WHAT IS FACES OF ISRAEL?
Faces of Israel is a collection of more than 200 candid photographic portraits created between 2018-2023 that reflect the ethnic diversity, religious, cultural and spiritual identities of one of the most complex populations in the world. What is presented here is a portrait of life in Israel as seen on the faces of its people.
Through the lens, award-winning photographer Rose Eichenbaum captures the character, mood and look of a population comprised of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and other faiths and ethnicities. Israel's population is at around nine million after having absorbed Jewish immigrants from Iran, Ethiopia, Russia, France the U.S. Canada and many other countries. With a thriving economy, Israel hosts a large number of international workers in construction, agriculture, nursing, caregiving, hotel and restaurant service as well as roughly 25, 500 asylum seekers mainly from Eritrea and Sudan--adding further to its multi-ethnic mosaic. Also, 12,000 students from abroad study in Israel's universities and research centers.
Eichenbaum engages with individuals of all ages and walks of life; merchants, artists, entertainers, politicians, military personnel, religious figures, writers, chefs, entrepreneurs, scientists, high tech and medical workers and everyone in between. With portraits obtained with permission and collaboration we meet the people of Israel— up close and personal.
"I've always regarded photography as an honest medium and the camera as a tool of inquiry by which to access truth and awareness," says Rose. "This is why I chose still photography as my method of research and documentation. Photography by its very nature is a way of bearing witness. My intention is to be as inclusive and impartial as possible."
Through these photographic portraits Eichenbaum shines a light on the people of Israel who despite the challenges they face in one of the world’s great hot spots, rank 4th among the happiest people in the world ( according to the annual index of the happiest nations.) In so doing, she reveals what the people of this extraordinary country are really like— resilient, innovative, creative, spiritual, fun loving, resolute and deeply human.
About Rose
Rose Eichenbaum is an award-winning photographer, author and respected photojournalist. She is a former dance student at the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem and holds a Master's Degree from the Department of Dance at UCLA. Her courses in dance ethnology--the study of dance and culture, set the groundwork for a career dedicated to teaching, research and photographic documentation.
A respected photojournalist, Eichenbaum has served as contributor for a number of national publications among them Dance Magazine, Language Magazine and Reform Judaism Magazine. Her photography has been exhibited in libraries, galleries, museums and arts institutions including a three-year national tour hosted by the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service.
Ms. Eichenbaum is the author of six published books: The Number on My Grandfather’s Arm (A Sydney Taylor Book Award winner,) Masters of Movement: Portraits of America’s Great Choreographers -(Smithsonian Books), The Dancer Within-Intimate Conversations With Great Dancers, The Actor Within-Intimate Conversations With Great Actors, The Director Within-Storytellers of Stage and Screen and Inside the Dancer’s Art-Wesleyan University Press).
Pictured here with "Dush", Israel's renowned Dream Doctor clowns. To learn more about Rose Eichenbaum please visit www.roseeichenbaum.com
‘I spent more than an hour this afternoon standing on the corner of Ben Yehudah just studying the faces—the blind beggar, the man in his black robe and kaffiyeh, a young Israeli soldier, the falafel vendor, a young mother with her small children, the old man wearing a yalmukah—the story of his hard life etched in his face. Even after I got on the bus, all I wanted to do was look out the window at the faces.” Journal Entry, Feb 1, 1971, Rose Eichenbaum
I was eighteen years old when I made this entry in my journal. I had come to Israel after graduating from high school to study dance at the renowned Rubin Academy in Jerusalem. It never would have occurred to me back then, that more than four decades later I’d return to Israel with just one thing on my mind…faces.
I never forgot those fascinating faces--deeply human faces, full of character, pathos, personality and passion. Somehow I understood, even back then, years before I'd ever picked up a camera or thought about becoming a professional photographer, that there was a unique personal story and family history behind every face.
I returned to Israel in 2018 with camera in hand to create a visual portrait of one of the most diverse and intricate populations on earth. Israelis are a blend of ethnicities, races, cultures, traditions and faiths who live together in one of the most historic, controversial, and revered places on earth. I wondered what I might learn about this unique country and its people through the art of portraiture.
With the help of my Israeli born husband Betzalel, I set out in search of faces. Together we drove around the country--Tel Aviv to the Negev Desert, Jerusalem to the Galilee, Nazareth to Beersheba, Haifa to Tzvat. We visited neighborhoods and beaches, cafes and restaurants, holy sites, kibbutzim, malls, art galleries and museums, open food markets, commercial businesses and people's private homes.
Featured here are many of Israel's most well known faces--celebrities, entertainers, statesman, renown artists as well as individuals chosen randomly from virtually every segment of Israel's society including its refugees, international workers and students.
Almost everyone I approached, Jew, Muslim, Christian, Druze or Beduin, agreed to be a part of Faces of Israel. They posed for photos, gave me their names and E-mail addresses, recalled their family’s origin and story, and how they made their living. Israelis, I would discover are a very proud and patriotic people.
Rose Eichenbaum is a respected inspirational speaker and storyteller. Rose shares with audiences her personal journey to create this one-of-a-kind work over a period of six years. To host a multi-media presentation and/or photographic exhibition please contact Rose at rose.eichenbaum@gmail.com.
Faces of Israel-- Diversity of Peoples and Cultures
Look for Faces of Israel by Rose Eichenbaum coming soon..