Revealed: Who Was “The State of Israel’s First Baby”?

Among the National Library’s photography collections, one particularly adorable discovery caught our eye: a series of images titled “The State of Israel’s First Baby.” There were no other identifying details. Solving the mystery took a bit of detective work, some help from kind strangers, and a stroke of luck. But eventually, we found the birthday girl—and she even gave us a special interview.

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Dan Hadani, a 100-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor, Still Remembers

Dunek Zloczewski lost everything he had in the Holocaust: his daily routine, his entire family, and his faith in humanity. Along the way, he survived Auschwitz, Mengele’s selections, harsh labor, and a death march. He built a new life for himself in Israel as Dan Hadani – a photographer and journalist with an important role in documenting the country’s history. For decades, he repressed his memories of the Holocaust and only began telling the story of that part of his life at the age of 92.

Dan Hadani: A Life Documenting Israel

The story of how one man’s successful photography company was able to document life in Israel across several decades. Why did he later decide to destroy his life’s work? Dan Hadani is celebrating his 100th birthday, and to mark it he told us of his personal journey which led him to granting all of us an invaluable gift of photographic documentation. This was his creation – now it’s our story.