A photograph of three soldiers of the 66th Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade - from the right: Haim Oshri, Haim Cohen (behind), Yitzhak Yifat and Zion Crescenti, looking in amazement at the newly occupied Western Wall. Photographer: David Rubinger, June 7, 1967. Signed on the back in English handwriting: "Photo Rubinger david 1967".
The photograph of the paratroopers at the Western Wall is the most famous photograph from the Six Day War, taken by David Rubinger on June 7, 1967, during the occupation and liberation of the Old City and the Western Wall by the IDF during the Six Day War. The photograph has since become one of the best known in the history of the State of Israel and one of the symbols of the Six Day War and the Battle on Jerusalem. Oshri described in an interview with him the exciting event: "The sight of the Temple Mount revealed to our eyes, the gleaming domes around which the sun's rays shatter and still morning clouds, was for me the sight of Jerusalem we have longed for all these years. I mostly remember a feeling of admiration, of holding my breath. Here is Jerusalem we read about and we were privileged to see it only in the pictures, now standing here in front of us " (from an interview with Haim Oshri conducted by Rivki Rat).
The photographer David Rubinger described the circumstances of the photo: "I made my way on foot as fast as I could to the Old City. I arrived there just in time for the entrance to the Western Wall, only fifteen minutes after the IDF Paratroopers Brigade released it. The distance between the Western Wall and the nearby houses did not exceed three or four meters. In order to achieve the best angle in such a narrow area, I had to lie on the ground and shoot upwards, so that the lens could absorb the winning paratroopers and the Western Wall stones as much as possible". (David Rubinger, Ruth Korman, Israel through the lens: 60 years as a press photographer, Keter Publishing, 2008, p. 112).
The photograph was first published in the New York Times on June 11, 1967. In Israel, it was first published on the cover of the 'Haaretz' supplement from June 16, and four days later appeared on the cover of the weekly "Davar LeYeleladim". The main use of the image was in victory albums, articles and even novel covers that dealt with the Six Day War. Rubinger, who called the photograph "my trademark", chose this photograph for the cover of his book "Israel Through My Lens: Sixty Years As a Photojournalist" and for the Hebrew edition cover, "Israel Through the Lens: 60 Years as a Press Photographer" (Keter Publishing, 2008).
Size: 24x18 cm. Very good condition.
