Carpet Weaving in Israel
The Old Testament makes
frequent mention of weaving and
of
dyes such as Kermes. In historical rugs we see Jewish imagery
and
pieces woven
for synagogues. From Egypt
to the border of China
where we found Jewish communities we frequently find ties and links to
the rug
trade. What most people do not know is that in the twentieth century
pile
carpets were woven in present fay Israel.
In 1903 the Bezalel School of
Arts and Crafts was established in Ottoman Jerusalem
by Professor Boris Schatz with the help of
Theodor
Herzl. Bezalel and Bezalel carpets
were a key part of
preparing the way for what grew into the Nation State of Israel
How Bezalel was seen in 1917
Unique among the
educational institutions in Palestine
is the School
of Arts and Crafts in the
city of Jerusalem. To Bezalel comes the Jewish
art student who seeks a means of expressing his art in Jewish form and
his
Jewishness in art. Instead of trying to find inspiration for his work
in
adopted lands, among foreign peoples whose inner life he cannot
understand, he
comes back to his home-land, to his own people, whose life is the very
soul of
himself.
In the short space of nine
years, Bezalel,
under the direction of Prof. Schatz, has
succeeded in creating the
beginnings of a Jewish art. It is particularly famous for the finely
wrought
silver filigree work which it has produced. Many of these filigree
articles as
well as rugs, fancy woodwork, etc., have been brought here to America
for
display and sale. We have seen that the articles made at Bezalel
are not only distinctively Jewish in character
but genuinely beautiful
and artistic.
Besides being a school of
art, Bezalel has
become a valuable commercial institution of Palestine by
giving employment to hundreds in
its rug-weaving, basket making and filigree work shops.
By
making it possible for the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to gain a livelihood in a
dignified way—through the work
of their own hands— Bezalel is
helping to undermine
the evil influence of the Chalucka. It is developing a new sense of
independence in the old settlement.
From: A Zionist primer: essays
by various writers, Editor Sundel
Doniger
Publisher Young Judea,
1917
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