Yechiam Gal

Yechiam Gal, 75, residing in Hilliard, OH, passed away on 27 November 2024, of complications from prostate cancer.
Yechiam was born on 20 October 1949 to Pinchas Goldberger and Rachel Goldberger (née Orenstein) in Jerusalem, Israel. After being expelled from grade school for chronically hellion behavior, his parents, in desperation, sent Yechiam to live on an agricultural kibbutz. There, he determinedly refused to attend school, preferring rather to drive a tractor and work in the orchards picking fruit in the dawn hours.
Eventually obtaining his GED equivalent, Yechiam volunteered to work for an agricultural research program in southern Israel, prior to fulfilling his military service. While in the military, he served variously as a paratrooper and a medic, ultimately graduating from officer academy. Yechiam went on to begin training as a surgeon, but promptly understood he had a different calling, turning instead to studies in philosophy and mysticism, poetry, and photography, in keeping with his nature to voraciously devour experiences and information.
Following his military service, Yechiam became one of the founding members of the Peace Now Movement in Israel.
In 1978, after completion of a two year program in photography, Yechiam headed to New York City, attending the School of Visual Arts to complete his BFA in Photography. It was there he met his future wife Susan (née Iantorno).
Yechiam and Susan were married in 1981. Following the birth of their first child, son Itamar, the family relocated to Jerusalem, Israel, in 1982, where their second child, daughter Adalei, was born in 1985.
While living in Israel, Yechiam became a highly respected photojournalist and greatly admired teacher of photography.
In 1988, the family returned to New York, where Yechiam continued to work as a photojournalist, and to teach photography and the digital arts. During this time, Yechiam also opened Eugene Studio, specializing in commercial photography. His feverish intellectual energy led to the production of an extensive and wide-ranging portfolio. Self-taught in the digital arts, his later years were occupied by the creation of countless images and books, including original writings.
His teaching credentials include positions at Nyack Community College, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and, for 25 years, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
Yechiam was the recipient of numerous awards, having shown his work in multiple venues, from the Israel Museum to various galleries, and online magazines and museums. Additionally, while living in the Village of Catskill, in Greene County, NY, he owned and managed Atelier Progressif Creative Art Gallery for 6 years.
His long list of awards and publications, to name a few, include recognition in LandEscape Art Review (2015); Prix de La Photographie Paris (PX3) 2019 Competition, Honorable Mention; PX3 2020 Competition, Silver, in the Book/Monograph Professional category for his book Eugene Studio New York City; Dek Unu Arts 2023 publication of his book The Legend of the Goldbergers; Dek Unu Arts Tusis IV, August 2024 edition, in recognition of his extraordinary portfolio from his book Ludwig Von Siebenburgen Memories.
Yechiam's larger than life presence had a profound influence on countless individuals, from soldiers with whom he served and commanded, to students, and former classmates, many of whom searched for years to find and reconnect with him. His loss has left a vacancy that can never be filled.
Yechiam is survived by his wife Susan, children Itamar Goldberger Gal and Adalei Broers, four grandchildren, and brother Oded Goldberger. He was predeceased by his sister Sarah Norman.
The Gal family received family and friends at his home in Hilliard, OH.