Art and designיעקב פינקרפלד

Jacob Pinkerfield

Jacob Pinkerfield was an Israeli architect and archaeologist who studied synagogues and was killed in the 1956 Ramat Rachel shooting attack.

1897 to 1956Research on synagogue architectureDesigning public buildings in kibbutzimRestoring King David's TombThe 1956 Ramat Rachel attack

Born: 3 January 1897, Przemyśl
Died: 23 September 1956, Ramat Rachel
Occupation: architect, anthropologist, archaeologist

Jacob Pinkerfield was born in 1897 in Przemyśl

Pinkerfield was born in 1897 in Przemyśl, in Galicia. His father Yoel also worked in architecture. In his youth he supported Zionism and joined Hashomer Hatzair.

In 1920 he came to the Land of Israel and drained swamps near Zikhron Ya'akov. After falling ill, he returned to Vienna to recover and study architecture. He came back in 1925.

He worked briefly for the British Mandate public works department and became an independent architect in 1930. He designed mainly public buildings, often in kibbutzim. From 1950 until his death he directed the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in Tel Aviv, which grew out of a society he helped found.

From 1930 he took part in excavations at Hamat Gader, Samaria, Beit She'arim and other sites, with a focus on synagogues. In 1948 he restored King David's Tomb on Mount Zion. He wrote books on the synagogues of the Land of Israel, Italy and North Africa.

On 23 September 1956 he was shot by Jordanian Legion soldiers during a tour of the dig near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel and died on the way to the hospital. He was buried at Kibbutz Revadim.