The city was in ruins, permeated by suffering and death, noxious diesel fumes, guns, and desperate people. The Israeli team brought a ray of hope to a place in terrible pain.

The result is a radical triumph of good over evil, a positive return on faith in God, and the hero’s immortalized name.

The secret is to stop thinking we either have to be a superhero or a nobody. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is just be ourselves.

Photographer Adam Cohen’s latest project, a collaboration with writer Craig Friedman, blends imagery and words using Internet technology. Their blog, The New American Census, features photographs that capture elements of American culture.  The blog, subtitled “the first census to sense America,” was launched in December 2009 and Cohen and Friedman say the project aims to show life as it is, taking inspiration from the world. It encourages viewers to actively observe their surroundings and question--and struggle with--the images around them...