Early architecture in the Land of Israel - Important publication by the architect Alexander Levy who perished in ...

Early architecture in the Land of Israel - Important publication by the architect Alexander Levy who perished in Auschwitz. Berlin 1920

'Vom Bauen und Wohnen im neuen Palaestina' - on building and living in the new Palestine - booklet accompanied by 53 diagrams, and photographs on construction in Eretz Israel, by the architect Alexander Levy, Berlin 1920. Introduction by Prof. Otto Warburg (German-Jewish botanist with World name, who was one of the pillars of Zionism in Germany and chairman of the Zionist Organization).

The booklet before us marked the end of the First World War and the beginning of a new era of construction in the Land of Israel. Transforming the Land of Israel from a place of hotels and accommodation to invited guests, into an extensive construction program of permanent structures for immigrants from all countries who will be settling permanently in the Land of Israel. In Prof. Warburg's introduction, he emphasizes the need for new Jewish immigrants to arrive at a 'designed' place, without having to engage in the design and architecture of the country themselves, especially in light of the East and West building styles that characterized Israel in the 1920s.

The booklet includes examples of European buildings that according to Levy could have been suitable for construction in Eretz Israel, and extensive explanations of the types of materials required for their construction, manpower consumed, durability over years, examples of permanent public buildings such as synagogues and public buildings and more.

Alexander Levy [1883, Berlin - 1942, Auschwitz] a German-Jewish architect who worked in Eretz Israel, Germany and France in the first half of the 20th century. Upon graduating from high school in Berlin in 1902, he decided to become an architect, and by 1912, he was already a chief planner in the office where he worked in Berlin. From the beginning of his professional career he contributed his power to the Zionist effort: in 1908 he offered Arthur Ruppin his services, and in 1912 Levy planned four immigrant housing programs in Eretz Israel, proposed proposals for the development of the Jaffa port, prototypes for residences and hotels, and founded the "Eretz Israel Builders Association"  (Palastina-Baugesellschaft), which promoted ideas of Jewish architects in Western Europe for construction in the Land of Israel in anticipation of the wave of immigration that was expected. After long efforts, Levy immigrated to Eretz Israel with his wife in 1920 and established a small planning and construction office. Levy designed, among other, the house of Menachem Ussishkin (Allenby Street, corner of Hayarkon Street) and the Pagoda House. Like other architects of his time, before the breakthrough of the international style, Levy's designs were characterized by an eclectic style, which included, among other things, pointed arches and jagged railings. Levy left Eretz Israel in 1927 and returned to Berlin. Following the rise of Nazism he left Germany in 1932 and settled in Paris. In Paris he continued his work as an architect, assisting the Zionist movement 'from a far away'. After the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, Levy, being a German citizen, moved between several transit camps in France. On August 25, he managed to send a postcard under a pseudonym to his wife, Nadia. On August 28, 1942, he was sent to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where he perished.

56 p. 32 cm. Good condition.