Yaakov Ben Dov
| Yaacov Ben Dov | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1882 Ukraine |
| Died | 1968 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Education | Kiev Art Academy, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design |
| Known for | Photographer, filmmaker |
| Movement | Israeli art,cinematographer |
| Awards | Worthy citizen of Jerusalem award in 1967 |
Yaacov Ben-Dov (21 June 1882– 7 March 1968) was an Israeli photographer and a pioneer of Jewish cinematography in Palestine.
Ya'acov Ben-Dov was born in a shtetl near Kiev in the Ukraine, son of Dov and Raizel Lasutra. He studied religious studies in a heder and secular subjects with private tutors. In his mid teens, he joined a movement devoted to reviving the Hebrew language. He attended the Academy of the Arts in Kiev and became a professional photographer. Menachem Ussishkin is said to have asked Ben Dov "What does Jerusalem need with a photographer" Ben Dov answered "I need Jerusalem more than Jerusalem needs a photographer. Ben Dov arrived in Eretz Yisrael in 1907 as part of the Second Aliyah and attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design where he continued his studies and later taught photography. In 1909, he married Roza Rabinowitz, a pharmacist, who immigrated from Zhytomir, Ukraine. In 1922, he was one of the founders of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Talpiot.
Ben-Dov first encountered film in 1911 when British Zionist Murray Rosenberg filmed his visit and visited Bezalel Academy. He was enchanted but it took him several years to obtain a camera and raw film stock. At the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Ottoman Imperial Army and obtained a commission as a medical photographer in the Austrian army in Jerusalem. In 1917, he finally acquired the equipment he needed probably through his Austrian military connections.
Ben-Dov established the Menorah Film Company and became the sole cameraman filming key historical events. His first film, Judea Liberated documents General Edmund Allenby's historic entry into Jerusalem on 11 December 1917. Just a month earlier, the Balfour Declaration, expressing British support for a Jewish state in Palestine, was issued. And thus, Allenby's entry was enthusiastically received. In addition, Ben-Dov photographed Hanukkah festivities in Jerusalem schools, craftsmen working in workshops, public gatherings, etc. under the title Mirror of the Return to Zion. After the production of this film, he received some financial support from the official Zionist bodies who now recognized the value of his work.
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