The Faces of Syrian Refugees

After a 25-year hiatus, Michael Cohen decided to return to the world of photography with a deep seeded need to use his camera as a tool to contribute to his community. 

 

In 2013 he ran an ad in a non-profit journal offering his services to help organizations tell their story through photography. Michael worked with a dozen non-profits in fields ranging from education to felon rehabilitation to inner city youth. During this time, he watched with horror as the Syrian war escalated and the refugee crisis reached unimaginable proportions.

 

“After seeing a presentation about a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, it hit me. What do we really know about Syrian refugees?” Michael recalled. “Sure, we see them trying to flee a war torn country and we see the despair in their eyes. But so many people are unwilling to allow Syrian refugees to resettle in their country.” 

 

An idea formed, to travel and meet successfully resettled Syrian refugees, photograph and interview them. 

 

Since the war began in 2011, millions of Syrians have been displaced from their homes, and their country. You’ve already seen some of the tragic images of Syrians desperate to get out. What you haven’t seen is what happened next.

 

This exhibit profiled twenty Syrians who fled their war-torn homeland and resettled in new countries in Europe and North America. They have new homes and are building new lives. They come from all walks of life and now are engaged in everything from teaching art classes to museum docents to conducting a Syrian expat orchestra. The untold story of the Syrian refugee crisis unfolded before your eyes as you walked through The Faces of Syrian Refugees.