FEATURE · PAGE 19

The Centerfold

A photographic record. By appointment only.

Hershel in light blue dress shirt with kippah and Elia in beige knit sweater with long dark hair, photographed from behind with arms around each other, looking at the Taj Mahal centered in the composition in morning mist.
Agra, India, January 2026. The subjects were observed observing the monument.
Hershel and Elia standing together in front of a HAPPY letter garland. Elia with hand near her face, Hershel smiling at the camera.
The first photograph. November 5, 2023. The relationship would not officially begin until ten days later.
Hershel in blue button-down and Elia in light tan, posed and smiling together against a dark background.
The first date. November 15, 2023. The publication has, in editorial discretion, not specified where.
Elevator mirror selfie. Elia in orange dress with yellow feather boa. Hershel in green Slytherin suit jacket, striped tie, and black top hat.
Purim 2024. The editorial decision regarding costumes was, the editors confirm, made jointly.
Hershel in light blue hoodie and Elia in black t-shirt with patterned blue-and-white skirt, standing in front of a field of blue agave plants under partly cloudy sky.
The Negev, September 2024. The agave was not, the publication confirms, processed.
Hershel and Elia embracing on the front steps of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem at golden hour, looking at each other with the building's geometric stone facade as backdrop.
The National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, October 2024. The architecture has been entered into the record.
Hershel in cream half-zip sweater and khaki pants, Elia in patterned cream sweater and black skirt, standing in front of a large illuminated red neon heart sculpture at night.
The fake proposal, location withheld. January 2025. The publication will not be commenting on the real one until it has been filed.
Hershel in white shirt and dark pants, Elia in olive t-shirt and black skirt, on an outdoor sport court with stone retaining wall and trees behind, both in a playful pose with rackets cocked over their shoulders, looking back at the camera.
Jerusalem, October 2025. The rackets were held.
Hershel in olive t-shirt and khaki pants, Elia in black t-shirt and denim skirt with a vibrant tie-dye scarf in red, orange, blue, yellow, and pink, standing together on a hotel balcony in Jaipur with a tiered pool, white pavilions, palm trees, and pink-toned colonial buildings behind them.
Jaipur, India, February 2026. The scarf was acquired locally.

— H. & E.

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