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A large black-and-white photograph of Israeli soldiers, taken from a low angle as they carry a stretcher, hangs behind Giora Yaron – one of the founding fathers of Israeli high-tech – in his Tel Aviv apartment during our Zoom interview.
The photo is striking. Taken during the 1973 Yom Kippur War by then-military photographer Itamar Zuckerman, it holds deep personal significance: It was captured on the day Yaron's brother, also named Itamar, was killed while fighting on Mount Hermon. Just hours earlier, the photographer had spoken with him.
Yaron, 76, has led, founded and sold Israeli tech companies for billions. He chaired the board of Tel Aviv University, and founded Siraj, a nonprofit that helps integrate Bedouins into the tech sector.
Now, both his homes – in Tel Aviv and Caesarea – are bare. The artworks that once filled their walls have been removed for a new exhibition at the Ramat Gan Museum of Art titled "In Her Image," which presents the collection Yaron and his late wife Zila built together over decades.
She began collecting art as a young woman, often paying in installments. "From the first day, she loved art," Yaron says. "We were students. She would go to Tel Aviv galleries and ask them to hold pieces until she had enough money. Slowly, the artwork would become hers. "
Zila Yaron passed away in 2024. To honor her memory, Yaron established the Zila Yaron Prize, awarded in partnership with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod. It grants 150,000 shekels annually to a promising Israeli artist living and working in Israel. The first recipient was painter Yehudit Sasportas. Yaron has also created a fund at the Ramat Gan Museum of Israeli Art to support...