David Palombo (1920-1966)

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The Palombo Gate at the entrance to the Knesset Plaza

David Palombo (1920 – 1966)

David Palombo was an Israeli sculptor and painter. He was born in Turkey and immigrated to the Land of Israel with his parents in 1923. In 1940 he began his studies at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and from 1942 as a student of sculptor Ze’ev Ben-Zvi. For a period of time, Palombo was an assistant at Ben-Zvi’s studio and also taught at Bezalel.

Palombo’s known works include the gates to the memorial building at Yad Vashem (1960) and the gates to the Knesset. The latter were created shortly before his death, caused by an accident in which his motorcycle hit a chain used by Haredim to block the entrance to the Yamin Moshe neighborhood on the eve of Shabbat.