Laura Ben-David, beloved photographer, writer and Israel advocate, dies at 56

Laura Ben-David, acclaimed photographer, writer, and tireless advocate for Jewish peoplehood and the State of Israel, passed away on Thursday, surrounded by her family. She was 56.

A passionate storyteller with an eye for beauty and a heart open to the world, Ben-David moved to Israel from the United States in 2002 and quickly became a prominent voice within the Anglo-Israeli community. Her photography, essays, and public speaking celebrated the complexity and vitality of Jewish life around the globe.

Laura served as the social media director at Nefesh B’Nefesh, where she helped thousands of immigrants share their stories, and later as director of marketing and new media at Shavei Israel, where she spotlighted Jewish communities across Latin America, India, Africa, and beyond. She was also the author of Moving Up: An Aliyah Journal, a personal and humorous account of her transition from Florida to Israel.

Her award-winning photography was featured in exhibitions, books and journals; and she was the visionary force behind the Jewish Life Photo Bank, an initiative designed to authentically represent the diversity of Jewish identity in modern visual media.

A frequent Times of Israel blogger, Laura’s writing was known for its honesty, warmth, and deep empathy. She captured not only landscapes and faces, but entire emotional worlds through both lens and language.

Laura faced her final illness of ovarian cancer with immense courage and grace, continuing to inspire others even in her most vulnerable moments.

She is survived by her husband, Raphael M. Barishansky, her children Shyra, Lexi, Eitan, Ezra, Kobi and Maya, and grandchildren, along with her mother, sisters, brother, extended family and a global community of friends, readers and admirers who were touched by her light.

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Read Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll’s eulogy from the funeral on Friday, July 18.