Saturday, August 4, 2007
Yossi Klein Halevi has another story on the famous picture (at right). 
He interviews the man in the middle, Yitzhak Yifat, as well as photographer David Rubinger. Why does this image evoke so much more than the less famous but also remarkable Life Magazine cover from the same war? (picture in the article). Yifat is a secular Jew who reminds me of a sort of small-time Neil Armstrong -- staying low key and refusing to put his fame behind any particular political faction:
“I’m the chief police detective for the Tel Aviv area,†the man explained. “Lots of people know me. But when I leave this world, no one will remember that I was ever alive. But you will be remembered forever.â€
“I’m going to die just like everyone else,†Yifat said.
“Don’t make fun,†said the detective, mistaking Yifat’s modesty for contempt. “You should appreciate the gift. I’d give anything to be in that picture.â€...
