Yom Kippur War Photo Mystery: Brothers Recall Sinai and Sinai Desert Expeditions
A black and white photograph taken nearly 53 years ago during the Yom Kippur War has sparked a debate over its photographer. The image depicts Major Ezra Orni, then a signal officer for the 247th Paratrooper Brigade, sitting in a forward command tent near the Mitla Pass in the Sinai Peninsula, preparing for the Suez Canal crossing. Seated opposite him are his brigade commander, Colonel Dani Mat, and the brigade's operations officer, Major Avraham Tzur. For decades, Orni believed the renowned Israeli photographer Micha Bar-Am, a recipient of the Israel Prize for Photography, took the picture. However, a recent meeting between the now 85-year-old Orni and the 95-year-old Bar-Am revealed conflicting memories.
Bar-Am, while expressing pride in the photograph's composition, particularly its lighting, stated he does not recall being at the location or taking the specific photo. He suggests his memory of events from that period is not entirely clear and that Orni is welcome to his own recollections. Orna Bar-Am, Micha's wife and manager of his photo archive, noted that the photograph is absent from Micha's extensive archives, further casting doubt on his authorship. She also raised the possibility that the photo was taken a year before the war, a claim Orni disputes, suggesting it might have been taken only a week before the crossing.
The discussion also delved into another photograph taken around 1955, where Micha Bar-Am definitively photographed Yoav Orni, Ezra's older brother, during an archaeological expedition in the Judean Desert. This expedition to the 'Cave of Horror' was challenging, with Yoav and Bar-Am initially attempting a dangerous descent. They were eventually joined by a paratrooper named Menachem, who successfully reached the cave. The expedition yielded a significant find: a pottery shard with three Hebrew letters, which Yoav Orni secured. This event marked a pivotal moment for Bar-Am, as a photograph he took of Yoav during the expedition was published on the cover of 'Davar HaShavua' magazine, launching his career as a photojournalist.
Both brothers have distinct memories of their wartime experiences. Ezra Orni recalled the intense planning session the night before the canal crossing, illuminated by a vehicle's headlight, and the brigade's preparedness for the mission. Micha Bar-Am also shared his experiences during the Six-Day War, describing how he independently navigated to the Western Wall area in Jerusalem, arriving shortly after its capture by paratroopers, driven by an instinct to be where historical events were unfolding.
Despite the differing accounts regarding the Yom Kippur War photograph, the conversation highlighted the subjective nature of memory and the challenges of definitively establishing facts from decades past, even with photographic evidence. The mystery of who photographed Ezra Orni in Sinai remains unresolved, with Orni humorously stating that until someone proves otherwise, he will attribute the photo to Micha Bar-Am.
