Sonja Lippmann

    By
    jGirls+ Magazine
    -
    Sonja Lippmann

    2020–21 jGirls+ Magazine Photographer
    2021–22 jGirls+ Magazine Photographer
    2022–23 jGirls+ Magazine Photographer

    Hi! My name is Sonja Lippmann, and I’m a member of the class of 2023 at Leigh High School in San Jose, California. I enjoy learning about various subjects, but I’m especially interested in science. I love playing volleyball in and out of school, and I’m also on my school’s swim team. Through BBYO, the Jewish youth group I’m involved in, I have grown as a leader and further explored my Jewish identity. It has also expanded my interest in social action, and I’m becoming more and more determined to do what I can to bring positive change in my community, including volunteering, protesting, educating myself, and continuing to be a leader on a regular basis. In my free time, I like to travel and explore new places with my friends and family, whether they’re just a short drive from my house, like Santa Cruz and San Francisco, or across the country or globe. I enjoy embroidery, playing guitar, backpacking, and experimenting with baking.

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    Photography Portfolio

    In addition to the images published on jGirls+ as stand-alone works or visuals accompanying articles by other contributors, the following is a curated selection of Sonja’s works.

    Artist’s Statement

    Sonja Lippmann is a high school student from San Jose, California with a passion for social justice, Judaism, and being creative. jGirls+ has given her a platform to combine these interests and express them through photography. She has learned how to use her camera as a tool for documenting her own experiences as well as helping others convey their incredible stories. As a photographer, she is particularly inspired by people who are animated and passionate about standing up for what they believe in, so her favorite photos feature people protesting, dancing, and proudly displaying their identities and cultures. Through jGirls+, she has also learned more about the technical aspects of photography and especially enjoys experimenting with various shutter speeds to capture movement. She is excited to continue exploring both the creative and technical sides of photography on the jGirls+ Teen Staff and throughout her life.

    Sonja's Photographs are Featured in

    Header Goes Here by Haley Sandlow - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Header Goes Right Here

    Haley Sandlow -
    "Can’t we put the formulaic writing aside for once?"
    History Always Repeats Itself by Rochel Leah Itzkowitz - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    History Always Repeats Itself

    Rochel Leah Itzkowitz -
    “Can this story wait?”
    Mad Scribble at a Speakeasy by Aliza Abusch-Magder - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Mad Scribble at a Speakeasy

    Aliza Abusch-Magder -
    “I imbibe knowledge and coffee and out came words/Flowing through my pen, not even gracing my mind”
    A Message to my Squirrel Hill Jewish Community from a Jew With a Touch of Color by Naomi Kitchen - Photo by Sonja Lippman

    A Message to my Squirrel Hill Jewish Community from a Jew With a Touch...

    Naomi Kitchen -
    “To Jews, did my color either cancel my Jewishness or my Jewishness cancel my color, never coexisting?”
    Masquerade of fear by Emmanuelle Sippy - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    masquerade of fear

    Emanuelle Sippy -
    “this is an inner struggle”
    Women Lost in History by Becca Miller - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Women Lost in History – A Villanelle

    Becca Miller -
    “Let not these heroines go unseen”
    To My Grandfather: My Introduction to Climate Organizing by Lily Gardner - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    To My Grandfather: My Introduction to Climate Organizing

    Lily Gardner -
    “I am Generation Z, a generation that has grown up with the climate crisis at the forefront of our consciousness, a generation for whom time is fleeting.”
    Kids Deserve Queer History by Alex Berman - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Kids Deserve Queer History

    Alex Berman -
    A curriculum that included queer history would incorporate the often-erased stories of queer historical figures, such as Alexander the Great, and important moments in the struggle for queer liberation.
    The Torah in the Church Basement by Gabriela Orozco - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    “The Torah in the Church Basement”

    Gabriela Orozco -
    “Amidst the ashes, our ark remains!”
    Living as an LGBTQ+ Orthodox Teen by Rivka Schafer - photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Living as an LGBTQ+ Orthodox Teen

    Rivka Schafer -
    “By 8th grade, I was so exhausted from concealing my identity that I publicly shared my sexual orientation on a grade chat. Consequently, that was the loneliest year of my life.”
    Executioner Pierrot by Siskind - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Executioner Pierrot

    Siskind -
    “Lewis’ back was against the door, the laughing was thunderous now”
    Is Your Favorite Season Still Fall? by Emily Bebenek - photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Is Your Favorite Season Still Fall?

    Emily Bebenek -
    “Is your favorite season still fall? I ask because we have both changed. And now that you face me after all these years I no longer know who you are."
    Kitchen + Chaos = Community by Emma Nathanson - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Kitchen + Chaos = Community

    Emma Nathanson -
    “Cooking and coping went hand in hand.”
    Cracks in the Pavement by Dalia Kushnir - Photo by Sonja Lippmann_CracksinthePavement

    Cracks in the Pavement

    Dalia Kushnir -
    “Although I am with them, I walk alone”
    no-AH, NO-uh by Noa Kalfus - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    no-AH, NO-uh

    Noa Kalfus -
    “What is a namesake and who is mine?”
    Enter: Watershed by Anonymous - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Enter: Watershed

    anonymous -
    "Doesn’t she know? It’s all for the scale."
    Did You Know That an Apple Has 95 Calories by Dahlia Matank - Photo by Sonja Lippman

    Did You Know That an Apple Has 95 Calories?

    anonymous -
    “I thought that the Apple would be enough.”
    HIs Name was Paul by Lily Granai - photo by Sonjia Lippmann

    His Name Was Paul

    Lily Granai -
    "Every 73 seconds someone is raped or sexually abused, but I am not supposed to say that."
    1973-&-1971-&-1969 by Jamie Klinger - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    1973 & 1971 & 1969

    Jamie Klinger -
    "He saw her four times, in starving women that could not bear to look at him."
    The Power in Jewish Youth By Ofek Preis - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    The Power in Jewish Youth

    Ofek Preis -
    Jewish identity can collectively remind us of our ethical responsibilities.
    The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For by Jemima Schoen - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For

    Jemima Schoen -
    “Esther had prayed, fasted, and pleaded for so long that her already-pale skin had an otherworldly glow.”
    Dear Justice Ginsburg by Gabriella Naveh - Photo Sonja Lippman

    Dear Justice Ginsburg

    Gabriella Naveh -
    “Thank you for fighting for the rights of so many, for speaking for the voiceless and for standing up even when you had to stand alone.”
    When You Ask Me Why I Fight by Alexa Hulse - Photo by Sonja Lippman

    When You Ask Me Why I Fight

    Alexa Hulse -
    “blood-stained sheets like a declaration of war”
    My Many Moms Are Matriarchs by Sasha Rosenfeld - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    My Many Moms Are Matriarchs

    Sasha Rosenfeld -
    "Silence and falsities around matriarchies in families and governments lead women and girls to doubt their leadership abilities."
    What Depression Feels Like by Abby Rickin-Marks - Photo by Sonja Lippmann(1)

    What Depression Feels Like

    Abby Rickin-Marks -
    "I am stronger than this room"
    Ocean Girl by May Lafer-Kirtner - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Ocean Girl

    May Lafer-Kirtner -
    "I can’t remember the last time I have ever loved a girl not made of liquid nitrogen"
    Tapuzim by Hannah Cohen - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Tapuzim

    Hannah Cohen -
    "I learned my prayers from stuffy sanctuaries and you/stole them from the inside of my cheeks."
    Häagen-Dazs: A Jewish Story of Immigration, Entrepreneurship, and Ice Cream by Ilena Moses - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Häagen-Dazs: A Jewish Story of Immigration, Entrepreneurship, and Ice Cream

    Ilena Moses -
    "When life gives you lemons—build an ultra-premium, kosher ice cream empire."
    Medical Perspective by Sonja Lippmann

    Abortion Rights from a Medical Perspective

    Sonja Lippmann -
    “I think that's a very complicated decision for people, so I don't ask my patients why they're there, because when we get right down to it, it's really none of my business.”
    Pro-Choice: An Interview Series - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    Pro-Choice: An Interview Series

    jGirls+ Content -
    As Jewish feminists, we are deeply frustrated and disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson case to overturn...
    Halachic Perspective by Dalia Heller - Photo by Sonja Lippman

    Abortion Rights from a Halachic (Jewish Legal) Perspective Part I

    Dalia Heller -
    “I think it’s important to remember that religious traditions are multivocal.”
    Body Language by Rachel Dinces - Photo by Sonja Lippman

    Body Language

    Rachel Dinces -
    “I turned what I considered a fact into a sound, three letters that didn't mean anything more than what it says in the dictionary.”
    A World on Fire by Eliana Pasternak - Photo by Sonja Lippmann

    A World on Fire

    Eliana Pasternak -
    “This is it, she thought as a metal support beam groaned and fell into one of the grocery aisles. If only she could force herself to move.”