EL AL | Atmosphere

Magazine I Interview

the Holocaust. There’s no other way”. Do you think your photos can have an impact in terms of Israeli advocacy? “I can’t answer this question. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback, so I tend to believe the answer is yes, but I think a lot more needs to be done in terms of hasbara and advocacy on a governmental level. It can’t just be left to private citizens and volunteers”. After almost a year of documenting this war, do you have any new insights? “On the positive side, I can say that I’ve met many wonderful people, been witness to incredible solidarity. When the war started, we saw Israelis fly across the world to come back home and fight. I’ve been to Gaza at least 30 times, embedded with the soldiers, and I can tell you the motivation levels among them are sky high. It’s amazing how much they want to win”. Koren never stops documenting what he sees. To mark one year since the start of the war, he’s prepared a special project for Yedioth Aharonot: “I went back to the scenes of the atrocities with major figures of the October 7 events, including former hostages, families of hostages, and soldiers. It’s important to leave a trace of what happened on that day”. ˆ Our quick questionnaire What makes you angry?

“Fear keeps you on your toes. But it doesn’t stop me from doing what I need to do.” Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon

memory? “There are thousands of moments. I can’t choose one specific picture. To me, this work is a whole. Besides, it’s early days, the work is still in process”. Don’t you ever feel afraid? “Of course I do. You need to feel afraid. Fear keeps you on your toes. But it doesn’t stop me from doing what I need to do. I’m no hero, every reservist currently fighting in Gaza is 500 times more of a hero than I”. Some of the photos include sights that are extremely hard to look at. Do you believe there are pictures that shouldn’t be shown, or rather that they should be, everywhere in the world? “As a photographer you need to make sure your picture shows the scale of the atrocity, but you don’t want to make it impossible for the image to be looked at. It’s different for each person. Everyone has their own moral boundaries. But documenting what took place is paramount. October 7 was the worst catastrophe to befall the State of Israel since its creation, and it is my moral duty to document and show exactly what I saw on that day and all those that came after. We’ll deal with these photographic documents the same way we dealt with those of

what happened here on October 7. I do everything I can to make sure the subject is always on the table. It’s mad that half the world has either forgotten or doesn’t believe what happened. I make a point of talking about it everywhere I can and to remind people of the plight of our hostages still held in Gaza. I’ve also documented some of the hostages that came back, and their journey of recovery since their return, Mia Shem being one of them - (Shem was kidnapped from the Nova festival and released as part of a hostage deal – M.C.)”. The story needs to be told From all the pictures you’ve taken, is there one, or one moment, that particularly stands out in your Ziv Koren presents actor Michael Douglas with his book

“Untrustworthiness”. What makes you sad? “This period”. What makes you laugh? “Unfortunately, nothing makes me laugh these days”. What soothes you? “Music”. What do people not know about you? “That I’m more sensitive than I seem”.

30 ATMOSPHERE OCTOBER 2024