Senator, we have a secret weapon in our battle against the Arabs… Senator, we have nowhere else to go! – Golda Meir, then prime minister of Israel addressing then senator Joe Biden in 1973.
This essay examines the role of photo-based imagery in the post-Holocaust world of Jewish self-determination that led to the restoration of Israel as a Jewish homeland. The images taken by Israelis and press photographers during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the War of Independence by Israelis, offer their portrayal of the nascent state of Israel. These photographs capture the complexities and emotions of a nation in the throes of both celebration and conflict. They serve as historical documents and as powerful symbols of national identity and propaganda. It is important to note that, as these events unfolded, the Holocaust was still fresh in the minds of Jews, as the Nuremberg trials (1945-1949) continued. The defendants in this series of 13 trials included Nazi Party officials and high-ranking military officers, along with German industrialists, doctors, and lawyers who were charged with crimes against peace and crimes against humanity. Due to the large number of countries and people affected, the following select examples represent uncountable events, locations, and people.
Robert Hirsch
VASA Journal on Images and Culture (VJIC)
https://vjic.org/vjic2/?page_id=7930
To view the previous essays visit the VASA Table of Contents at:
https://vjic.org/vjic2/?page_id=6312
For more on this subject see: Robert Hirsch’s Ghosts: French Holocaust Children catalog at www.lightresearch.net
For the exhibition connected to this series, “The Power of Resilience and Hope – Photography and the Holocaust: Then & Now.” Checkout: www.cepagallery.org/exhibit-event/photography-and-the-holocaust-then-and-now-2023/
Robert Hirsch is an artist, author, curator, educator, photographic historian and former Director of CEPA and Southern Light Galleries. Hirsch’s work has been exhibited in over 200 international solo and group exhibitions. His visual and written projects can be viewed at: www.lightresearch.net
