1988. That year Israel was 40 and we turned 8. In our little school play we celebrated a birthday of a country that was as young and hopeful as we were. Now that we are 40 ourselves, I return to that group of children who started school with me, to try to tell our collective history. A group portrait of a generation: middle of Israel middle of life.

We, who came of age in the 90's - a decade that started with optimistic peace talks and ended with the big break of the second intifada. The first generation to know hope, and perhaps the first to lose it.