By . Snejana Farberov . Nestled in the depths of the Amazon rainforest thousands of miles . from the biblical, war-torn lands of the Middle East, lives a small . community of people who call themselves Los Israelites. Seattle-based . photographer Stan Raucher has made the long journey down the Amazon . River to document the everyday lives of Peruvian villagers who adhere to . ancient Judeo-Christian traditions that go back thousands of . years in a series of striking black and white photographs. Officially called Asociación Evangélica de la . Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal (AEMINPU), the evangelical . sect that seamlessly blends Old and New Testament traditions was founded . in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal, a shoemaker from a small Peruvian village. Welcome to the promised land: For the past six decades, a small community of Peruvians calling themselves Los Israelites have been living in the Amazon rainforest according to biblical laws . Humble beginnings: The evangelical sect called Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal was founded in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal, a cobbler from Peru . In the footsteps of a prophet: Gamonal proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to build a new Israel in the Amazon wilderness - and many people answered his call . Ancient fashions: The men in the community grow out their hair and beards, while the women dress modestly and cover their tresses with kerchiefs . Weekend warriors: From Sunday to Friday, the men keep their long hair covered and dress in plain clothes while going about their work, but on Saturday they don flowing robes to take part in a community celebration of the Sabbath . Melting pot of beliefs: Los Israelites gather in their sanctuary to read the bible, which contains both the Old and New Testaments . Raucher writes in his artist statement that Gamonal, a big fan of . Cecil B. DeMille’s biblical movie epics, converted from Catholicism to . Seventh-Day Adventism some six decades ago. A few years later, the . Peruvian cobbler proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to build a . new Israel in the Amazon rainforest – and some of his countrymen answered his call. Men and women from all over Peru left their homes . and businesses, flocking to Gamonal’s self-styled New Promised Land in . the tropical forest. Like modern-day Jews and Seventh-Day . Adventists, Gamonal’s Los Israelites observe the Sabbath – the . traditional day of rest – on Saturday, but do not celebrate Christmas or . Easter, and do not display crosses or images of saints. The sect members strictly follow the Ten Commandments, . which they refer to as the Royal Law; a large copy of the holy Decalogue is displayed along with a small ark in the . sanctuary of the congregation. In line with Israelite traditions, men grow out their hair and beards while women keep their tresses covered with kerchiefs. Music to their ears: The congregants pray and sing hymns to the tune of a brass band . Like modern-day Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists, Gamonal's Los Israelites observe the Sabbath on Saturday, but do not celebrate Christmas or Easter . Village life:  Women in the village work as teachers and care for their children; the kids of Los Israelites attend school, play and do their chores . Matriarchs: This image shows three generations of women from the same Israelite family living on the shores of the Amazon River . Fresh view: Seattle-based photographer Stan Raucher has made the long journey down the Amazon River to document the everyday lives of the extraordinary Peruvian villagers . Joyful noise: Young women dressed in their finest play tambourines festooned with colorful ribbons during the village's weekly festivities . Separated: Boys sit with male members of the congregation during a Sabbath sermon, while women pray in a different section of the sanctuary . From . Sunday through Friday, the men wear regular clothes and hide their . flowing locks beneath baseball caps as they go about farming, fishing . and tending their livestock. The women teach in the local school and care for children. When . Saturday arrives, the community comes together for elaborate, day-long . festivities that feature bible readings, singing of hymns to the tune of . a brass band and a feast. The men attend the weekly celebration . dressed in flowing robes straight out of DeMille’s Ten Commandments; . the women don their Saturday’s best, while young girls come to the event rattling tambourines decorated with multi-colored ribbons. After . more prayers and pious readings in the sanctuary, the celebration . culminates with an animal sacrifice carried out by Los Israelites’ priests on a special altar. The community’s offering to God - . a lamb, bull or a handful of doves – is meticulously cleaned, rubbed . with salt and olive oil before being placed on a large pyre. As . flames begin to consume the sacrificial animal, men, women and children . in the audience pray - not unlike their spiritual ancestors surely did . in the Sinai Peninsula thousands of years ago. Let's eat: After hours of prayers, bible readings, hymn singing and sermons, the community sits down to a feast . Grand finale: The Sabbath celebration culminates with an animal sacrifice - usually doves, a lamb or a bull - which is cleaned, rubbed with salt and oil before being placed on a large pyre on an altar . Peace offering: As flames begin to consume the sacrificial animal, men, women and children in the audience pray .
Seattle-based photographer Stan Raucher tracked down and documented the lives of members of the Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal .
The community lives by the Ten Commendments and adheres to traditons from both the Old and New Testament .
The sect was founded in 1958 by Catholic Peruvian cobbler-turned-Seventh-Day Adventist evangelist Ezequiel Gamonal .
By . Snejana Farberov . Nestled in the depths of the Amazon rainforest thousands of miles . from the biblical, war-torn lands of the Middle East, lives a small . community of people who call themselves Los Israelites. Seattle-based . photographer Stan Raucher has made the long journey down the Amazon . River to document the everyday lives of Peruvian villagers who adhere to . ancient Judeo-Christian traditions that go back thousands of . years in a series of striking black and white photographs. Officially called Asociación Evangélica de la . Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal (AEMINPU), the evangelical . sect that seamlessly blends Old and New Testament traditions was founded . in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal, a shoemaker from a small Peruvian village. Welcome to the promised land: For the past six decades, a small community of Peruvians calling themselves Los Israelites have been living in the Amazon rainforest according to biblical laws . Humble beginnings: The evangelical sect called Asociación Evangélica de la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal was founded in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal, a cobbler from Peru . In the footsteps of a prophet: Gamonal proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to build a new Israel in the Amazon wilderness - and many people answered his call . Ancient fashions: The men in the community grow out their hair and beards, while the women dress modestly and cover their tresses with kerchiefs . Weekend warriors: From Sunday to Friday, the men keep their long hair covered and dress in plain clothes while going about their work, but on Saturday they don flowing robes to take part in a community celebration of the Sabbath . Melting pot of beliefs: Los Israelites gather in their sanctuary to read the bible, which contains both the Old and New Testaments . Raucher writes in his artist statement that Gamonal, a big fan of . Cecil B. DeMille’s biblical movie epics, converted from Catholicism to . Seventh-Day Adventism some six decades ago. A few years later, the . Peruvian cobbler proclaimed that he had been chosen by God to build a . new Israel in the Amazon rainforest – and some of his countrymen answered his call. Men and women from all over Peru left their homes . and businesses, flocking to Gamonal’s self-styled New Promised Land in . the tropical forest. Like modern-day Jews and Seventh-Day . Adventists, Gamonal’s Los Israelites observe the Sabbath – the . traditional day of rest – on Saturday, but do not celebrate Christmas or . Easter, and do not display crosses or images of saints. The sect members strictly follow the Ten Commandments, . which they refer to as the Royal Law; a large copy of the holy Decalogue is displayed along with a small ark in the . sanctuary of the congregation. In line with Israelite traditions, men grow out their hair and beards while women keep their tresses covered with kerchiefs. Music to their ears: The congregants pray and sing hymns to the tune of a brass band . Like modern-day Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists, Gamonal's Los Israelites observe the Sabbath on Saturday, but do not celebrate Christmas or Easter . Village life:  Women in the village work as teachers and care for their children; the kids of Los Israelites attend school, play and do their chores . Matriarchs: This image shows three generations of women from the same Israelite family living on the shores of the Amazon River . Fresh view: Seattle-based photographer Stan Raucher has made the long journey down the Amazon River to document the everyday lives of the extraordinary Peruvian villagers . Joyful noise: Young women dressed in their finest play tambourines festooned with colorful ribbons during the village's weekly festivities . Separated: Boys sit with male members of the congregation during a Sabbath sermon, while women pray in a different section of the sanctuary . From . Sunday through Friday, the men wear regular clothes and hide their . flowing locks beneath baseball caps as they go about farming, fishing . and tending their livestock. The women teach in the local school and care for children. When . Saturday arrives, the community comes together for elaborate, day-long . festivities that feature bible readings, singing of hymns to the tune of . a brass band and a feast. The men attend the weekly celebration . dressed in flowing robes straight out of DeMille’s Ten Commandments; . the women don their Saturday’s best, while young girls come to the event rattling tambourines decorated with multi-colored ribbons. After . more prayers and pious readings in the sanctuary, the celebration . culminates with an animal sacrifice carried out by Los Israelites’ priests on a special altar. The community’s offering to God - . a lamb, bull or a handful of doves – is meticulously cleaned, rubbed . with salt and olive oil before being placed on a large pyre. As . flames begin to consume the sacrificial animal, men, women and children . in the audience pray - not unlike their spiritual ancestors surely did . in the Sinai Peninsula thousands of years ago. Let's eat: After hours of prayers, bible readings, hymn singing and sermons, the community sits down to a feast . Grand finale: The Sabbath celebration culminates with an animal sacrifice - usually doves, a lamb or a bull - which is cleaned, rubbed with salt and oil before being placed on a large pyre on an altar . Peace offering: As flames begin to consume the sacrificial animal, men, women and children in the audience pray .
Asociación Evangélica de la . Misión Israelita New Testament traditions was founded . in 1958 by la Misión Israelita del Nuevo Pacto Universal was founded in 1958 by Ezequiel Gamonal, a cobbler the Old and New Testaments . Raucher writes in members strictly follow the Ten Commandments, . Fresh view: Seattle-based photographer Stan River to document the everyday lives of the