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