Ze'ev Raban

Ze'ev Raban was born in 1890 in Łódź

Ze'ev Raban was born Wolf Rawicki in Łódź in 1890. His father, Yehiel Rawicki, was a Haredi rabbi, and Raban studied in a heder as a child. His mother, Reizel Besser, came from a family of merchants, and her father taught him Hebrew.

He began studying art in his home city and then studied sculpture and architectural ornament in Europe. He studied in Munich, then in Paris with Antonin Mercié, and then in Brussels.

Influenced by Boris Schatz, he moved to Palestine in 1912 and joined the Bezalel school in Jerusalem. He taught there until 1929, headed the repoussé department and later served as its temporary director. His students included Reuven Rubin and Nahum Gutman.

His work combined European Art Nouveau with Eastern forms and Biblical themes. He illustrated books such as the Song of Songs and the Passover Haggadah, designed emblems, packaging and posters, and created ceramic tiles for buildings in Tel Aviv. He also designed decorative elements for the King David Hotel and the Jerusalem YMCA.

Raban was a vegetarian and an anthroposophist, and he was among the founders of the Beit HaKerem neighborhood in Jerusalem. He died in Jerusalem in 1970.