This print ad design misses a fundamental concept in design:
When using contrast, make it dramatic enough to look intentional.
The two sides of the photo they used in the ad were so similar that you could barely tell that they weren’t just the same image, unless you already knew the reference and therefore already knew what you were looking at.
The half-half concept isn’t unusable, (it’s been done successfully in the past) it just needs a few tweaks to improve it and make it translate better in a print medium.
Step 1: Increase the color contrast
Step 2: Increase the light contrast/focal point
Step 3: Emphasize the Shabbos elements
