LENS OF HISTORY page 22
has photographed in war and
peace, joy and anguish, for half
a century. Last week, on Israel's
49th Independence Day, Presi-
dent Ezer Weizman presented
him with the Israel Prize, the na-!
tion's highest award for achieve-
ment in scholarship and the arts.
Mr. Rubinger, a stocky, artic-
ulate figure with clipped white
beard, furrowed, receding hair-
line and restless eyes, was the
first photographer so honored.
It was fitting, if not inevitable.
Without sacrificing his autono-
my, Mr. Rubinger has chronicled
the reborn state from the inside.
If it happens, he is there, or
thereabouts. Doors that stay
closed to the competition open
for him.
One of his earliest shots,
reproduced in his 1988 album,
Witness to an Era, shows a
bunch of Jerusalem Jews
waving a home-made Magen
David flag on top of a British
armored car in November, 1947,
to celebrate the United Nations
partition resolution that paved
the way to independence.
The future Israel Prize win-
ner was born in Vienna in 1924.
He came to Palestine with Youth
Aliya in 1939, and returned to
Europe three years later as a
volunteer in the British army.
While there, he went through
a phony marriage with Anni, a
Holocaust survivor, so that she
could get an entry permit to
British Palestine. Last year,
they celebrated their golden
wedding with their two children
and five grandchildren.
It was in Europe that Mr.
Rubinger bought his first Leica
— for two cartons of cigarettes
and a pound of coffee. "In Ger-
many in 1946," he says, "you
could buy anything for ciga-
rettes." The Leica, the first of
many, launched him on his ca-
reer.
The most demanding of pro-
fessionals, he constantly up-
grades his cameras. Yet it is his
eye for a picture as much as his
equipment that sets him apart:
pictures like the old, gnarled
hand placing a note in the West-
ern Wall; or the elderly
Yemenite couple clasping the
tombstone of their soldier son,
inscribed with his army number
and his name, Haim Yihyeh
("Haim" is Hebrew for life, "Yi-
hyeh" for will live).
Photographer
receives
Israel Prize.
Mr. Rubinger used to tote a
step ladder on assignments to
put him, literally, above the herd.
To retain his unique access to
Israel's leaders, he exercises a cal-
culated discretion. He was once
flying El Al to New York with
Prime Minister Menachem Be-
gin and his wife, Aliza. Mrs. Be-
gin took off her shoes for comfort.
When she tried to put them on
again, her feet had swelled. Mr.
Begin leaned over and eased
them in.
Mr. Rubinger snapped the
moment of tender affection. "Be-
gin looked at me as if I'd put a
dagger in his heart," he recalls.
"Time wanted to publish it, but
I said let's not ruin our rela-
tionship." It was published 10
years later.
David Rubinger has pho-
tographed every Israeli prime
minister, from David Ben-Guri-
on to Bibi Netanyahu. But if you
ask him for his favorite photog-
rapher's story, he tells you with
Viennese self-mockery about the
one that got away.
It was Christmas 1977. Mr.
Begin and Anwar Sadat were
meeting at Ismailiya. Suddenly,
the Egyptian president invited
his guest to drive with him to see
the Suez Canal. The two states-
men got into one limousine, their
aides in another. As they were
speeding off, one of Mr. Begin's
team flung open the car door and
shouted: "David, get in quick!"
Mr. Rubinger jumped in and
shot a world exclusive of Mr. Be-
gin and Mr. Sadat in conclave
by the canal. Anni couriered the
roll of film on the first plane
from Tel-Aviv to New York.
When Time developed it, the
film was blank. The sprocket on
his camera had slipped. Even
Mr. Rubinger nods. ❑
Publicity Deadlines
The normal deadline for local news and
publicity items is noon Thursday, eight
days prior to issue date. The deadline
for out-of-town obituaries is 10 am.
Tuesday, three days prior to issue date.
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Bibi Sends Signal
JAMES BESSER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
With time running out for the
Middle East Peace Facilitation
Act, the law allowing American
aid to the Palestinian Authority,
many pro-Israel activists have
been waiting for a signal from the
Israeli government before lobby-
ing Congress, which must renew
or extend the law by the end of the
month.
Recently, Mr. Netanyahu gave
what may be his clearest signal
yet on the issue.
At a meeting with leaders of
Americans for Peace Now, Mr.
Netanyahu indicated that Amer-
ican aid to the Palestinians is
"most definitely" important for Is-
rael.
"We asked him whether con-
tinuing American assistance was
in Israel's self interest," said De-
bra DeLee, APN's new executive
director. "His answer was a very
clear 'yes'; he told us that it is im-
portant for aid to continue."
But the APN delegation clid not
ask about the details of the Amer-
ican law, and Mr. Netanyahu of-
fered no suggestions about how it
might be modified.
The prime minister asked for
the meeting with Ms. DeLee and
APN political director Mark
Rosenblum; he assured the peace
activists that he still believes his
Likud government is the only one
that can conclude a lasting peace
arrangement with the Palestini-
ans.
"We told him that if he suc-
ceeded, we would be his biggest
supporters," Ms. DeLee said. "But
the facts on the ground seem to be
telling a different story in terms
of peace. Everybody we talked to
seemed anxious and disheart-
ened."
Congress is expected to consid-
er a MEPFA renewal in the next
two weeks. The State Department
has still not indicated whether it
plans to fight for renewal without
modifications, or work with Re-
publican leaders to attach more
conditions to American aid.
Mr. Netanyahu's comments to
APN, Capitol Hill observers sug-
gest, will make things tougher for
the congressional and pro-Israel
hard-liners who want to scale
back aid or attach rigid new con-
ditions to its disbursement. ❑
Maccabi Seeks
Athletes For Pitt
The Detroit Maccabi Club is plan-
ning to send a delegation of teens
to Pittsburgh for the regional Mac-
cabi Youth Games Aug. 17-22.
This is in addition to the Detroit
delegations competing in Mil-
waukee and Seattle.
Athletes will be able to compete
in individual and team sports.
For information, interested
teens, age 13-16, should immedi-
ately call Detroit delegation chair
Harold Friedman, (248) 855-5428.
All Detroit athletes participat-
ing in the Maccabi regionals this
summer will participate in a kick-
off meeting 7:30 p.m. Thursday,
Aug. 7, at the Maple-Drake Jew-
ish Community Center.
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