The Hasid Project consists of photographic portraits of orthodox Jewish practitioners from North American urban centres. My interest in pursuing this idea is to examine my inherited tribal affiliation with Judaism through the contemplation of photographs of committed practitioners of Hasidism (a branch of Judaism founded in Eastern Europe in the late 18th century advocating spirituality and Jewish mysticism). Orthodox Judaism typically constitutes two types of practitioners- those who have deep familial ties to the community through birth, and those who have made a conscious adulthood decision to further their observance of Judaism (called baal teshuvah- lit. 'One who has returned' or 'One who owns the answers'). I do not fit into either category, but by virtue of being Jewish by birth and expressing a genuine interest in Hasidic practice, the community has allowed me to photograph individual practitioners in a forthright manner. My growing portfolio of images currently consists of communities from Brooklyn, NY, and Montreal, Canada. My research over the past six years or so has focused solely on architecture and architectural issues. Through hindsight, it is clear to me that these projects are in fact an examination of my transition from a childhood growing up in a conservative middle-class suburban Jewish environment to my present state as a Zen Buddhist practitioner, artist and art-school professor. As divergent as this project may seem from my previous work, I believe it is a natural progression of my pursuit. This body of work consists of 18 large scale frontal portraits (18 is a mystical number according to Jewish tradition). Presented are but a few images from this new series.