Celebrity Photographer, Zusha Goldin, Draws Closer To Judaism Post 10/7

“It was very angering. I felt like I didn’t have a sense of autonomy,” said Zusha Goldin as he recalled an incident during when he was a teenager and a rabbi walking down the street showed his disapproval of Goldin’s “fluffy” hair by touching his head. The event sticks out for celebrity photographer, Zusha Goldin, who hails from New York’s most prominent modern shtetl. His life is slightly different today, but as he puts it, “It’s complicated. You can never really leave Chabad, if that makes sense.”

Named after the beloved Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, Zusha Goldin was born to baal teshuva parents from Ukraine and South Africa. He grew up in the Lubavitch Chabad community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. These days he resides in sunny Los Angeles, California, where he has photographed some of the biggest stars of our day. From Sydney Sweeney to Selena Gomez, Ben Stiller and Courtney Cox, Goldin’s California dream came true.

Hollywood wasn’t home, he moved there on March 1, 2020, during the eerie yet clueless days that preceded the pandemic. “It was very hard moving to California,” he said. Goldin noted the complicated relationship he has with religion and faith, but since October 7, he has felt a pull back to Judaism.

He was celebrating Simchas Torah in Jerusalem on October 7th. He “got back at 5AM,” that morning and later there were “sirens and people freaking out.” Goldin remained, “stuck,” in the country for a few days following October 7th and ran to bomb shelters those days. Around that time, he posted pictures on Instagram of girls in the shuk. Vitriolic replies stacked up on his posts, “copious amounts of terrible comments,” like “‘warm up the ovens,’” and “‘kill yourselves.’” 

Goldin was rightfully infuriated and in a true Chabad fashion, brainstormed on how he could positively contribute to the awful situation. That’s how Artists Against Antisemitism was born. He had long been an artist and suddenly, he was an activist. Gold noted that after October 7, some Jews turned out to be “good” Jews, apologetic Jews. Other Jews, like him, were ready to be proud Jews, standing up for his people.

Goldin had a celebrity network to tap into for his project because he spent the dawn of the pandemic building genuine relationships with people in Hollywood. By 2022, he was working LinkedIn, making himself and his work known to top executives. He emphasizes that genuine connection drives those with whom he works and fraternizes as “there’s a line between social climbing and networking.” At the same time, he said “I don’t believe life is a meritocracy,” Goldin put in hard work and created his own opportunity. It resulted in photo shoots with TikTok famous families and other well-known stars.

Little did he know that his efforts and network would one day result in a campaign that featured artists like Julianna Margolis, Montana Tucker, Debra Messing (and more) holding comments (the ones in response to his shuk girls posts) like “You guys are vile,” and “Jews are dangerous to this country.” Amidst the horrible language and Holocaust references, the intimate experience of the outbreak of war paired with violent language only strengthened Goldin’s faith. 

“Being in Israel on October 7th is what inspired my project,” he said. Since October 7th, Goldin has consistently wrapped tefillin, “I’ve never been  prouder and more brave. I’ve never been more inclined to do religious things.” 

Artist Against Antisemitism’s project’s proceeds are allocated toward KAVOD SHEF Initiative, an emergency fund for Holocaust Survivors. 

You can follow him on Instagram @zushagoldin

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