Birth of a Nation

'Israel: 50 Years' captures the moments

April 29, 1998
Web posted at: 4:15 p.m. EDT (1615 GMT)

(CNN) -- The process of building a nation is never easy, and seldom peaceful. Those looking for examples of this need look no further than "Israel: 50 Years," a photographic book filled with arresting images of the Jewish state's birth and growth.

Click here to see more photos from "Israel: 50 Years".

The book, published by the Aperture Foundation, uses the best photographs taken by the cameras of Magnum, an association of outstanding news photographers.

An example: a picture of survivors of the Holocaust, taken by Magnum founder Robert Capa.

"Capa was the most fabulous of the Magnum photographers," photojournalist Burt Glinn said recently on CNN's Sunday Morning. "He was the first one to go to Israel. And he was one of the reasons I went to Israel."

The image is just one of many that conveys the emotional extremes felt by the country.

Another, taken by James Nachtwey, shows a small boy being taught by Israeli troops how to fire a gun.

"We did not want a book that was celebratory because those are the souvenir coffee-table-kinds of books," Glinn said. "We wanted something that would explain the pain and the joy of a new country. And we only picked the best pictures in our files and let them speak for themselves."

Related story:

• Israel honors war dead before anniversary celebration

Related site:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• Aperture Foundation
• 50 Years of Magnum
• Pictures of the Year

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.