The First Zionist Art School: Bezalel

The Hatikvah Sticker Collective draws inspiration from the rich tradition of Jewish and Israeli arts and crafts across the ages. As part of this journey, we're sharing resources and profiles of Jewish artists, beginning with a spotlight on the historic Bezalel School in Jersualem—the first Zionist institution in Israel.

Pictured: A Bezalel postcard featuring the Bezalel building crowned with a seven-branched menorah. In the foreground, Bezalel Ben-Uri, the biblical artisan and architect of the Tabernacle, carefully completes the menorah. In the upper left-hand corner, Jerusalem's Old City is depicted, with the Tower of David standing prominently. Courtesy of the Central Zionist Archives.

Pictured: A catalogue accompanying the Bezalel Exhibition, which toured the United States under the leadership of founding director Prof. Boris Schatz. The catalogue features tributes from Prof. Joseph Klausner, Saul Raskin, and others.

Between 1906 and 1929, a time when Jewish life teetered between the devastation of pogroms and the promise of a cultural renaissance, Boris Schatz established and grew The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Ancient craft traditions of Jewish artisanship and biblical motifs were revitalized as the Art Nouveau of the day. Schatz gathered artists and craftsmen from across the Jewish world—from Eastern Europe to the Middle East—to create beauty and contribute to the vision of an empowered Jewish civilization in the Holy Land. 

The school was named after Bezalel Ben-Uri, the archetypical Jewish artisan and architect of the Tabernacle. The artists of the Bezalel School brought this vision of Jewish renaissance beyond Jerusalem to the Diaspora, establishing Bezalel Societies and organizing craft fairs across Europe and The United States to spread a powerful message of revitalized and proud Jewish identity.

This artistic movement emerged during an era marked by widespread antisemetic violence, as well as courageous Jewish resistance against the violence.

New York Times, November 25, 1919, , https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/11/25/968685

New York Times, June 21, 1914. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/06/21/100095567.ht

The vicious Jew-hating rhetoric of the early 20th century—and the violence that followed—is here again. 

E.M Lilien, “Abraham Contemplates the Stars,” Die Bücher Der Bibel. 1923. Berlin-Wien: B. Harz.

That's why the Hatikvah Collective chose a symbol of hope from one of Bezalel's most celebrated artists, Ephraim Moshe Lilien, as our logo.

Known equally for his evocative biblical tableaux and his sensual nudes, Lilien's work served as both cultural resistance and emotional refuge by challenging the

pervasive stereotypes of the era. While the wider world painted Jews as ugly, he and other Bezalel artists portrayed Jews as beautiful, with strength and dignity.

Lilien’s famous print, "Abraham Contemplates the Stars" (1923), shows the patriarch Abraham gazing at the night sky, contemplating the generations of his children yet to come.

Today, the Hatikvah Collective looks to the legacy of the Bezalel School for inspiration. Just like the Bezalel artists, we strive to use art to empower and uplift Jews and our allies during these difficult times.

Am Yisrael Chai.