Naomi Henrik ( he, נעמי הנריק, sometimes Noemi Hanreck) (June 11, 1920-March 23, 2018) was an Israeli sculptor. She is best known for the ("Monument for the Pathbreakers to Jerusalem") on a hill overseeing

Sha'ar HaGai Sha'ar HaGai ( he, שער הגיא) in Hebrew, and Bab al-Wad or Bab al-Wadi in Arabic ( he, באב אל-ואד, ar, باب الواد or ), lit. ''Gate of the Valley'' in both languages, is a point on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, 23 km ...

."Noemi Hanreck"
Information Center for Israeli Art

Biography

Naomi Henrik was born in the city of

Akkerman Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi ( uk, Бі́лгород-Дністро́вський, Bílhorod-Dnistróvskyy, ; ro, Cetatea Albă), historically known as Akkerman ( tr, Akkerman) or under different names, is a city, municipality and port situated on ...

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

to the family of gynecologist dr. Shaul Zellering (Russian: Цалеринг, Tzalering). In 1930 she and her family immigrated to the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

. She studied at the

Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium ( he, הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, ''HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya'', Also known as ''Gymnasia Herzliya''), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High Scho ...

and the ,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

. She studied sculpture with

Zeev Ben-Zvi Zeev Ben-Zvi ( he, זאב בן-צבי) (1904–1952) was an Israeli sculptor born in Ryki, Poland, whose work influenced a generation of sculptors. Biography Zeev Ben-Zvi studied at Academy of Fine Art in Warsaw. In 1923, he immigrated to Mandat ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and in 1945 she moved to London to continue her studies in sculpture at the

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

. During World War II she met her future husband Ron, and they were married in 1945. They had daughter, Ruthie Henrik-Steinitz. During 1971-1972 she headed the Artists' House in Jerusalem. Naomi Henrik died at her home in

Ein Kerem ar, عين كارم , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = Ein Karem IMG 0624.JPG , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = View of Ein Karem , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_ ...

.
מתה נעמי הנריק, מעצבת אנדרטת פורצי הדרך בעלייה לירושלים
''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'', March 25, 2018

Work

PikiWiki Israel 10760 independencewar memorial near jerusalem

1974: 1967: ("Monument for the Pathbreakers to Jerusalem") In 1962 she won the competition for the monument at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

"to symbolize the heroism of the Jews during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

" (The runner-up was

Nathan Rapoport Nathan Rapoport (1911–1987) was a Warsaw-born Jewish sculptor and painter, later a resident of Israel and then the United States. Biography Natan Yaakov Rapoport was born in Warsaw, Poland. In 1936, he won a scholarship to study in France and ...

), but unfortunately her project was never realized and eventually in 1970 the Pillar of Heroism by

Buky Schwartz Buky Schwartz (pronounced BOO-kie) ( he, בוקי שוורץ; June 16, 1932 – September 1, 2009, Tel Aviv) was an Israeli sculptor and video artist. Biography Moshe (Buky) Schwartz was born in Jerusalem. From 1956 to 1958, he studied sculpture ...

was erected instead. , ''Yad Vashem: The Challenge of Shaping a Holocaust Remembrance Site, 1942–1976'', 2021,
p. 170
/ref> She also devoted herself to works in

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

Awards

*1964: Defense Ministry Prize for War of Independence Monument *1965: Monument Design Prize,

, Jerusalem

Biography

Work

Awards

References

Further reading