Itzhak Mor

Itzhak Mor was born in 1917 in Czechoslovakia

Mor was born in Czechoslovakia in 1917, and both his parents died when he was young. He finished high school and excelled in drawing and art. He began studying architecture at the technical university in Berlin but had to leave in his third year after the Nazis came to power.

In March 1939 he arrived in the Land of Israel on an immigrant ship and worked in a metal shop. He then joined the British Army, building fortifications in Jenin, Syria and Lebanon, and later in Italy after finishing an officers course in 1942. He helped smuggle Jews dressed as soldiers to the Land of Israel.

After his discharge he completed his architecture studies with honors at the Technion in Haifa. In the War of Independence he served as an engineering officer in the 7th Brigade.

In 1950 he founded the firm Mor Architects. From 1962 he designed the Hatzerim air base for Air Force commander Ezer Weizman, the first base built from scratch for the Israeli Air Force. After the Six-Day War he designed the Etzion and Eitam bases, and later the Kirya towers that house the Air Force headquarters.

In 2006 his firm merged with Yaski Architects to form Yaski Mor Sivan Architects. He died in 2007, and his son continues his role in the firm.