Micha Kirshner

Micha Kirshner was born in 1947 in Milan

Micha Kirshner was born in Milan, Italy, in 1947. His family moved to Israel in 1948, and he grew up in Ramat HaSharon. He served in the IDF in the Shaked reconnaissance unit.

From 1971 to 1975 he studied photography and art in New York. Between 1977 and 1980 he founded and headed the photography track at HaMidrasha School of Art.

In 1979 he joined the monthly Monitin as a photographer and editorial board member. His 1982 portrait of poet Yona Wallach caused a public storm. In 1988 he published a series on the First Intifada, shot in Gaza and the West Bank, which drew sharp debate.

In the 1990s and early 2000s he photographed for Maariv, with regular columns such as "The Israelis." He published the book "The Israelis: Photographs 1979-1997" and helped start the first photography biennale at Ein Harod.

From 1997 to 2012 he headed the photography department at WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education. He curated the "Local Testimony" press photography exhibition at the Eretz Israel Museum. He died on 11 September 2017.