How Bezalel Art School’s Rejection Impacted Jews Fleeing Nazis

Archival research has revealed that rejection letters from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem served as a decisive factor in the fate of European Jews attempting to escape Nazi persecution. Files uncovered through a collaboration between the academy, the Jerusalem municipality’s archive, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum contain applications from young Jews who sought admission to the school as a means of securing student visas to flee Europe.

One such case is that of Miriam Ellinger, a 19-year-old Jewish woman from Prague. Ellinger applied to the academy with a specialization in fashion illustration. Her application materials included a transcript, recommendation letters, and drawings of dress designs. On August 7, 1939, several weeks before the start of World War II, Ellinger received a letter from Jerusalem notifying her of her rejection.

The Role of Student Visas in Escape Efforts

During the rise of the Nazi regime, admission to prestigious institutions like the Bezalel school provided a legal mechanism for European Jews to obtain the visas necessary to leave their home countries. For many applicants, the academy was not merely an educational goal but a critical pathway to survival.

Józef Budko, the Polish-born director of the Bezalel school, worked to assist students in escaping the Holocaust. While archival records indicate that dozens of students succeeded in using the school’s admission to escape, other applicants, such as Ellinger, were denied the opportunity and subsequently perished.

Institutional History of the Bezalel Academy

The Bezalel academy was founded in Jerusalem in 1906 by Boris Schatz, who is regarded as the father of Israeli art. Schatz established the institution to combine education and craftsmanship, aiming to create a space that merged Western and Eastern cultures.

The school’s artistic approach was described as a fusion of Art Nouveau and oriental art. Schatz intended for the academy to be a center for the development of a Jewish art movement within the context of the late Ottoman empire and the subsequent British Mandate periods.

The name Bezalel was derived from the bible, referring to the chief artisan of the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary built during the Israelites’ journey through the desert.

Financial Challenges and Evolution

The institution faced significant instability in its early decades. On December 6, 1927, the Bezalel Art School was forced to close due to a lack of funds after the Zionist Executive discontinued its subsidy following a decision by the Fifteenth Zionist Congress to reduce the budget.

At the time of its 1927 closure, the school had an enrollment of 450 students specializing in handicrafts, sculpture, and drawing. The institution also operated the Schatz gallery and a national museum, which had introduced 35 different types of handicrafts into Palestine.

The withdrawal of funding in 1927 had prompted formal protests from various professional and religious organizations, including the Jewish Medical Society, the Jewish Artists Club, the Hebrew Teachers Organization, the Hebrew Writers’ Organization, and the Chief Rabbis.

The recent discovery of the application files highlights the intersection of the academy’s academic admissions process and the urgent geopolitical crisis facing European Jews in the late 1930s.