David Rubinger (1924–2017)

The Promised Land was truly that for David Rubinger as he tells his life story through pictures, descriptions of his travels, and unfolds the modern history of Israel. He is a photographer exemplar who seems to have saved every image he has taken since getting his first camera.
Born in Vienna Austria in 1924 he grew up steeped in family tradition which developed strong Jewish ties to Palestine (Israel). He moved to a Kibbutz along with many others in his Austrian community where they sought refuge from the onslaught of the Nazis in 1939. His father was able to move to London, but was unable to extricate his mother from the clutches of the holocaust in which she perished in a concentration camp in 1942.
David returned to Europe, fighting in the war with the British Army, in the Jewish Brigade, and as with the rest of his life brought honor to his family through action and deed. In 1945, he was stationed in Belgium and received a gift from a girl friend upon his departure, an Argus 35 mm camera, his first! Subsequently, he was able to purchase a Leica camera in trade for cigarettes and thus began his career as a photographer.
His photographs were of the highest quality as demonstrated by the images in his book.
Even Rubinger’ s first attempts at portraying scenes of ordinary life at a German railway station with his Leica in 1946 showed extreme promise for this neophyte photographer. Through the years he chronicled the state of Israel after its creation by the United Nations.
Becoming a Life photographer opened vistas for him to become recognized by his peers in the reporting world. Also, it provided him with a living with which to raise his family. He gained a reputation of being at the right place at the right time and took some of the most extraordinary photos of statesmen, battle scenes, and humorous scenes showing war trophies on display.
Although the book is autobiographical in nature, it is much more, a descriptive scenario of the modern history of Israel through the eyes of Rubinger’s camera and his own. A wonderful book which captivates the reader from start to finish and makes you want to see more of the terrific images which he has taken. A remarkable story of a remarkable man in his 80’s who continues to capture life around him.… (meer)