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HINENU: Israel at Ten Million
The Book:
Hinenu: Israel at Ten Million captures the people of Israel at a historic moment: the country’s population reaching 10 million. Within months of this milestone, Israel published its first census in 15 years. Using that data as a guide, American photographer David Shlachter traveled the country to meet, interview, and photograph 100 individuals who proportionally represent the population by age, gender, religion, origin, and region. The result is a striking portrait of the nation through its people.
The stories range from a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor to an 8-day-old baby, including Nova Festival massacre survivors, Arab-Israelis, Druze soldiers, immigrants from across the globe, and ultra-Orthodox Jews who chose new paths in life. All portraits and interviews were recorded during the October 7th War, offering a rare and unfiltered view of life lived under conflict.
Hinenu is not about politics. It is about people: their words, their challenges, and their humanity. The book presents an authentic snapshot of Israel today and invites readers everywhere to see beyond headlines into the lived experiences of those who call Israel home.
What's Inside:
100 portraits and stories, selected to match Israel’s population demographics.
Voices from every age group, from infants to elders.
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and “other” communities represented proportionally.
Immigrants from the former USSR, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.
Personal accounts from October 7th War survivors, frontline soldiers, and displaced families.
Stories of work, faith, identity, and change that reflect the country’s diversity.
The Author:
David “Dave” Shlachter is an American photographer and entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv. A graduate of Harvard University, his career began in international development, including building South Asia’s first mediation center under India’s Supreme Court. He later authored an award-winning thesis on Rwanda’s electrification before turning to portrait photography. In Hinenu, Shlachter combines documentary skill with deep listening, interviewing and photographing 100 Israelis to mirror the nation’s census. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and three children.
Contributors: Inbar Pinchuk (designer), Elad Oran (designer), Melissa Weiss (copy)
Hinenu: Israel at Ten Million captures the people of Israel at a historic moment: the country’s population reaching 10 million. Within months of this milestone, Israel published its first census in 15 years. Using that data as a guide, American photographer David Shlachter traveled the country to meet, interview, and photograph 100 individuals who proportionally represent the population by age, gender, religion, origin, and region. The result is a striking portrait of the nation through its people.
The stories range from a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor to an 8-day-old baby, including Nova Festival massacre survivors, Arab-Israelis, Druze soldiers, immigrants from across the globe, and ultra-Orthodox Jews who chose new paths in life. All portraits and interviews were recorded during the October 7th War, offering a rare and unfiltered view of life lived under conflict.
Hinenu is not about politics. It is about people: their words, their challenges, and their humanity. The book presents an authentic snapshot of Israel today and invites readers everywhere to see beyond headlines into the lived experiences of those who call Israel home.
What's Inside:
100 portraits and stories, selected to match Israel’s population demographics.
Voices from every age group, from infants to elders.
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and “other” communities represented proportionally.
Immigrants from the former USSR, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.
Personal accounts from October 7th War survivors, frontline soldiers, and displaced families.
Stories of work, faith, identity, and change that reflect the country’s diversity.
The Author:
David “Dave” Shlachter is an American photographer and entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv. A graduate of Harvard University, his career began in international development, including building South Asia’s first mediation center under India’s Supreme Court. He later authored an award-winning thesis on Rwanda’s electrification before turning to portrait photography. In Hinenu, Shlachter combines documentary skill with deep listening, interviewing and photographing 100 Israelis to mirror the nation’s census. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and three children.
Contributors: Inbar Pinchuk (designer), Elad Oran (designer), Melissa Weiss (copy)
247 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2025
3 people want to read
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November 2, 2025“Move over, Humans of New York … [I]n contrast to its unaffiliated counterpart from the Big Apple, this one actually represents the beautifully diverse humanity of a population.”
“David celebrates the diversity of the population without pushing a personal narrative, allowing the beauty of the country to speak for itself.”
-Leah Grossman, The Times of Israel
“[T]he author and photographer knew that this was a way he could contribute to the conversation and make a difference – one portrait at a time.”
-Kylie Ora Lobell, Jewish Journal
“David celebrates the diversity of the population without pushing a personal narrative, allowing the beauty of the country to speak for itself.”
-Leah Grossman, The Times of Israel
“[T]he author and photographer knew that this was a way he could contribute to the conversation and make a difference – one portrait at a time.”
-Kylie Ora Lobell, Jewish Journal
November 28, 2025
They promised me a free copy to review, but then sent it to me in a way I didn't know how to use and deleted it before I could figure it out or finish reading it, so they get a one star review. Very poor customer service when I tried to get it fixed, too, and I never did get it sorted.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews