David Rubinger, Who Took Iconic Western Wall Photo, Dies At 92
David Rubinger’s famous photograph of soldiers at the Western Wall in 1967. Image by David Rubinger
By Naomi Zeveloff March 2, 2017
David Rubinger, the Israeli photographer who snapped the iconic photograph of soldiers at the Western Wall in 1967, died on Thursday at the age of 92.
The photograph has come to symbolize both the military and spiritual significance of Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six Day War against Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
But Rubinger apparently didn’t like the photo, possibly the most famous in Israeli history.
“Photographically speaking, this isn’t a good photo,” he said, according to Haaretz.
Rubinger was born in Austria and immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1939. He took over 500,000 photos during his career as a photojournalist.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin eulogized Rubinger, whom he knew personally.
“There are those who write the pages of history, and there are those who illustrate them through their camera’s lens,” Rivlin said of Rubinger. “His work will always be felt as it is seen in the eyes of the paratroopers as they looked upon the Western Wall, and in the expressions on the faces of the leaders of Israel, which he captured during the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected]
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
