Rudi Weissenstein’s Israel photos at Brown RISD gallery

A photo from the exhibit at Brown RISD gallery. /Brown RISD Hillel

Brown RISD Hillel is exhibiting Rudi Weissenstein’s historic photographs of Israel in the gallery through Feb. 15.

Weissenstein’s work comes from The PhotoHouse, the oldest photography shop in Israel. The shop was established in 1936 in the heart of Tel Aviv by the photographer Rudi Weissenstein and his wife Miriam, and has become one of Israel’s largest and most valuable private archives of historical photographs.

In 1936, Shimon Rudolph (“Rudi”) Weissenstein immigrated to Palestine from Czechoslovakia. A photojournalist by training, Weissenstein was a quintessential press photographer, a field in which he had gained experience during this early years while working in Prague. He was an independent photographer and wanted to set up an archive. The circumstances of the time and place furnished him with fascinating photographic materials.

Weissenstein’s archive at The PhotoHouse consists of more than 1 million negatives of photos that document Israel’s history, highlighting the spirit, atmosphere, people and pivotal historical events from the 1930s-1970s. Weissenstein’s camera was a silent witness to the development of Israel and particularly Tel Aviv, capturing both day-to-day and historic moments, such as the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948.

The show is a small portion of the archive. It is on display in the gallery at Brown RISD Hillel, 80 Brown St., Providence. Building hours: (before Jan. 27) Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; (after Jan. 27) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. The photos are available for purchase at the end of the exhibit. For more information, call 401-863-2805.