I based this watercolor painting on a photo taken by Reb Yisroel Horowitz who was niftar from COVID when the mageifah just started. He was a talmid chacham who loved to take pictures in Eretz Yisrael. He sat and learned in the Mirrer Yeshiva and gave a chaburah there. My sons made the connection between his work and mine as they knew he had a love for art and photography. Although I prefer working from life, I sometimes need to work from photos. However, my scenes are from photos that I myself have taken. The one exception was when I used photos taken by Rabbi Horowitz. It gave him much pleasure when I incorporated his photos into my paintings. This scene is from one of his photos, and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. One can feel the hustle and bustle of Erev Succos in Yerushalayim. Anyone who has been to Eretz Yisrael and is familiar with Meah She'arim can picture the exact location of this scene. There, stands and tables suddenly fill up every nook and cranny in the already crowded streets, with items for sale for Yom Tov. I found it so charming, as we see all types of Yidden a yeshiva bachur, Chassidim, and Yerushalmim -carefully examining the daled minim. Of course, the focus is on the fellow who is "craning" his neck while scrutinizing a lulav. In the background, a mother is pushing her carriage down the steps. I knew I had to paint this one.

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