{"id":34726,"date":"2025-08-19T07:03:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T07:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/%d7%a0%d7%90%d7%95%d7%9d-%d7%a2%d7%9e%d7%99\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T07:15:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T07:15:30","slug":"ami-speech","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/ami-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Ami speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Stephanie Cohen \u2013 Portrait of an Artist, Photographer, and World Explorer<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>

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Opening of the second exhibition 6.8.2025<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>

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Good evening and thank you very much for coming here today,<\/p>

I am very excited, even more than last time, to see so many family members, friends, acquaintances, and many other invited guests who came tonight especially for the opening of the exhibition of my wife Stephanie Cohen’s wonderful photographs on her birthday. I am very happy that this exhibition gives a broad platform to her photographs and focuses on interesting and special people from all over the world that Stephanie and I have met during our travels in a way that few come into such close contact with, and also shows the power, sensitivity, and rare and special photographic talent that she had.<\/p>

Before I start talking about Stephanie and her work, I would like to thank a few special people who are the reason I am here: First, Liron Hershkowitz, chairman of the \u201cLesit Mes-Kofs\u201d association, who is now in New York, who was involved in all aspects of the exhibition and helped greatly to promote it; to the unique Ilana Carmeli-Lenner, the gallery curator, who I was privileged to be involved in every aspect of the exhibition, from choosing the special photographs, designing the gallery space, through writing the texts, and more; and to Michal Sadan, the amazing public relations woman, responsible for the exhibition\u2019s media and press, who helped greatly with her tremendous energy and numerous connections to promote the exhibition in every possible media channel.<\/p>

In addition, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my dear Anya Shani, the previous CEO of the terminal, who, at our first meeting in July a year ago, suggested the idea of holding photo exhibitions with Stephanie’s photos on her birthday and also of commemorating her by naming the gallery after her. And finally, to my dear cousin Ariel, who volunteers on the board of directors of the “Out of the Box” organization, who was the one who created the connection between Anya and me.<\/p>

First, I must tell you that I am grateful for the great privilege I have had to share more than 47 wonderful years with Stephanie. Years of great love and incredible experiences with a one-of-a-kind woman.<\/p>

Stephanie and I traveled to 50 countries. We loved traveling the world, and \u201cdiscovering\u201d remote countries, peoples, and tribes at the ends of the earth. I emphasize the word \u201cdiscovering\u201d because we were both always very curious about every place we went to, and we wanted to see and get to know more about the real lives of the people in the most remote and exotic places. It became clear early on in the trips that Stephanie was a naturally very talented photographer who loved to take pictures, which is why her photos are so special with an element of \u201cwow.\u201d I still remember how her eyes always lit up when she spotted a special photographic subject. She was very quick to understand and identify special situations and to \u201ccapture\u201d that moment of a special person, animal, or natural phenomenon that disappeared in the blink of an eye but remained documented on her camera or cell phone.<\/p>

There is a big difference between photographing landscapes and photographing people. Both require talent, composition, lighting, balance, and more. The big difference between them is that in photographing landscapes, whether it be a mountain, a stream, the sea, etc., there is no interaction with the object. In photographing people, you obviously need to identify interesting \u201cobjects,\u201d know how to approach them, and create a connection with them so that they will respond to your request to photograph them. And what\u2019s more: Stephanie had the ability to make people want you to photograph them, and often together with her. Ilana, the curator of the exhibition, describes it well, and I quote: \u201cPhotography for her was a silent conversation even when there was no common language. She knew how to listen through her gaze, feel the pulse of the place, and create a safe space where the person in front of her could simply be. This simplicity, this honesty, is what makes her photographs so touching.\u201d She radiated warmth and friendliness towards everyone she met, and therefore anyone who looks at the photos on the website I set up in her memory can be impressed by how people from different parts of the world were happy to have their pictures taken with her. In some places \u2013 whether in Japan, India, Papua New Guinea and other places, they even stood next to her, without an invitation from her, and took pictures or posed for pictures with her.<\/p>

In addition, she had a strong desire to get to know and understand how the residents of different countries live while respecting their customs and religion, and was always interested in visiting villages and remote places and talking to the residents, visiting their homes when possible, their houses of worship and temples, and also, when necessary, eating unusual foods…<\/p>

We traveled in conventional places but also in quite challenging places, some on the edge of civilization. Some places had no electricity or running water. Stephanie seemed delicate and fragile, but in difficult or complicated situations, she was tough, brave and cool-headed, overcoming obstacles during some of the trips that many people would not even think of doing. She did not want to miss any experience. Here are some cases:<\/p>

In 2006 we traveled to Papua New Guinea. We visited remote tribes that could only be reached by very small planes, so each of us could take personal luggage weighing up to 10 kg. These planes took off and landed on strips of grass without any control tower or airport services. We also visited tribes that lived on the banks of rivers. On one of our visits, our boat got stuck on a beach and Stephanie and I, along with the rest of the group, had to go into the water and push the boat into deeper water. After getting back on the boat and sailing for a few minutes, we spotted a crocodile in the water, estimated to be about 7 meters long\u2026<\/p>

In 2010, we traveled to Hawaii. The most special and crazy experience we ever had was joining something called a Lava Boat: we boarded a small, fast Zodiac boat with two crew members and two tourists. The boat sailed several dozen kilometers along the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii to see how boiling lava from the active volcano on the island pours through an underground channel into the Pacific Ocean. The boat sailed at high speed over fairly high waves. When we arrived at the place, we saw clouds of toxic gases rising above and the temperature of the sea water in that place reached over 40 degrees! The lava flow could be observed erupting from time to time among these clouds. Unfortunately, Stephanie did not feel well from the waves and the rocking of the boat and became seasick. As a result, the captain was forced to cut the trip short and retrace his steps. The next morning, Stephanie did not give up on a helicopter flight that we had booked in advance and we boarded the helicopter that flew over the Big Island and also over the same place where the boiling lava is pouring that we had visited the night before. This time the flight went smoothly\u2026<\/p>

In 2019 we traveled to India and our travel plan changed a little and so we arrived at the world’s largest festival in India, the Kumbh Mela (that year, about 240 million people came there for 48 days). It is difficult to describe the number of people there on the banks of the Ganges, in the water, in boats and in the thousands of tents on the beach. There too, many people gathered around us and asked to take pictures and have their pictures taken with us.<\/p>

All of the cases I described above were photographed and some were filmed and are on Stephanie’s website, and anyone interested can easily view them. Of course, the website also contains many other photo albums and videos.<\/p>

Additionally, in Australia we flew by helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef and landed in the middle of the ocean on a floating platform, in New Zealand we landed by helicopter on an iceberg, in Brazil we flew by helicopter over the Iguazu Falls. We visited Patagonia, Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands, East Africa and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Japan, China and many other places. We sailed on the Amazon, Mekong, Yangtze, Zambezi, Mississippi rivers, and more.<\/p>

Stephanie loved and appreciated beauty and\/or something special and unusual: whether it was a landscape, a special person or animal, a historical or architecturally unique building, and knew how to find the optimal shooting angle. But because she loved to document anything interesting, she also took pictures that could be described as \u201chard to look at\u201d: such as cremations in India, mummies in their clothes in open graves in Peru, skulls of monks in churches, severe poverty in villages in India, Cambodia, Brazil, Africa, and elsewhere.<\/p>

She loved buying ethnic art pieces (statues, tribal masks, various art objects) from tribes and indigenous people everywhere we visited: natives in Papua New Guinea, tribes in the Brazilian Amazon, Mexico, Peru, Easter Island, Aboriginals in Australia, Maasai in Zanzibar, etc.<\/p>

She also loved elephants and we met some of them on safari in South Africa and Botswana, and at a sanctuary in Laos. As a result, Stephanie loved to buy elephants from all over the world in every size, color and material imaginable. The collection in our home numbers over 80 elephants.<\/p>

In addition to these activities, Stephanie loved to do art \u2013 she painted with acrylics on canvas and her paintings still adorn all the walls of our house. People wanted to buy her paintings but she refused because she couldn\u2019t part with them\u2026 She also dabbled in drawings, collages and a little mosaic.<\/p>

In addition to her hobbies as a photographer and artist, Stephanie was a volunteer and coordinated the issue of volunteering for many years at the GKH law firm where she worked, mainly in assisting the Tel Aviv Municipality’s family club for at-risk children in Yad Eliyahu. The club is a substitute for removing children from their homes where the parents are dysfunctional and operates continuously from the end of school until 7:00 p.m., five days a week. The children receive a hot meal there, enrichment, help with homework, and more. Stephanie worked on several levels: first, helping the children at the club with homework in English and math. Second, she managed and recruited the staff from the firm to come to the club and assist with the various activities there. In addition, raising and securing funds from the firm’s annual budget to assist in additional activities beyond Tel Aviv Municipality funds, such as enrichment classes, trips, improving the physical conditions at the club, and also activities at the law firm itself, where they hosted the club’s children for parties on Purim, Passover, and other holidays.<\/p>

Her volunteer activity lasted for about 16 years between 2004 and 2020. In 2013, she retired. However, even after that, she continued to volunteer and came to the club on her own initiative and in her own time until 2020 (when the coronavirus broke out). She even continued to lobby from the outside and establish contacts with the ministry management to raise funds for the club\u2026<\/p>

Stephanie loved to help family, friends, and people at work. She was a kind of \u201cWestern Wall\u201d for many people, who would come to her office during work and \u201cpour their hearts out\u201d to her. She also helped and supported colleagues at work and outside of work who were dealing with mental health issues, some of which were very serious.<\/p>

Here are some facts about Stephanie:<\/p>

She was born in England and was an only child. She had a very happy childhood in the bosom of her family. At the age of 7, she moved with her parents to the town of Southend, located about 60 km east of London. She was active in the Jewish Youth Club in the town and at the age of 14, after the Six-Day War in 1967, she walked about 42 km for about 8 hours, together with her friends from the Jewish Youth Club in the town, in order to raise money to purchase an ambulance for the MDA.<\/p>

At the age of 16, she left high school in England and began working at Marks & Spencer, advancing quickly and at around 19, she was promoted to fashion buyer. She loved her job, which combined fashion, textiles, clothing and colors.<\/p>

In 1973, she came to Israel, along with her good friend Sylvia, as a volunteer at Kibbutz Ma\u2019in Zvi for six months. After they returned to England, the Yom Kippur War broke out. Following the war, Stephanie immigrated to Israel in 4\/1975. Stephanie was a true Zionist. She began working as an English typist at the Tel Aviv branch of the General Bank shortly after her arrival in Israel. I had worked at the same bank several years earlier, and that\u2019s how we met and we\u2019ve never been apart since\u2026<\/p>

After our wedding, one of us was forced to retire from the bank due to the bank’s policy that prohibited married people from working together in the same branch. As a result, she retired after our wedding in 1977 and began working as a secretary at an electronics parts import company, and from there she moved to the Kleinhandler & Halevi law firm in 1986. She began working there as a secretary, but over the years her role expanded as her abilities and skills were recognized. She was appointed as the firm’s manager and also engaged in additional activities. In 2001, the firm merged with the Gross law firm and became one of the largest law firms in the country, called GKH. There she was promoted to the position of assistant to the managing partner and also marketing manager and conference organizer for the firm. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, she managed and participated on behalf of the firm in the volunteer project for the firm’s employees at the club.<\/p>

Stephanie was very loved by everyone who knew her. She knew how to connect with people who were very different in character and interests. She had a developed sense of humor and always treated people with respect and did not have an ounce of jealousy towards other people. She was very modest and never thought of showing her photographs, so I hope she forgives me now for my initiative\u2026 One of her friends called her a pure soul and I think that is an accurate definition of who she was\u2026<\/p>

Before concluding, I would like to once again draw your attention to the large and elaborate website about Stephanie that I created with the great help of Zeev Liak, a website development expert. For those who have not yet visited the site, you can access the site by scanning the QR code sticker next to Stephanie\u2019s name at the top of the gallery\u2019s front page with your phone. The site has photo albums and videos of our trips, and of course additional details and photographs of Stephanie and her activities as a painter and volunteer.<\/p>

And last but not least: I would like to mention the 50 kidnapped people in Gaza who are still going through hell every day. I hope and pray that this terrible saga will end soon. Amen!<\/p>

Thank you very much again and I hope you enjoy the exhibition.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stephanie Cohen \u2013 Portrait of an Artist, Photographer, and World Explorer \u00a0 Opening of the second exhibition 6.8.2025 \u00a0 \u00a0 Good evening and thank you very much for coming here today, I am very excited, even more than last time, to see so many family members, friends, acquaintances, and many other invited guests who came […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-34726","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34726"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34740,"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34726\/revisions\/34740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephaniecohen.co.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}