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Born in Vienna 1924, David Rubinger experienced the effects of the Holocaust on his family. He emigrated to Israel, then Palestine, in 1939 and lived and worked for three years on a kibbutz. In 1942 he joined the British Forces in Palestine and served in World War II in the Western Desert, Malta and later with the Jewish Brigade, all with the Eighth Army.
A chance encounter in Paris left him with the gift of a small 35mm camera, resulting in his decision to try to make a living from photography.
After the end of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, he began freelancing for local papers and was eventually hired by a local magazine ‘Ha’olam Hazeh’ (This World). Occasional assignments for foreign publications followed, including some for London Picture Post.
In 1954 TIME published their first two Rubinger photographs. The association with TIME/LIFE became firmer over the years until, in the early 1970’s Rubinger became TIME Contract Photographer, a position he holds to this day Rubinger witnessed the birth of a nation in 1948 and subsequently lived through ten wars which, as a TIME photo journalist, in most cases he observed from close quarters.
In 1967 Rubinger shot the image, which has since become his signature, and an iconic image in Israel’s history, that of the three paratroopers standing in awe in front of the recaptured Western Wall.
In his work David Rubinger frequently came into contact with key Israeli leaders and gained their confidence, including: David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Yitzchak Rabin, Ariel Sharon as well as world leaders such as Presidents Carter and Reagan.
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