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In 1903, Prof. Boris Schatz (1866-1932), one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, inspired Dr. Theodor Herz], the visionary leader of the Zionist movement, to establish a school of art and craft in Eretz Israel. The Seventh Zionist Congress, convening in 1905, moved to establish "Bezalel," and in 1906 the institution, located in Jerusalem, was inaugurated by Prof. Schatz. A distinguished artist and sculptor in his own right, Boris Schatz directed Bezalel until 1929.
The institution was named for the biblical Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, builder of the Ark of the Covenant and its vessels, and the first artisan mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 31:1-5, 35:30-33).
One of Bezalel's stated goals at its founding was: "Arriving at a visual representation of the longed-for spiritual and national independence - independence that seeks to create a synthesis between the European artistic tradition and the Jewish tradition of design in the east and in the west, and to blend it with the local culture of the Land of Israel."
The world has experienced vicissitudes in the hundred years that have passed since then, but Prof. Schatz's vision appears to have withstood the test of time. Not only cultural changes, dramatic events, crises and wars, but great technological changes have left their mark on the nature of the world of art and on Bezalel.
Today, Bezalel is an academic institution with a student body of 1,500 pursuing studies in art, design and architecture for bachelor's and master's degrees in nine departments. Bezalel is at the center of the cultural discourse on artistic endeavor in the State of Israel, and plays a decisive role in shaping its cultural identity.
Prof. Arnon Zuckerman
President of the Bezalel Academy
