Mendel Geisinsky Shows the Smiling Side of IDF Troops

By Danit Shusterman

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are too often presented in the media completely out of context and portrayed as cold, heartless machines,” says Mendel Geisinsky, originally from Cedarhurst, NY, and currently residing in Israel.

“When I first arrived in Israel, the soldiers I saw in the Shuk were not the soldiers I saw online. These soldiers were smiling. They were happy. I was deeply inspired to show the world the human side of these soldiers and improve the image of the IDF,” he says.

With his Sony a7iii camera, Geisinsky started capturing the smiles of the soldiers in the IDF, creating ‘The Smiling Soldiers Project.’

These soldiers have families, they have homes. They like to have fun, they have challenges. And Geisinsky wanted to capture this. And what better way to connect and capture real humanity than through a smile.

Geisinsky photographs soldiers smiling- at the Shuk, at the train station, at the ceremonies and now has developed relationships with many who are higher up in the IDF. Through these relationships, he is often granted access to many of the bases to photograph the soldiers.

“So many of these soldiers are the nicest people. We talk, we connect. Each one has a story,” Geisinsky says.

“There was a paratrooper wearing a yarmulka with the words Yechi written on it. As I approached him to ask to take his photo, I noticed a small pin on his chest next to all his other official army pins. This pin was a Tzivos Hashem pin. I looked at him and asked ‘Why do you wear this pin?’

“He smiled and answered that this pin is a constant reminder of who he really is. The army is a very dark place. He knows that the Rebbe is always with him and he feels the connection all the time. He continued to tell me how other soldiers see the pin and ask what unit that is, which gives him the opportunity to do Mivtzoim and share this with them.

“When I met him it was just before Pesach. I asked him where he planned to be for Pesach. Turns out, his parents are the Shluchim for the Russian and Ukrainian refugees and he was going to be running the Seder. He actually just shared with me that he got engaged!”

The point of this entire project, says Geisinsky, is that you can’t ignore a smile. We need to acknowledge the humanity in these soldiers and share it with the world.

His talent and message is reaching far and wide across the globe. To view his photographs, visit @officialmgphotos. To contribute to the project, please contact him on Whatsapp at (516) 304-9571. Click here to donate.