Architect Ossip Klarwein fled Nazi persecution to Palestine and went on to shape the architectural identity of the State of Israel. However, his greatest professional triumph would simultaneously become a bitter setback, as his design for Israel's parliament building sparked intense ideological controversy. Now, Klarwein's long-forgotten architectural legacy is being rediscovered through a major exhibition.
When Klarwein designed the parliament building in Jerusalem nearly a decade after Israel's founding, he created a simple rectangular structure surrounded by imposing colonnades. His architectural vision drew inspiration from models of ancient Greece, widely regarded as the cradle of Western democracy. The architect also kept in mind the Jerusalem Temple, which was destroyed first by the Babylonians and later by the Romans, as well as the ancient city walls that once protected the holy city.
Despite winning first prize in an official competition in 1957, Klarwein quickly found himself at the center of ideologically charged protests. Critics from Israel's avant-garde movement vehemently opposed his classical design approach, viewing it as inappropriate for the young nation's modern identity. The controversy surrounding his Knesset design highlighted the deep cultural and aesthetic debates that were shaping Israel's architectural landscape during its formative years.
Klarwein's story reflects the broader experience of Jewish architects and intellectuals who fled Europe during the Nazi era and sought to rebuild their lives and careers in Palestine. These refugees brought with them diverse architectural traditions and philosophies, often leading to conflicts between different visions of what the new state should look like. The heated opposition to Klarwein's parliament design exemplified these tensions between traditional and modernist approaches to architecture in the emerging nation.
