Ampersand: The Story Behind the Story

Join Dawn LaRochelle, Hedva Rokach, and Melissa Yaverbaum for an intimate conversation about The Ampersand Project — the photography exhibition There Is Always an & and the companion book Faces & Facets of Jewish Life in Maine.

What happens after the photographs are taken, the book is printed, and the exhibition opens? This guided conversation will explore how Ampersand came to be, what it revealed along the way, and how it continues to shape conversations about Jewish life, belonging, and complexity. The panelists will reflect on process and discovery, personal takeaways, and the questions the project continues to raise.

Facilitated by Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director of the Maine Jewish Museum and co-creator of the Ampersand Project, who will also join the conversation as a panelist, the evening invites audiences into the story behind the stories — and into a shared inquiry about identity, community, and the power of the “&.”

Registration is free but required.

Registration information coming soon!

About the Panelists

Dawn LaRochelle is the Executive Director of the Maine Jewish Museum and a co-creator of the Ampersand Project. A cultural connector and community builder, she is known for creating spaces that welcome complexity and invite people to belong without needing to simplify who they are.

Hedva Rokach is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed Israeli photographer and visual storyteller whose work centers on intimate, relational portraiture. As the artist behind the Ampersand Project, she documented Jewish life across Maine, creating images that honor multiplicity, contradiction, and lived experience.

Melissa Yaverbaum is a Jewish educator, facilitator, and museum professional with extensive experience in interpretive planning and public engagement. Her background in museum education informs her work creating reflective, inclusive spaces that invite dialogue, nuance, and connection across difference.

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Host or Publisher Maine Jewish Museum