Myriam Tangi, French painter, photographer and poet, was in Israel when Hamas launched its bloody attack on October 7. In a long testimony, she delivers with emotion the first moments of the war, while the residents of kibbutz Shluhot (north) were celebrated Simcha Torah. But very quickly, they became aware of that Israel had had entered the war in just a few hours. One of the worst pogroms since 1948 has just taken place in the south of the country, leaving 1,200 dead and thousands injured. Myriam Tangi is also interested in the fate of children, who were not spared by the massacres and many of whom remain orphans today.
“I arrived at the kibbutz a few days before Simha Torah. My daughter Elior has lived there since the second Covid lockdown, with her husband Eran and their children. On the morning of October 7, I went to the huge synagogue when someone from the kibbutz declares: 'Yech milkhama ba darom' (there is war in the south). I am captivated by this incomprehensible announcement and what it actually means..." says Myriam.
"It is early, around 9:30 a.m. We begin the hakafot, the seven dances and songs required around the bima, with all the sefarim; the holy scrolls are out for this grandiose day, culminating in several weeks of contrition and rejoicing alternating, great and small are carried away in the spiritual round with this deep joy, steeped in fear and hope, love and aspiration, elevation towards the Creator of the universe. I turn to Elior, she doesn't know what to say, like most here, the phones are off because it's Shabbat," she continues.
At the end of the morning, the inhabitants of the kibbutz gradually understood that the situation was unusual and that the mobilization of soldiers was massive. Myriam then witnessed the departure of her son-in-law Eran, called up as a reservist to defend the country.
“During the lunch organized in the common dining room, while we still do not know the extent of the disaster in the south, a 12-year-old girl speaks and asks us to pray for our soldiers and for the people in the south. Immediately afterwards, we return home and I see Eran putting on his uniform. In his haste, we see that he does not say goodbye, his whole being is already turned towards his mission. Brothers, sons, young soldiers or reservists head towards their respective units leaving women, children and grandparents behind,” recalls Myriam Tangi.
In a long photo story, Myriam Tangi captures the moments of joy, when the children meet their soldier fathers, when they talk with them on the phone or even when they come to pick them up from school or take them to the park, always with their weapons. A striking contrast which shows the daily reality of the children of Israel.
"The massacres of children, babies, until their kidnapping, produced a sort of void, a gap. It took me more than six weeks to use the camera. When I started photographing, naturally two aspects were brought together: the sudden and permanent presence of rifles and pistols which until the day before October 7 was only relative, combined with that of the children who very early on, due to the absence of their father who suddenly left for the front, realized that something has changed, as their kindergarten teachers confirm to me, who are not surprised to hear children talk about the war,” explains Myriam Tangi.
A beginning of resilience thanks to photography
On October 7, Hezbollah attacked the entire northern region of Israel in parallel, launching dozens of rockets.
“The sudden omnipresence of weapons in this kibbutz, geographically far from the main front, underlined what had been lacking in the kibbutim of the south: security and protection. This was my revelation,” underlines Myriam Tangi.
Through her photos, Myriam Tangi reverses the trend: weapons are there to protect children and not kill them. Unlike the horrific images relayed by Hamas proudly displaying their atrocities, Myriam's photos show a reality very different from that of the kibbutzim in the south. “If a child is held in the arms it is to better kiss them and bring them affection, and not to take them away. Children represent fragility towards the adults who are supposed to protect them, who have failed and continue to fail throughout the world. As the NGO World Visions points out, 250 million children live in a country at war,” explains Myriam Tangi.
Kfir and Ariel Bibas (one and a half and 5 years old) are still in the hands of Hamas, they are the only children who are still among the long list of hostages held in Gaza for 9 months.
To consult Myriam Tangi’s website: https://myriamtangi.com/
Caroline Haïat
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