David Rubinger laid to rest
Among Rubinger's notable photographs is that of IDF paratroopers crying at the Western Wall after the Six-Day War and a photo of Golda Meir doing dishes; He was 92 years old at the time of his passing.
David Rubinger, one of Israel's most important photographers and a recipient of the Israel Prize in communications, was laid to rest Friday morning.
He passed away early Thursday at the age of 92 after battling cancer.
Rubinger photographed many of the historic events that shaped the State of Israel. One of his most notable photographs is that of IDF Paratroopers crying at the Western Wall after liberating the Old City during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Because of his talent, diligence and excellence and also because he lived and worked throughout Israel’s defining years, he became "the nation's photographer."
Due to Rubingers efforts, press photographers in Israel were treated with respect they did not previously enjoy.
"A good photo is one in which nothing is superfluous, and every detail in it is necessary. In the famous paratrooper photo I took there is half a head at the back and another helmet on the right, which ruins the frame in my eyes. Composition-wise, it's definitely not perfect, and I don’t think it's the best photo I took, but it already has a life of its own and the public made it into an icon," he told in his interview with Blazer magazine.
While documenting the establishment and rise of Israel, Rubinger also immortalized its leaders. Aside from many famous photos of the first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, and of Prime Minister Menachem Begin, who signed a peace treaty with Egypt, Rubinger is also the one who took the famous photo of Golda Meir washing dishes.
Rubinger was born in Vienna, Austria in 1924. He made aliyah to Israel in 1939. In 1945, he became a news photographer and worked for the weekly HaOlam HaZeh. Later, he worked for TIME magazine as well.
In 1946 he married his wife Anni, and the two had a son and a daughter. Anni passed away in 2000 after a battle with cancer.
Rubinger later had a relationship with social worker Ziona Spivak, who was murdered in 2004 by her Palestinian gardener. Rubinger was the one who found the body and called the police.
He is survived by his son, children's writer Ami Rubinger, his daughter Tammi, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
