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Tour Station 21: Art in the Knesset
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There is a large number of works of art in the Knesset - some of them built into the building
and constituting an integral part of it, others contributed by their creators and/or owners,
which decorate its rooms and spaces. In addition, from time to time there are special
exhibitions in the Knesset of the works of Israeli and Jewish artists and designers.
Amongst the in-built works of art, the most important are the gates of the Knesset compound
made of iron and steel (the Palombo Gate) and the Eternal Flame, by David Palombo; the
entrance gates to the building by Shraga Weil, made of wood covered by bronze (the Gates of
the Tribes); the mosaics and tapestries by Marc Chagall in the State Hall; the wall at the
front of the plenum, which is built of Galilee stone and the wall at the back of the stage of
the auditorium in the new wing, by Danny Caravan; the wall painting by Moshe Castel, made of
red basalt powder on a wooden base, called "a song of praise for Jerusalem"' which is located
on the outer-wall of the Government room; a work by Buky Schwartz, the figures on the
breastplate of the High Priest, which is made of bronze and is located along the stairway
leading from the third to the second floor; a bronze relief, located over the elevator on the
floor of the State Hall; and the decorative wall, made of ceramic tiles, by Hava Kaufman,
near the General Restaurant.

"A land of wheat and barley
and vine and fig and pomegranate,
a land of olive, oil and honey", Deuteronomy 8,8
Species by Eliezer Weishoff, The Menorah of the Seven 1999
was presented to the Knesset, the parliament of Israel,
on the fiftieth anniversary of its establishment
by the Jewish National Fund
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The entrance gates to the building by Shraga Weil

The 29th of Novenber by Ya'akov Eisenscher
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Amongst the paintings hanging on the walls of the Knesset the most famous are: "The Last Way
- Babi Yar," an oil painting by Joseph Kuzkovsky, which hangs in the entrance hall of the
government floor; A portrait in oil by the Jewish Dutch painter Joseph Israels, which hangs
in the Prime Minister's room; "Glory to the Galilee", an oil painting by Re'uven Rubin, which
hangs in the government room, "Concluding Prayer (on the Day of Atonement)," an oil painting
by Marc Hirschberg; "View of Jerusalem", an oil painting by Ahuva Sherman; "Joseph Sprintzak",
an oil painting by Pinhas Litvinovsky; and "The 29th of November," an oil painting by Yaacov
Eisenscher, all of which hang in the Speaker's Bureau.
Amongst the noteworthy objects of art to be found in the Knesset building are the 17th
century Holy Ark, which used to belong to the Jewish Community of Saragna in Italy, and was
donated to the Knesset synagogue.
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We welcome your Suggestions and Comments.
Email: feedback@knesset.gov.il
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