David Polus

David ben Yisrael Moshe Polus (; 1893 – January 5, 1975) was an Israeli sculptor who wandered from town to town in the land of Israel, and resided wherever he sculpted.

Biography

Early life Polus grew up in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. According to Alkhani and Friedlander, in his youth in Warsaw, he was a diligent yeshiva student, deeply engaged in studying Talmudic pages. In the yeshiva, he used to decorate the hall in honor of completing a tractate of the Talmud, and from there, his inclination for sculpture emerged. He immigrated to the Land of Israel during the Fourth Aliya on the ship "Romania" as a pioneer in August 1924. In a poem he wrote in Yiddish in the 1920s, he stated, among other things: "A pioneer arose and ascended... Talent is your property."

In Eretz Israel Polus was a member of the Labor Battalion and the excavation group of Yitzhak Sadeh. His first sculpture in the Land of Israel was unveiled while he was in the Labor Battalion in Migdal Tzedek: a bust of Aharon David Gordon. In February 1932, Paulus sent a proposal, published in the newspaper "Davar," to the management of the "Levant Fair" (Yerid Hamizrach) exhibition. According to the proposal, a sculpture competition would be announced, and the best works would be displayed in the exhibition, providing an incentive for artistic creation. thumb Polus used to wander throughout the country. He lived in various kibbutzim and sculpted in them in exchange for a livelihood only, without additional pay. This was the case in Ramat David, Tel Yosef, Beit Oren, and Ramat Rachel. According to a document in the state archives dated September 22, 1936, Polus, registered as a teacher, resided on Herzl Street in Tel Aviv (then the Mahlul neighborhood), near the Delphinar-Yochananoff Silk Weaving and Dyeing Factory. He had a shack where he used to isolate himself and plan new works. Later on, he moved to Jerusalem and lived in the last twenty years of his life in another shack, in the heart of the Jerusalem Forest near the Ein Kerem neighborhood.

Polus died, unmarried and childless in Jerusalem in 1975. The unveiling ceremony took place in the presence of many youth and students from the Beit Hesder School, guided by their teachers. Speeches were delivered by Shlomo Kaplansky, Zalman Shazar, and others. At the end of the event, participants visited Zaid's room and saw another sculpture made by Batya Lishansky. The memorial, located in the national park of Beit She'arim, serves as a site for visitors to this day. In the early 1960s, the involvement of Zipporah Zaid, Alexander's wife, saved the sculpture from deterioration. Her efforts, along with the support of the family and especially the assistance of her niece, ultimately led to its restoration. In the 1970s, it was refurbished and recast in bronze after prolonged weathering. "Nahum Sirkis" (1944) - A sculpture of Nahum Sirkis in the Workers' Museum. "Generations Integration" or "Israel Saba" (1945) - A sculpture in Beit Oren, depicting the old generation represented by an elderly man wearing a prayer shawl, embracing the young generation represented by a Hebrew worker-fighter holding a rifle and a tool. The sculpture appeared on the front page of "Davar Hashavua" on June 28, 1946. It was later severely damaged by adverse weather conditions. Some claim that Yiftah Zaid, the son of Alexander Zaid, was the model for this sculpture." Monument in Memory of the Fallen Soldiers of Kiryat Tivon in the War of Independence (1952) - A monument with two concrete plaques crafted by the hand of Paulus, dedicated to the memory of the fallen soldiers of Kiryat Tivon in the War of Independence. Eliezer Steinman 1963, a sculpture of Eliezer Steinmen

Busts by Polus

A.D Gordon Yosef Spriznak David Ben Gurion Moshe Sharet Budha

Between 1967 and 1971, Polus corresponded extensively with the office of the then-President Zalman Shazar, hoping that it would assist him in his future artistic endeavors.

Gallery