"Most beloved Jewish photograph.. of our time.” | The Jerusalem Unity PrizeThe Jerusalem Unity Prize

“Most beloved Jewish photograph.. of our time.”

02/2016

Following a tip off from a diner at a local Jerusalem café, I realized the man I was sitting next to was David Rubinger – the famed Israeli photographer and Israel Prize winner, who captutred some of the most memorable moments in modern Israeli history.

The camera at his table confirmed the information, so I approachd him and opened one of the most fascinating conversations with a man who adds (understatement) an “interesting perspective” on how things in Israel have changed and developed.

As Time–Life’s primary photographer for the region, Rubinger covered all of Israel’s wars and was given unprecedented access to governmental leaders — he was the only photographer allowed in the Knesset cafeteria. With the sort of access and exposure that allows the subjects to disregard the photographer’s presence, Rubinger was able to take memorable photos of Golda Meir feeding her granddaughter or quiet moments between Yitzhak and Leah Rabin, for example.

Rubinger’s signature photograph is of paratroopers at the Western Wall, shortly after its recapture by Israeli forces in the Six-Day War. Shot from a low angle, the faces of (left to right) Zion Karasenti, Yitzhak Yifat, and Haim Oshri are framed against the wall. The three of them are framed with their backs toward the wall, gazing off into the distance, and Yifat (center) holds his helmet in his hand. Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi calls it “the most beloved Jewish photographic image of our time”