Moshe Verbin
Masterfully crafted models of destroyed synagogues from eastern Europe in the 17th and 18th Century
Models are 1:100 scale, made of wood and straw
about
The artist who builds these samples was born in 1920 in Sokolka (Bialystok Province) and studied in Grodno. He immigrated to lsrael at the end of 1935 and is among the first settlers of Kibbutz Yakum (Hshomer Hatzair).
Moshe Verbin relates that he immigrated to Eretz Israel according to the request of relatives, believing that his parents and two young brothers will follow him. To his deep grief it did not happen as wished and the War caught them in their small hometown Sokolka. On January 26th , 1943 they weer expelled to Auschwitz and murdered on the spot. From all my family (bearing the name "Verbin") in Poland and France, no one survived!
M. Verbin "discovered" the wooden synagogues of the early Poland, when he found a book which was published by the Piechotkas (Warsaw 1957) about these synagogues. The book is a collection of photographs and drawings of these antique synagogues made of wood, which were used for prayers and all other needs of the Jewish community, and were found in all the little towns of Poland. In that book Moshe Verbin found an almost unknown treasure of the Jewish Art and Culture.
The thing that conquered Moshe's heart is the fact that most of those wooden buildings were planned constructed and designed by Jewish craftsmen. That is why the Russian explorer G. Lukomski defined them as the " Jewish Folklore Creativity".
Moshe Verbin has been reconstructing these synagogues (Scale: 1:100) in order to bring their story to the Israeli public in this way. Since the Jews chose wood, which was affluent in the surrounding, and was the cheapest material to be used, M. Verbin has chosen straw which is affluent around his house and home, for the building of these samples.
The wandering exhibition o Moshe Verbin was held 18(!) times in various museums, galleries and instututions in Israel. Whereever it was held, it was very successful and rose lot of interest.
This Collection was created by Mr. Verbin grandkids, Or, Guy and Orly Verbin, in order to commemorate his work and to bring his historic masterpiece back to life with Photos, Videos and 3D/AR Technology based on PBR (Physically Based Rendering) with the highest quality.
