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Israel: A Photobiography

Israeli photojournalist Micha Bar Am traces the first 50 years of the nation of Israel capturing its dramatic history and character

Micha Bar Am

Micha Bar Am | Israel: A Photobiography Israeli flags and washing, hang on the settlement lines. Ofra which was founded in 1975 is a religious community - hence the crocheted skullcaps along with the flags, underwear, and socks on a lau (...)

Israel: A Photobiography was published verge of celebrating 50 years of Israel’s statehood. This study of the character of Israel and Israeli life features work by the photographer Micha Bar-Am with an essay by the author and journalist Thomas L. Friedman.

Micha Bar Am | Israel: A Photobiography A demonstration by ultra-orthodox Jews against autopsies. Jerusalem, Israel. © Micha Bar Am | Magnum Photos

From the early euphoria of independence, through hard years as Israelis worked to draw life out of the desert land, during the brutal and bitter wars that have marked the course of the last half century, Israel’s people and politics have had a tremendous mark on the world.

Micha Bar Am | Israel: A Photobiography After a shooting incident in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces surrounded and detained Palestinian inhabitants in search of suspects and arms. Gaza Strip 1969. © Micha Bar Am | Magnum Photos

Bar-Am has witnessed the country’s rise to its prominent position on the international stage and has recorded the drama and the nuance of Israeli life through his camera.

Micha Bar Am | Israel: A Photobiography Israeli soldiers making a house to house search to find suspects. Gaza Strip. 1969. © Micha Bar Am | Magnum Photos
Micha Bar Am 'Leftist' activists demonstrate opposite the Defence Ministry building in Tel Aviv to protest against the paving of patrol roads through refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, which led to the evacuation (...)

His photos show us the events that have shaped Israel’s path, and Friedman’s essay narrates the images, exploring the implications of the young country’s history, particularly the powerful struggle between its past and its future.

Micha Bar Am | Israel: A Photobiography The women's army Training Base no. 12 at Tzrifin, the central base of the Israeli Women's Corps, a former British Army Camp during World War II. Occasionally fashion and beauty treatment shows are (...)

Fascinating, eloquent, and utterly absorbing, “Israel: A Photobiography” is a work both for the eye and the mind, and shows us with intelligence and passion where Israel has been and where it stands today.

The captions to this story are the original captions by Micha Bar-Am, 1967.

Micha Bar Am A peace dove being carried to the site where the Israeli- Egyptian peace agreements are to be signed. Ismailia.1977. © Micha Bar Am | Magnum Photos
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