Yosef Shenberger (, also ''Schenberger''; 191213 June 1982) was an Israeli

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He designed many public buildings in the newly independent State of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

including

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

s, synagogues, hospitals and nursing homes, many of them in

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

. Among his more notable projects are Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak and, along with , the new campus of

Shaare Zedek Medical Center The Shaare Zedek Medical Center ( he, מרכז רפואי שערי צדק, ''Merkaz Refu'i Sha'arei Tzedek'') (lit. "Gates of Justice") is a large teaching hospital in Jerusalem established in 1902, It affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusal ...

in Jerusalem. He was involved in the restoration of many ancient ruins and religious sites, including the Kfar Bar'am synagogue,

Western Wall Plaza The Western Wall Plaza is a large public square situated adjacent to the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was formed in 1967 as a result of the razing of the Moroccan Quarter neighborhood at the very end of t ...

and the

Cave of the Patriarchs , alternate_name = Tomb of the Patriarchs, Cave of Machpelah, Sanctuary of Abraham, Ibrahimi Mosque (Mosque of Abraham) , image = Palestine Hebron Cave of the Patriarchs.jpg , alt = , caption = Southern view of the complex, 2009 , map ...

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

Early life

Yosef Shenberger was born in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, Germany to Yehuda, a member of the

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

community founded by

Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the '' Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', hi ...

Career

PikiWiki Israel 29685 Maayanei Hayeshuah medical center in Bnei Brak

As a result of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's rise to power, Shenberger emigrated to

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

in 1935, where he found work as an

at Ma'atz, the Public Works Department of the

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

, which ultimately became the National Roads Company of Israel. In the 1940s, he designed the dormitory of the Mekor Haim yeshiva, and an industrial complex in Tel Arza on behalf of (not to be confused with Poalei Agudat YisraelPAI) a

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

workers' organisation. After the State of

was established in 1948, Shenberger served as deputy director of the Jerusalem Development Department at the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

. After 1950, he started to work as an independent architect in Jerusalem, and became a member of the Planning and Construction Committee of the

Jerusalem Municipality The Jerusalem Municipality ( he, עיריית ירושלים; Iriyat yerushalayim), the seat of the Israeli municipal administration, consists of a number of buildings located on Jaffa Road in the city of Jerusalem. History British Mandate ...

. In 1963, he was a panel member on the committee in charge of the competition to procure a design for the Jerusalem Municipality building. He designed Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak and, along with , the new campus of

in Jerusalem. In 1954, Shenberger was on the panel that was tasked with selecting which exhibits would be shown at an

applied arts The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...

exhibition in Italy. It was the first time that Israel had been invited to participate in such a venue. In 1959, he was involved in a project to establish '' sebils'' (water fountains) for the Arab sector at Abu Ghosh,

Tayibe Tayibe, also spelled Taibeh or Tayiba, ( ar, الطيبة, lit=the kind/benevolent, translit=aṭ-Ṭayyibah, South Levantine pronunciation: ; he, טַיִּבָּה) is an Arab city in central Israel, north east of Kfar Saba.Meron. At a press conference together with

Zev Vilnay Zev Vilnay ( he, זאב וילנאי, 12 June 1900 – 21 January 1988) was an Israeli geographer, author and lecturer. Biography Zev Vilnay was born as Volf Vilensky in Kishinev, Russian Empire (now in Moldova). He immigrated to Palestine with ...

that announced the initiative, Shenberger said that he had previously renovated a dilapidated ''sebil'' that had been established by

Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...

on Mount Zion. In 1970, Shenberger took on his friend as a colleague and business partner.

Synagogues and yeshivas

Shenberger was well-versed in the principles of synagogue building, and designed many of them, including those of Lavi and

Shluhot Shluhot ( he, שִׁלוּחוֹת, ''lit.'' Branches) is an Orthodox kibbutz in the Beit She'an Valley in northern Israel. Located about three kilometres south of the city of Beit She'an, it falls under the jurisdiction of Valley of Springs Reg ...

—two religious kibbutzim. The latter was built to the width instead of to the depth, as is more typical, in order to allow the '' hazzan's'' voice to reach every congregant. At a symposium held in December 1966 at the Jerusalem branch of the Association of Engineers in Israel, Shenberger advocated for an institute dedicated to the study of synagogues. Deriving inspiration from ancient ruins in

Dura-Europos Dura-Europos, ; la, Dūra Eurōpus, ( el, Δούρα Ευρωπός, Doúra Evropós, ) was a Hellenistic, Parthian, and Roman border city built on an escarpment above the southwestern bank of the Euphrates river. It is located near the vil ...

and

Kfar Bar'am Kafr Bir'im, also Kefr Berem ( ar, كفر برعم, he, כְּפַר בִּרְעָם), was a former village in Mandatory Palestine, located in modern-day northern Israel, south of the Lebanese border and northwest of Safed. The village was s ...

, he articulated his preference for adding stained glass and other decorative elements to synagogues, in contrast to others who saw these things as distractions for worshipers. He believed that a minimum of 300 square metres was a requirement for the main hall in order to accommodate a congregation comfortably. Shenberger designed many Israeli

s during the 1960s, including the Tchebin yeshiva (Kokhav MiYaakov) in Tel Arza,

Kol Torah Kol Torah is a yeshiva in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem. History Yeshivas Kol Torah was founded in 1939 by Yechiel Michel Schlesinger (1898–1948), born in Hamburg, Germany and Boruch Kunstadt, a dayan from Fulda, Germany. It w ...

Bayit VeGan Bayit VeGan ( he, בית וגן, lit. ''House and Garden'') is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem. Bayit VeGan is located to the east of Mount Herzl and borders the neighborhoods of Kiryat HaYovel and Givat Mordechai. History Bronze Age A 4 ...

, Grodno yeshiva in Ashdod,

Ofakim Ofakim ( he, אֳפָקִים ''ʾŎfāqīm'', or אוֹפָקִים ''ʾŌfāqīm'', ''lit.'' "horizons") is a city in the Southern District of Israel, 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) west of Beersheba. It achieved municipal status in 1955. I ...

yeshiva and Midreshet Noam seminary in

Pardes Hanna Pardes Hanna-Karkur ( he, פַּרְדֵּס חַנָּה-כַּרְכּוּר) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of . History An Arab village named Karkur had stood at this location by the time the Palestine E ...

. He carried out all of his plans according to the instructions of senior

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s. Among them were his mentor Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,

Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik Yitzchok Zev Halevi Soloveitchik (Hebrew: יצחק זאב הלוי סולובייצ'יק), also known as Velvel Soloveitchik ("Zev" means "wolf" in Hebrew, and "Velvel" is the diminutive of "wolf" in Yiddish) or the Brisker Rov ("rabbi of/from ...

Dov Berish Weidenfeld Rabbi Dov Berish Weidenfeld (1881–1965) was the Chief Rabbi of Tshebin (Trzebinia), Poland, and after World War II spent his final years in Jerusalem. His principal work of Jewish law is titled "''Dovev Meisharim''". Biography Dov Berish was ...

, and Sholom Noach Berezovsky. As an example of this fealty, when Shenberger wanted to design the Grodno yeshiva as an octagon because the building was situated on a street not in alignment with the

direction of prayer Prayer in a certain direction is characteristic of many world religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baháʼí Faith. Judaism Jews traditionally pray in the direction of Jerusalem, where the "presence of the transcendent God ( ...

to Jerusalem, he first asked

Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886–1969), he, יוסף שלמה כהנמן, yi, יוסף שלמה כהנעמאן, known also as Ponevezher Rav, was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva. He was a renowned Torah and Talmudic s ...

whether this was allowed. Later, Kahaneman had a dream wherein he was told to look up the Noda BiYehuda. Upon waking up, he found that this exact scenario was discussed in the book; and while it was technically permitted, it was not advisable, so the progressive idea was scuttled. According to '' HaTzofe'', Shenberger had connections with

Neturei Karta Neturei Karta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: , , ) is a religious group of Haredi Jews, formally created in Jerusalem, then in Mandatory Palestine, in 1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisrael. Neturei Karta opposes Zionism and calls for a "pea ...

, a Haredi anti-Zionist group.

Antiquities

Shenberger was deeply interested in the design and artistry of ancient ruins. He was impressed with the frescos and carvings unearthed at the Dura-Europos synagogue. From his restorative work carried out at heritage sites all over Israel, including the Kfar Bar'am synagogue, he noted the ancient builders' usage of decorative elements and local materials, such as

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 ...

s, and integrated some of these ideas into his own plans. In 1956, he won a competition to renovate the

tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai The tomb of Shimon bar Yochai (), or Kever Rashbi (), on Mount Meron is the traditional burial place of the 2nd century Mishnaic rabbi. A place of pilgrimage since the late 15th century, it is today the second most visited Jewish site in the wor ...

in Meron. In 1964, Shenberger's expertise was sought at the Safed cemetery, where the ''

chevra kadisha The term ''Chevra kadisha'' (Modern Hebrew: חֶבְרָה קַדִּישָׁא) gained its modern sense of "burial society" in the nineteenth century. It is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of deceased Je ...

'' (burial society) members were having a difficult time reaching the new section due to the sloping terrain. He drafted a plan for an earthen ramp that would straddle the mountain, in this way granting easier access. However, a clerk in the technical department of the mayor's office scuttled the plan in favor of a bridge, under the rationalisation that the ramp would be washed away in the first rain. After work got underway, and after an investment of IL50,000, it was determined that the bridge could not be made wide enough for a pickup truck (12 metres) while still remaining stable. When Shenberger was called back, he declared that the bridge was useless and should be dismantled. Subsequently, he tried to use what he could of the half-completed bridge, with a suggestion that stone arches be looked into as a way to mask the ugly cement pillars used. When the city went ahead and started building the first arch, a very annoyed Shenberger said, "I only made a suggestion that requires intense scrutiny and you already come and build again on your own?" After the Six Day War, Shenberger was tasked with planning the grounds of both the

and Rachel's Tomb. In his capacity as advisor to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, he was the architect in charge of directing the initial planning work on the

, supervising the work of Shlomo Aronson and Arthur Kutcher. In February 1970, he gave a guided tour of the

Western Wall Tunnel The Western Wall Tunnel ( he, מנהרת הכותל, translit.: ''Minharat Hakotel'') is a tunnel exposing the Western Wall from where the traditional, open-air prayer site ends and up to the Wall's northern end. Most of the tunnel is in continua ...

to the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

's legislative committee. One of the Knesset members was so impressed with Shenberger's knowledge, that he joked that if ever the architect needed a new job, he would be well-suited to be a tour guide.

Personal life and legacy

Shenberger was an Orthodox Jew. During his later years, he lived in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem until his death in 1982. He was buried in the

Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives is the oldest and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. It is approximately five centuries old, having been first leased from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf in the sixteenth century. ...

. His daughter Rachel (19422019) was married to , a rosh yeshiva (dean) of Kol Torah, one of the yeshivas that Shenberger designed. The Jerusalem Municipality named a street after Shenberger in the

Ramot Ramot ( he, רָמוֹת, ''lit.'' Heights), also known as Ramot Alon ( he, רמות אלון), is an Israeli settlement and a Jewish neighborhood in the northern part of East Jerusalem. Ramot is one of Jerusalem's so-called " Ring neighborhood ...

neighborhood.

Published works

* ''Mikvaot'', combines historical, '' halakhic'' and technical knowledge of '' mikvaot'' (ritual baths) suitable for both architects and

poskim In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...

. (1974)

References

External links

Mikvaot
digital version on Daat website (1974)
Blog roll featuring various projects of Yosef Shenberger
Back Window. Michael Jacobson blog (in Hebrew) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shenberger, Yosef 1912 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Israeli architects Architects from Frankfurt Architecture writers Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine German Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Ashkenazi Jews Israeli Orthodox Jews Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Preservationist architects