A. Aryeh Yaakobi
B. Two cowgirls at Hightstown farm: Celine Ein Dor (R) and Pnina Levy
C. Photo lab at Pueblo, Colorado Air Force base in US
D. Photography equipment encampment at Pueblo, Colorado Air Force base
E. At London railway station, after end of WWII
F. Rural pub in England
G. Two girls in US
Aryeh Yaakobi was born in New York in 1919. As a youth he joined the Hashomer Hatzair movement in New York and took part in agricultural training with his peers at the Hightstown farm ahead of joining Kibbutz Hatzor in the Land of Israel.
His plans were changed during World War II, when the United States joined the Allies in 1941.
Aryeh was drafted to the US Air Force as an aerial photographer and traveled with his unit to England, where the aircraft departed to bomb occupied Europe.
His unit then returned to the US and was moved to the West Coast before leaving for the fighting zones against the Japanese. The two atom bombs which led to Japan's surrender changed these plans.
In 1946, after the end of the war, Aryeh immigrate to Israel. He worked as a photographer for a while, until the winds of war began blowing in Israel.
In January 1948, Aryeh joined the Israel Air Force which was just being established. He founded the IAF's photo labs, commanded the unit and served in it until his retirement.
A large collection of photos was found in Aryeh's house, documenting the chapters of his life. Alongside his work as an aerial photographer Aryeh was also very talented, and his entire life was accompanied by artistic photographs as well.
The selection of photos was so extensive that we decided to dedicate six articles to this collection. The first part features several images from Aryeh's work, on which we will elaborate in the next articles.
1. Hashomer Hatzair movement's Lag B'Omer parade in a forest near New York, 1930s
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