From a young age, Bill Aron was drawn to photography, but never considered it as a career. Losing his father and mother in childhood, he was pulled by a desire to freeze time and capture moments, a power he discovered in photographs. After completing his PhD in sociology at the University of Chicago, he found himself spending more time in darkrooms and behind a camera than doing any work related to his field. As a young man, he was deeply influenced by the heyday of street photography in 1960s and 1970s New York, and was inspired by two distinct Jewish communities he found inhabiting the city: the Jewish immigrants of the Lower East Side, and Upper West Side Jews who were creating a new counter-culture movement known as the Havurah. It was in this Upper West Side community where he met our host, Ruth Andrew Ellenson - or Ruthie, as he knows her. Their familial relationship would span decades. As Bill's career took off, he became known for his work documenting Jewish life, including Ruthie's personal milestones and Jewish rights of passage (complete with questionable fashion choices that she bemoans seeing printed 5 feet high). Now an author and journalist, Ruthie sat down with Bill to learn about his life's work, and the stories that accompany his incredible career. In this first episode, host Ruth Andrew Ellenson introduces us to photographer Bill Aron, and the world he found in front of him.

The World in Front of Me is presented by Jay and Gretchen Stein, with generous support from the Knapp Family Foundation, the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation in Honor of Alan Bloch, Scott and Dianne Einhorn, The Karetsky Family, and Michael and Corie Koss.

Image credit: Marvin Steindler

Bill Aron and his wife Isa moved to New York City in 1974, during the heyday of urban street photography. Looking for a career change, but with no clear idea on what he should do, Bill turned to his camera to fill his days. He began to document his Jewish world: the Lower East Side where he worked, and the Upper West Side Havurah Community, where he found fellowship and a radical method of Jewish observance. The Havurah is also where he met our host, Ruth Ellenson, then only a small child. Bill and Ruth reminisce about their first impressions of each other - Bill as a long-haired hippie, and Ruth as a charismatic, outgoing kid. Guest expert Deborah Dash Moore illuminates the field of New York City street photography in this era, and how Bill's work and approach compares to his contemporaries, guiding us through the Jewish neighborhoods of New York and the uniqueness of the counter-culture Havurah movement. During this period, Bill's hobby evolved into a profession. And thanks to his documentary photography, 1970's Jewish New York has a significant historical record.

The World in Front of Me is presented by Jay and Gretchen Stein, with generous support from the Knapp Family Foundation, the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation in Honor of Alan Bloch, Scott and Dianne Einhorn, The Karetsky Family, and Michael and Corie Koss.

Image credit: NYC Subway, 1977, Bill Aron.

In the summer of 2025, journalist and writer Ruth Andrew Ellenson sat down with famed photographer Bill Aron, and recorded more than 12 hours of interviews. For nearly 50 years, Bill traveled the world, photographing Jewish communities as near as his home of Los Angeles, and as far away as the Soviet Union. From the American South to Cuba, from New York to Jerusalem, Bill captured it all. This series reveals never before heard stories from the artist himself.

The American Jewish Historical Society presents The World in Front of Me with Bill Aron, hosted by Ruth Andrew Ellenson.

The World in Front of Me is presented by Jay and Gretchen Stein, with generous support from the Knapp Family Foundation, the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation in Honor of Alan Bloch, Scott and Dianne Einhorn, The Karetsky Family, and Michael and Corie Koss.