Housmans warmly welcomes Martin Barzilai, who will be coming from Paris especially for this launch event, to discuss his book of interviews with refuzeniks, conscientious objectors and dissidents, who have refused to join Israel’s conscription army, the Israel Defence Force (IDF).It takes some courage to refuse to serve in an army, when people all around you support it. Yet some Israeli men and women, young and old, make that choice. The young are forced to justify themselves in front of multiple army interrogators without any support. Their elders, some of them ex-officers, tell comrades why they cannot continue to carry out intimidation, destruction, and killing in the West Bank and Gaza.
Persons from under 20, to over 60 tell of their particular experience; each one adds nuance and insight to the dominant culture within Israel. They tell us about their circumstances, the government and army, and their hopes for something different. Their critical perspectives offer a challenge to the views and news that comes to us through the official Israeli media.Martin is a photographer, and there will be a display of his photographs related to the book, exhibited at Housmans from September 5th onwards. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: martin-barzilai.com
Martin Barzilai was born in Montevideo (Uruguay). He has a diploma in photography from Paris’s École nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière. His first interests are in the historical, political and social problems of his continent of origin. He has also completed several photo reportages on themes in Greece, France, Tunisia and in Israel/Palestine (New York Times, Rolling Stone, Le Monde, 6 Mois, CQFD…). Between 2010 and 2015, he worked with the co-operative Sub.coop (Argentina). He worked with them on the Huis clos project (presented at the Getty Center, Los Angeles among other places). In 2017, he published Refuzniks : Dire non à l’armée en Israel, with Libertalia publishers, and next, in 2023, Cimetière fantôme – Thessalonique with the Editions Créaphis publishing house, and with the support of the Fondation pour la mémoire de la Shoah. Having taught photography in Barcelona and Buenos Aires, he now lives in Paris.
Doors open at 6:45, event starts 7:00.
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If you choose ‘book + entry’, your copies of the book will be available to collect on the evening. If you would like to collect it earlier, or arrange for delivery, please contact us (postage is £2.95). Telephone 020 7837 4473 or email shop@housmans.com.