Yom Kippur War Photo Mystery: Brothers Revisit Past with Renowned Photographer

A black and white photograph taken nearly 53 years ago during the Yom Kippur War has sparked a debate over its authorship and the reliability of memory. The image depicts Major Ezra Orni, a signal officer of the 247th Paratrooper Brigade, sitting in a forward command post tent near the Mitla Pass in the Sinai Peninsula, preparing for the Suez Canal crossing. Seated opposite him are his brigade commander, Colonel Danny Mat, and the brigade's operations officer, Major Avraham Tzur. For decades, Ezra Orni, now 85, believed the photo was taken by the acclaimed Israeli photojournalist Micha Bar-Am, a recipient of the Israel Prize for Photography. However, a recent meeting initiated by Orni with the 95-year-old Bar-Am revealed discrepancies in their recollections.

Bar-Am, while acknowledging the photograph's significance and his pride in shooting in challenging conditions, does not definitively recall taking it or being in that specific location. He suggests his memory of the events surrounding the photo is unclear, and Orni's wife, Orna Bar-Am, who manages Micha Bar-Am's extensive archive, confirmed the photo is not listed, adding to the uncertainty. Orni's brother, Yoav Orni, 91, also attended the meeting. The brothers shared memories of their wartime experiences and their upbringing, highlighting Ezra's role in the Six-Day War, where he held the radio during Mota Gur's historic announcement "The Temple Mount is in our hands" and was ordered to raise the Israeli flag on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Micha Bar-Am also recounted his experiences during the Six-Day War, emphasizing his instinct to be present at pivotal historical moments.

The article also delves into a separate, well-documented photograph taken by Bar-Am in 1955, featuring Yoav Orni in the "Cave of Horror" in the Judean Desert. This expedition, part of an archaeological survey, marked a significant early success for Bar-Am, with his photograph of Yoav appearing on the cover of a major publication, launching his career. The brothers recall the challenging descent into the cave, with Yoav noting that he was not credited in initial reports of the expedition, a historical oversight he later sought to correct.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Yom Kippur War photograph, Ezra Orni maintains that until someone definitively claims authorship and provides proof, he will attribute it to Micha Bar-Am, expressing a wish that the truth might still emerge. The article highlights the subjective nature of memory, even when associated with seemingly concrete evidence like photographs, especially when recounting events from decades past.