maine Humanities Council
The Jews of Aroostook County
Dan & Julie Kagan and the Max Kagan Family Foundation
Institutional Partners
Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine
Colby College
Bowdoin College
Center for Small Town Jewish Life
University of Southern Maine
Special Thanks
Bob Hirshon
Hedva Rokach
Itay Bahur
Toby Adelman
Rabbi Dr. David M. Freidenreich
Jessica Lantos
Melissa Martens Yaverbaum
Marcel Polak
Emily Ecker
Elaine and Harvey Kahaner
Rav Rachel Isaacs and Melanie Weiss
Riva Krut
Harris Gleckman
Dr. Peter Rubin and Suzette Stein
Nanci Kahn
Nick Naunton
Bryan Potter Design
Brett Wiese Saunders
Niko Andreoli
Brandon Blinderman
And the hundreds of individuals and families across Maine who shared their stories
All images copyright of the artist, unless otherwise noted; reproduction not allowed without express permission
Website by WEBFIX STUDIO.