ROME – Land and light, Israel through the lens of Karel Cudlin

The Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Negev Desert. The wild beauty of the Golan Heights. Haifa seen from above. These are just a few of the landscapes that Karel Cudlin, one of the most important Czech photographers, captured during his 30-year project to document life in Israel. A selection of these images is on display until 29 June along the gates of the Great Synagogue in Rome. Titled Terra e Luce (Land and Light), the exhibition has been organized by the Jewish Community in collaboration with the Czech and Israeli Embassies. As the opening ceremony highlighted, in the lead-up to Israel Independence Day, the show celebrates both the 77th anniversary of Israel and 35 years since Jerusalem and Prague re-established diplomatic relations.

Czech Ambassador to Italy and former Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kohout explained that it is a special relationship, recalling the visit of Tomáš Masaryk to Mandate Palestine in 1927 and his support for the Zionist project. Masaryk was the first leader to take this step. Twenty years later, his son, Jan Masaryk, supported it at the United Nations. Prague then acknowledged Israeli independence just five days after Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed it amid a war launched by numerous Arab military forces. The relation was later interrupted by the Communist regime, but was restored in 1990 by then-premier Václav Havel, who also made a historic visit to Israel.

As Israeli Ambassador Jonathan Peled highlighted, “The relations between the Czech Republic and our people have ancient roots.” He mentioned famous figures of Czech origin, such as Rabbi Yehuda Loew, also known as the Maharal, and the writer Franz Kafka.