Portraits

Shaylee Atary and her baby Shaya (age 2 months) Atari sit for a portrait in the bedroom of their temporary home. November 2023, Tel Aviv, Israel. As the Seventh of October War broke, numerous parents on both sides of the conflict found themselves grappling with the horrors of war alongside their young children. United by a common struggle, they are burdened by the unforeseen realities of conflict and share a deep concern for their children's future. In the morning of the attack, as explosions started echoing inside their home in Kfar Aza, near Gaza, Shay-Li, her husband Yahav, and their one-month-old baby, Shaya, sought refuge in a bomb shelter. When a Hamas terrorist tried to enter through the window, Yahav pushed the window back, allowing a few seconds for Shay-Li and Shaya to escape. The two were saved. Yahav was brutally murdered in the attack. Now living in a temporary Tel Aviv apartment, Shay-Li and Shaya find solace in constant visits from supportive family and friends, respecting Shay-Li's request not to be alone.

Finalist

Oded Wagenstein
Independent
Israel

Oded Wagenstein (born 1986) uses the photographic medium to explore the relationship between Aging, Exclusion, and Longing. A Sociology, Anthropology and Film and Television graduate from Tel Aviv University. His work has been published, among other platforms, by National Geographic, BBC, The Guardian, VOGUE and has been displayed around the world, including exhibitions presented in the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK), the United Nations (NYC, USA), and the State Historical Museum of Russia in the Red Square (Moscow, Russia). Working with JDC-ESHEL, part of a global NGO advocating for the elderly.

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