121 Schocken Library

Architect: Erich Mendelsohn, 1936

Tours of a building that is considered one of Jerusalem’s architectural masterpieces, which was designed by the architect Erich Mendelsohn (who also designed the Weizmann House in Rehovot, Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus and other buildings). It was originally intended to be a library for Shlomo Salman Schocken’s book collection, which is widely regarded as one of the most important private collections in the field of Jewish Studies. The design implements a key principle in Mendelsohn’s style – namely, form follows function.

The hourlong tours will offer participants a rare glimpse of the architecture that characterized the early days of industrialization in pre-State Israel, when every item in a building was designed by the architect himself – ranging from the door knobs to the umbrella stand. The second part of the tours will be devoted to an exhibition containing items from the library collections, which deals with the persona of Shlomo Salman Schocken and his different endeavors: the collector, the publisher, the philanthropist and the public figure. Books played a major role in shaping his character, his work, and his impact on modern Jewish culture.

The building currently houses a library that is open to the public, as well as a Jewish Studies research institute.