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Modern Israel is a fulfillment of the ingathering of the Exiles. So, while Israel is many things to photographer Zion Ozeri, its essence, and the essence of the Jewish people, is truly captured in the diverse backgrounds and histories of the people living there.

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Born in Israel to Immigrants from Yemen and currently living in New York City, Zion Ozeri is one of the world’s leading photographers exploring the Jewish experience. Raised in Israel during a period of mass immigration, he interacted with many diverse cultures. This unique background gives him a cross-culture perspective that suffuses his work. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute, both in New York City. His photographs have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Jerusalem Report, Moment, the Middle East Insight, and many other publications. His work has been exhibited in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, The Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv, The Spertus museum in Chicago, The museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, the Skriball Museum in Los Angeles and many galleries across the United States. Ozeri recently published The Jewish World Family Haggadah (Simon & Schuster, 2005), and a coffee table book, The Jews of Yemen, The Last Generation, (Keter, Jerusalem, 2005). Ozeri won a Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism in 2004. His new curriculum, The Jewish Lens, is currently in schools across the USA and Israel. Visit him at www.ZionOzeri.com

View Part 1 of our Israel @ 60 slideshow series (by Steven Allan)
View Part 2 of our Israel @ 60 slideshow series (by Yehoshua Halevi)
View Part 3 of our Israel @ 60 slideshow series (by Rebecca Kowalsky)
View Part 4 of our Israel @ 60 slideshow series (by Kevin Unger)

To submit a photo of what captures the essence of Israel, or Israelis, for you, please email halberstaml@ou.org with the photo and a brief explanation.