Fashion models tell their stories in style at Maine Jewish Museum

The Aug. 8 fundraiser benefited the Portland museum’s programming.

Alexis Graff and her father, designer Rick Graff, both of Portland.

Ukrainian models Alina Terzi and Andrii Opalnyk of Lewiston.

Congolese model Amevi Assoutovi, Lauren Lindenbaum and Angolan model Quina Nunes.

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Daphne Murphy (Daphne Michelle Designs) with Valerie Wallace of Orono.

Model Joan Belsky Barbin of Portland, host committee member Jody Augustadt of Gorham, model coach Barbara Furey of Falmouth and Keith Luke of Augusta.

Gail Kass and Susan Horowitz, both of Harpswell.

Photos by Amy Paradysz Rabbi Gary Berenson, Elisheva Rishon of Eli7 Designs, Maine Jewish Museum Executive Director Dawn LaRochelle, Mary Allen Lindemann of sponsor Coffee By Design and emcee Jeff Barkin, co-host of WGAN’s “A Healthy Conversation.”

Oksana Lane of North Yarmouth, Natalia Irving of Falmouth, designer Raisa Pelletier of Raisa’s Sewing & Accessories and Maria Usacheva of Freeport.

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After a garden reception on the front lawn of the Maine Jewish Museum in Portland, 40 models representing cultures from all over the world walked the runway in the Etz Chaim Synagogue at the Aug. 8 Fashion, Food and Fun(d)raiser.

“Fashion has the power to create a dialogue for positive change and understanding other people,” said guest speaker Elisheva Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish fashion designer from California. “At first, I wanted people to focus on my style rather than my skin tone, and eventually I grew to love fashion and art in itself. It went from being a shield to my greatest form of self-expression.

You can dress modestly and still be fun.”

Like Rishon, each model – each person – has a unique story.

Elizabeth Donato, who left Sudan as an infant, proudly modeled a traditional Sudanese dress and headpiece that her grandmother had kept hidden in her suitcase for decades.

Chasantha Meas and her daughter Hailee Gillis showed off traditional garments preserved by the Khmer people in Cambodia.

And 9-year-old Maya Moudachirou of Scarborough, who is both Beninese and Jewish, paired a skirt made by her grandmother in Benin with a shirt with the message “Hands off the Jewfro.”

“Through food, music and attire, through how we choose to walk the runway and how we choose to express our identities, we aspire to tell the stories of Maine’s diverse community through a lens of belonging and celebration,” said Maine Jewish Museum Executive Director Dawn LaRochelle. “This fashion show, a veritable rainbow of inclusion and experiences, aligns perfectly with the Maine Jewish Museum’s mission of building on the Maine Jewish immigrant experience to foster appreciation and understanding among people of all backgrounds.”

Representing Vietnam, Nathan Fritz – also known as drag performer Miso Honey – sashayed down the runway twice, first in a rainbow gown he made for Pride Day and later in a floor-length mermaid-skirt backless dress in a blue floral print. Both times, his fiancé Max Brinn and hundreds of event guests cheered him on.

“Oh, my heart, this was so amazing,” said proud mom Kay Fritz. “The creative energy, the joy, the love. Everybody celebrating everybody. My heart is full.”

The event raised $30,000 to continue Maine Jewish Museum’s mission to create art exhibitions, historical displays and diverse programs that build on the Maine Jewish immigrant experience to foster appreciation and understanding among people of all backgrounds.

Sponsors included American Roots, Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Coffee By Design, Jewish Community Alliance, Kitchen Cove and M&T Bank.

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.