It has been almost half a century since the foundation of Israel, a state that emerged out of chaos and longing and whose history has transformed nothing less than the world. From the early days of independence, as Israelis began to shape what would become their national culture, through hardscrabble years as they worked to draw life out of the desert land, during the brutal and bitter wars that have marked the course of the last fifty years, and as the country has emerged as a powerful member of the world community, Israel's most important photographer, Micha Bar-Am, has been there to record the drama and the nuance of Israeli life.
Featuring pictures taken over the course of the country's history, and opening with a thoughtful and important essay by Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and award-winning author of 'From Beirut to Jerusalem,' this evocative volume will show us Israel in its rich complexity.
Israel's contribution to politics and culture, to religion and to commerce, has made a tremendous mark on world history, and Friedman addresses these issues with the insight of an outsider who has nonetheless spent almost a quarter of his life in the area. Bar-Am's photos show us the events that have shaped Israel's path, Friedman's essay explores the implications of Israel's first fifty years.
Note on Competition
