Gallery

Myanmar 1982

Sitting in a taxi as we made our way through the streets of Yangon, the largest city and former capital, I saw this funeral procession. "Stop!" I told the driver and out the door I went. As Theravada Buddhists, practiced by about 80 percent of the population, the belief in reincarnation begins the moment of death. This explains the jovial mood of the group.

Israel 1979

Palestinian women in Israel protest against American-Israeli rabbi Meir David Kahane, who had demanded the previous day that all Palestinians living there abandon their homes and leave the country. Kahane, a militant nationalist whose extreme views attracted a small but fiercely loyal following, was arrested dozens of times after immigrating from New York to Israel in 1971. In 1984, he was elected to the Knesset, which boycotted his arrival. He served one term. Part of his platform was expelling all Arabs out of Israel. He feared that eventually the country’s Arab population would surpass that of Israeli Jews. Kahane, who was assassinated by an Egyptian Arab in New York in 1990, might end up being right. In 1979, when this photo was taken, Palestinian-Israelis made up 16 percent of Israel’s population. Today, 42 years later, the figure is at 26 percent.

Washington 1981

On Jan. 27, 1981, 52 Americans and their families arrive at the White House for a ceremony hosted by President Ronald Reagan. The Americans were released January 20 after being held hostage 444 days at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Their release came during President Reagan’s inauguration ceremony – former President Jimmy Carter had hoped it would happen while he was still in office – explaining the still- standing grandstand and media center. More than 200,000 people lined the procession route that day. I took the photo from the rooftop at 1730 Pennsylvania Ave., three buildings from the White House. Such a photo opportunity would be impossible today, as would the gathering of a crowd this size so close to the White House.