Shaar Menashe Mental Health Center for Holocaust survivors in Pardes Hanna, Israel, is a home for about 70 Holocaust survivors. Most of them, who were children during the Holocaust, lost many or all of their family members. Along the years they emigrated to Israel, tried to integrate into the Israeli society and build their new lives but they were driven insane by their childhood experiences, and instead, they ended up in mental institutions. Sixty Five years afer the end of WWII, they are still living the horror.
There are estimated 230,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel today. It is estimated that about 10 percent of them need mental treatment. Most of them don't get it. The story of the Holocaust survivors at Shaar Menashe mental hospital is the story of many other Holocaust survivors. Even those who managed to integrate into society and build new lives carry deep mental scars which can never be healed.
Gili Yaari is an Israel-based photojournalist specializing in documentary and news photography. In his work, Gili focuses on social and humanitarian issues as well as on contemporary Israeli issues.
Gili's works were published in New York Times, Time, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, Corierra Della Serra, The Guardian and Financial Times among other international and Israeli magazines and daily papers.
Since 2007 Yaari is a contributing photographer for the Jerusalem based press photo agency Flash90. Since 2013 he is a contributing photographer to NurPhoto.
Awards 2015 - Selected for the professional shortlist in the Arts & Culture category at the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards.
2017 - Shortlisted photographer of the 2017 Meitar Award for the project 'Stranded in Greece - Greece Refugee Crisis'.
2017 - The Lumiere Photo Awards - Honorable Mention Winner for the series 'Stranded in Greece'.
2016 - Tokyo International Foto Awards (tifa) - SILVER WINNER, Editorial-General News Category for the series 'Stranded in Greece'.
2016 - Selected for Photolucida's CRITICAL MASS 2016 TOP 50 with the project 'Stranded in Greece'.
2016 - Finalist at Siena International Photo Awards for the project 'Stranded in Greece - Greece Refugee Crisis'.
2016 - PX3, Prix De La Photographie Paris - HONORABLE MENTION, Press/Feature Story Category for the project 'Stranded in Greece - Greece Refugee Crisis'.
