Boris Carmi (1914 – 2002) – Landmarks

Boris Winograd, later Carmi, was born in Russia in 1914. His mother died during his childhood and he was orphaned from his father at the age of 16. The young Boris then left his birthplace and went to live with relatives in Warsaw, Poland. This marked the beginning of a wandering journey from country to country. Shortly thereafter he moved to Germany where he studied at a boarding school. In 1933, he traveled to Italy, staying for several months and then moving on to France. He began studying Ethnography at the Sorbonne in Paris and his life as a photographer began as well. ("I always loved photography, but until I got to Paris I did not have a camera. Because of fieldwork in ethnography, I bought my first camera – a Leica").

 In 1936 Carmi arrived in Danzig - a Free Zone at the time, aware that he had to hurry to escape from Europe. His sister, who had immigrated to Palestine a year earlier, arranged a certificate for him (immigration permit from the British Mandatory Government). With his arrival to Palestine in 1939, he began working for a living as a farmer but very quickly took up photography.  

During World War II, Carmi enlisted the British Army, where he took photographs of maps in Egypt and in Italy. During his service he met the Berlin photographer, Hans Chaim Pinn, who helped him to improve his skills in photojournalism. Upon his discharge from the British Army, he enlisted the "Haganah" and took photographs of maps, as well as being appointed photographer for the army journal "Bamahane". At the same time Carmi worked as a professional photographer and joined the group of photographers known in Tel Aviv as the "Yekim", together with Benno Rothenberg, Hans Chaim Pinn, Fritz Cohen, Heinz Kaufmann and Paul Goldman. From 1952 to 1976 Boris Carmi worked as a photographer with the daily newspaper  Davar" and its weekly supplement "Devar Hashavua". He continued photographing until his death in 2002.