David Kaufman is a Toronto-based photographer and documentary film-maker in his 70s, who is now publishing his crowning achievement as a brilliant recorder of Jewish life in the modern era.

Between 2007-2016, he made annual trips to Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states to photograph Jewish historical sites that survived both the Nazi and Soviet eras. The result is a large-format, beautifully printed volume containing 163 poignant and haunting images, to be released this month by Figure 1 Publishing of Vancouver. The photographs are supplemented by introductory essays from the political commentator Bernard Avishai and the Polish journalist and heritage activist Joanna Podolska, plus extensive background notes on the locations and sites portrayed in the volume. For further details and a short preview of the contents, please click here .

Kaufman is an interesting figure in his own right. Born and raised in Montreal, educated in its Jewish schools and summer camps and McGill University, he first made his mark in the late 1960s and early 70s as a folksong composer and singer. He was one of the leaders of the Jewish student movement of that era, and co-founded the Jewish Student Press Service in New York. He went on to become a film journalist working in Toronto with Canada’s version of 60 Minutes, called the Fifth Estate.

He then embarked on a long career as a photographer and documentary film-maker, focusing largely (though not exclusively) on Jewish themes, including the Canadian-Jewish poet, A.M. Klein; the Warsaw and Lodz ghettoes during the War; and klezmer music, past and contemporary.

Full disclosure: I am one of David’s longest-term loyal fans, having called him a close friend since our childhood.

The Posthumous Landscape was printed in China by Artron, the printer for books by Annie Leibowitz, Ed Burtynsky, and other famous photographers. For now, it is available at a ten percent discount and for immediate shipment by purchase from David Kaufman’s website store. He is also offering a special sale of the book with a custom photographic print at a discounted price. The book will be widely available both online and in stores in late October. For details, see: https://www.davidkaufmanphotography.com/store/books/the-posthumous-landscape-remnants-of-jewish-life-in-eastern-europe/