Eyes on the nation

“Eyes of the Nation” celebrates the beauty of Israel’s diverse community, threading photographs together to show we can find unity through variety.

By SHAINA OPPENHEIMER
Elipur in action with a project participant, Holocaust survivor David Laitner (photo credit: COURTESY JUDITH HARPAZ AND MEIR ELIPUR)
Elipur in action with a project participant, Holocaust survivor David Laitner
(photo credit: COURTESY JUDITH HARPAZ AND MEIR ELIPUR)
 Photographers Judith Harpaz and Meir Elipur embody everything good about the inside of the sabra. They’re warm, friendly, open, and want to share their love for Israel with others.
Commemorating the 68th birthday of the State of Israel, the dynamic duo embarked on a project to photograph 68 individuals from every sector of Israeli society. “Eyes of the Nation” will be on display at the Jerusalem Theater starting May 9. This mosaic of photographs shows only the eyes of each individual. Elipur explains the reasoning behind this artistic choice.
“From the eyes you can see inside people. Although everyone has their own life and own story, we are the same in some ways.”
Hoping to reflect the diversity of the nation, Harpaz and Elipur set out all over Israel, photographing individuals of every age, religion, profession and community. They made a list of people they wanted and from there they were soon deep in a network of remarkable individuals.
“We started with one and then they would tell us about their friend, and their friend would tell us about another friend and it went on,” Harpaz explains. The 68 pairs of eyes range from an hour-old infant to a 99-year-old woman, from haredim to Druse, from a farmer to a Knesset member.
While photographing the diverse pool of individuals, Harpaz and Elipur were able to hear everyone’s story and the incredible things they were doing in their communities. One of their subjects was Yossi, a father in living in Beersheba with three adopted children. Twice a week Yossi gets bread from the bakery and gives it out to people in need.
Yossi’s story of caring is just one of many.
“When we started to hear the stories of people, we were shocked. All of them really care about the people in Israel… most of the people contribute to the community in their own way,” Elipur says.
Another set of eyes belongs to Natan Krinsky. The Hall of Fame basketball player now devotes himself to helping Jews make aliya.
“It’s in his blood to bring the Jewish people to Israel,” Elipur explains.
Harpaz recalls her motive behind the project.
“We asked ourselves what we could do for the Israeli people. Especially in days when we have a lot of problems, we wanted something to connect and unify everyone.”
The eight-month-long project instilled a deep appreciation, reaffirming their love for Israel as Harpaz and Elipur got to know each subject better. They want to bring to viewers the same sense of pride in Israel that they felt when they were immersed in the project. In some of the photos, you can see a slight reflection of the two working to capture the photo. This further adds to the sense of unity Harpaz and Elipur hope to evoke – particularly around the time of Independence Day.
“I want everyone who comes to see the exhibition to take home a sense of togetherness and acceptance,” Elipur explains.
Harpaz adds, “If we can get people to think about their connection to others, then to us that’s a great success.”
All of the photos in the series are unedited and un-Photoshopped.
“We want it to be exactly how it was taken,” Elipur remarks.
The exhibition includes a supplemental catalogue that gives a more in-depth story about each subject; at the exhibition itself only their names and occupations are displayed.
“We want people to concentrate on the eyes with a minimum of text. If someone wants they can go look for more information in the catalogue,” Elipur adds.
The photograph strip of eyes examines the most visually simple yet complex aspect of the human body by which there are subtle clues to the very being of the individual.
Harpaz and Elipur hope to take their project to the rest of the country and further exhibit internationally.
“We hope it will help people outside Israeli to feel connected to the community here and feel that Israel is home,” Elipur says.
Beyond the sense of connection within the Jewish community, Harpaz and Elipur hope their project will help people all over the world feel connected to each other on a human level.
“It’s part of us,” Elipur explains. Independence Day is a day to celebrate and look back on back on history. The photo series does exactly that by reflecting on the many stories that make up Israel.
Opening in time for the Independence Day festivities, “Eyes of the Nation” celebrates the beauty of Israel’s diverse community, threading photographs together to show we can find unity through variety.
The exhibition will open May 9 at 7 p.m., and is free to the public. Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday, noon to 3 p.m., Saturday from a short while after Shabbat ends until 9:30 p.m. For more information on the exhibit or photographers Judith Harpaz and Meir Elipur: www.tzilumim.co.il