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| Exhibition of my multimedia project "Breaking anonymity", with "Breaking the Silence" video testimonies exhibition. February 9-25, 2012, Groningen Bibliotheek , Groningen Holland. |
BREAKING ANONYMITY by QUIQUE KIERSZENBAUM
Twenty-seven former Israeli soldiers who have given disturbing accounts of what they saw and did during their compulsory military service in the West Bank and Gaza have broken cover and agreed to be named and photographed for the first time. Sixteen of them are in this exhibition.
The ex-soldiers, deeply troubled by their role in the security forces over the decade since the beginning of the second intifada in 2000, have ended the anonymity of their testimony to the Israeli veterans' organization, "Breaking the Silence".
They have allowed me to take their pictures, along with summaries of why and what they testified.
When we listen about abuses committed during wars, we generally do it through the victims, or through investigations of the perpetrators. It takes many years to have a critical mass of testimonies by soldiers. Most of the time that doesn’t happen. Breaking the Silence is a unique organization for that; they have already collected 700 testimonies of ex-soldiers.
The decision of the 27 soldiers to "go public" follows repeated complaints by the Israeli authorities about the anonymity of testimonies previously published by "Breaking the Silence". Witnesses partly preferred not to use their names to avoid alienation or distress in their own communities.
As one of the leaders, who was also photographed, puts it: "it was like coming out of the closet", to themselves to be named and photographed.
The respect in which they are indeed exceptional is their bravery in “coming out” and discussing what happened during their military service; by naming and photographing them, we have not only made it impossible for the military to deny their authenticity, we have also made their message far more effective than the mere compilation of anonymous testimonies can do.
The exposure of the soldiers, their identities and their testimonies will bring a better understanding of the conflict and the role of the IDF and its policies in the Occupied Territories.
(C) Quique Kierszenbaum
Twenty-seven former Israeli soldiers who have given disturbing accounts of what they saw and did during their compulsory military service in the West Bank and Gaza have broken cover and agreed to be named and photographed for the first time. Sixteen of them are in this exhibition.
The ex-soldiers, deeply troubled by their role in the security forces over the decade since the beginning of the second intifada in 2000, have ended the anonymity of their testimony to the Israeli veterans' organization, "Breaking the Silence".
They have allowed me to take their pictures, along with summaries of why and what they testified.
When we listen about abuses committed during wars, we generally do it through the victims, or through investigations of the perpetrators. It takes many years to have a critical mass of testimonies by soldiers. Most of the time that doesn’t happen. Breaking the Silence is a unique organization for that; they have already collected 700 testimonies of ex-soldiers.
The decision of the 27 soldiers to "go public" follows repeated complaints by the Israeli authorities about the anonymity of testimonies previously published by "Breaking the Silence". Witnesses partly preferred not to use their names to avoid alienation or distress in their own communities.
As one of the leaders, who was also photographed, puts it: "it was like coming out of the closet", to themselves to be named and photographed.
The respect in which they are indeed exceptional is their bravery in “coming out” and discussing what happened during their military service; by naming and photographing them, we have not only made it impossible for the military to deny their authenticity, we have also made their message far more effective than the mere compilation of anonymous testimonies can do.
The exposure of the soldiers, their identities and their testimonies will bring a better understanding of the conflict and the role of the IDF and its policies in the Occupied Territories.
(C) Quique Kierszenbaum
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