EL AL | Atmosphere

Magazine I Culture

82 works of documentary photography and photojournalism are on display at the Local Testimony 2025 exhibition, the annual photojournalism and documentary photography exhibit at the Eretz Israel Museum-MUZA. The works on show masterfully document the complex and hectic nature of the reality of Israeli life / By Adi Shalom Life behind the lens 1

Local Testimony 2025 opens this month, going back on the main events that shook Israeli society over the past year: the return of the hostages, the war between Israel and Iran, the violence in the West Bank, and everyday life alongside the ongoing turmoil. 82 works by 64 photographers and photojournalists are on show, as well as a joint video installation project by Israeli and Gazan photographers, which documents life in Gaza since the start of the war. Local Testimony allows local documentary photography and photojournalism to come to the 22 ATMOSPHERE JANUARY 2026

forefront, emphasizing their cultural and artistic vitality. “Through the camera lens, the collective story of a human mosaic composed of voices, colors, and perspectives can be told, the story of life in a country that changes from moment to moment”, explains Gil Omer, Director General of the Eretz Israel Museum – MUZA. (Founder and executive curator of Local Testimony: Dana Wohlfeiler Lalkin, curator of Local Testimony 2025: Ilia Yefimovich). This year, the exhibition is also showcasing a joint initiative led by Local Testimony and the Ministry of

Education entitled “Young Testimony”, featuring the work of 22 young photographers from across the country, and once again this year, the Union of Journalists in Israel will present the Photo of the Year Award in honor of photographer Roee Idan, the Yedioth Aharonot photographer who was murdered in Kfar Aza on October 7, and the Shomrim Center for Media and Democracy will designate the recipient of its video work award. Until January 31st, Eretz Israel Museum – MUZA, Tel Aviv; edutmekomit.co.il, eretzmuseum.org.il