Franzisca Baruch
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Franzisca Baruch (; 21 November 1901 – 3 September 1989) was a German–Israeli graphic designer. She is known for designing Hebrew fonts, the cover of the first
Israeli passport The Israeli passport ( ; ) is the travel document issued to citizens of the State of Israel for the purpose of international travel. It grants the bearer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 170 countries and territories, where they are ent ...
, the emblem of
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, and the logo of the ''
Ha'aretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew and English in the Berliner fo ...
'' newspaper.


Biography


Early life and career in Germany

Franzisca Baruch was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1901. Her father died when she was four; she and her sister Anna then lived with their grandmother; their mother studied in the State Academy of Music in Berlin at that time. At the age of 17 she was admitted to the (State School of Arts and Crafts). Baruch studied decoration, illustration, graphics, and
lettering Lettering or Lettering design is an act or result of artfully drawing letters, instead of writing them simply. Lettering is considered an art form, where each letter in a phrase or quote acts as an illustration. Each letter is created with attent ...
. She attended the graphic and book art class led by
Ernst Böhm Ernst Böhm (6 March 1890 – 2 September 1963) was a German painter. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics, the 1932 Summer Olympics, and the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially ...
; she also took private courses in handwriting with Else Marcks-Penzig. In 1920 she won the first prize for designing Christmas plates for the porcelain manufacturer of the Prussian Royal house. A year later, in 1921, she drew the letters for the ''
Passover Haggadah The Haggadah (, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a foundational Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the mitzvah incumbent on every Jew to rec ...
'', which was decorated with woodcuts by
Jacob Steinhardt Jacob Steinhardt (; 1887–1968) was a Germans, German-born Israeli Painting, painter and woodcut artist. Biography Jacob Steinhardt was born in Żerków, Zerkow, German Empire (now Żerków, Poland). He attended the School of Art in Berlin in ...
. To prepare for that work she studied the medieval Jewish manuscripts and the in the library of the Jewish community in Berlin. The
Book of Jonah The Book of Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Nevi'im ("Prophets") in the Hebrew Bible, and an individual book in the Christian Old Testament where it has four chapters. The book tells of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah, son of Amitt ...
was published in 1953, and the
Book of Ruth The Book of Ruth (, ''Megillath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books ...
in 1957, both with lettering done by Baruch and illustrated by Steinhardt. Together with her teacher Ernst Böhm, Baruch worked for the Berlin publishing house "Rimon", established by
Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...
and
Mark Wischnitzer Mark Wischnitzer (May 10, 1882 – October 15, 1955) was a scholar of Jewish history. Biography Mark Wischnitzer was born on May 10, 1882, in Rovno, Russia. He studied at the University of Vienna and University of Berlin, and he received his do ...
, which published a magazine on Jewish art, '' Rimon–Milgroim''. Ishai Mishory of the
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
writes that Rachel Wischnitzer saw the magazine as a "recombination of historical and modern material", and ordered Baruch to design the logo as a mix between "modern and medieval in one visual element". Baruch designed the logo in style of the Prague ''Hagaddah'' from 1523; "She has retained the text’s most historically prominent feature ..namely the decorative circular shapes adorning each letter's stalk and the letters' particular "rhythm", as embodied in the relation between the horizontal and vertical strokes but also in the unique way space between letters is rendered .. The letters of the masthead are rounder than the letters in the Prague ''Haggadah'' source, and the circular decorative adornment of their stalks even more flowery, however her rendering makes the medieval source immediately recognizable." Baruch chose the letters from the medieval manuscripts not because of their liturgical importance, but only because of the visual elements. Baruch also created covers for books by famous Jewish writers and artists, including
Hayim Nahman Bialik Hayim Nahman Bialik (; January 9, 1873 – July 4, 1934) was a Jewish poet who wrote primarily in Hebrew language, Hebrew and Yiddish. Bialik is considered a pioneer of modern Hebrew poetry, part of the vanguard of Jewish thinkers who gave voice ...
,
Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon (; August 8, 1887 – February 17, 1970) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai A ...
, and
Shaul Tchernichovsky Shaul Tchernichovsky () or Saul Gutmanovich Tchernichovsky (; 20 August 1875 – 14 October 1943) was a Russian-born Hebrew poet. He is considered one of the great Hebrew poets, identified with nature poetry, and a poet greatly influenced by the ...
. One of the notable works was the design of the cover and letters of Bialik's book from 1923, ''Ketina Kol-Bo'', inspired by a manuscript of the Bible copied in Spain in the 15th century by
Moshe Ibn Zabara Moshe is the Hebrew version of the masculine given name Moses. Bearers include: * Moshe Arens (1925–2019), Israeli politician * Moshe Bar, several people * Moshe Bejski (1921–2007), Israeli judge * Moshe Brener (born 1971), Israeli basketball ...
and the
Yosef Ibn Chaim Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'' and Yosseph, or Joseph, Arabic ''Yusof'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yad ...
. ''Rimon'' and ''Milgroim'', designed by Franzisca Baruch and Ernst Böhm"> File:Milgroim.jpg, Logo File:Milgroim cover first issue.png, ''Milgroim'' #1 File:Rimon second issue cover.jpg, ''Rimon'' #2 In 1926, she began working for the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
's
Reichskunstwart The Reichskunstwart (German: Imperial Art Protector) was an official position within the Ministry of the Interior of the Weimar Republic, which was concerned with artistic matters and other regulatory issues. It mediated between regulators and arti ...
(Imperial Art Monitor)
Edwin Redslob Edwin Redslob (22 September 1884, Weimar – 24 January 1973, West Berlin) was a German art historian and art collector who served as Reichskunstwart under the Weimar Republic. Appointed in 1920, he held the position until it was abolished after ...
, who was responsible for the state graphic works: designing the symbols and images of the Republic, including stamps, coins, banknotes, certificates, flags, memorial sites, exhibitions and national holidays. One of Baruch's jobs for the government was the graphic and design preparations that accompanied
King Amanullah Ghazi (warrior), Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 26 April 1960) was the head of state, sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emirate of Afghanistan, Emir and after 1926 as Kingdom of Afghanistan, King, until his abdic ...
of Afghanistan's visit to Berlin in 1928, the first royal visit to the Republic after the Kaiser. She designed the king's emblem on the festive decor that greeted him and was printed on the porcelain boxes given to him as a gift. She also made a special design of the eagle, the emblem of the Weimar Republic, which corresponded with the emblem of the Afghani king. Woodcuts of the Afghan emblem and the German eagle were found in her estate in Israel. Baruch was also involved in the preparation of exhibitions in which the government participated. One of them, an international print exhibition called ''
Pressa ''Pressa'' was an International Press Exhibition held in Cologne between May and October, 1928. As German exhibitors were barred from participating in the ''Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modern'' held in Paris in ...
'', was held in Cologne in 1925. Baruch prepared the letters of the German pavilion; before the exhibition was opened the supervisor of the exhibition fell ill, and Franzisca was asked to substitute him. Designers
Henri Friedlaender Henri Friedlaender (; 1904–1996) was an Israeli typographer and book designer. He co-founded the Hadassah Printing School and served as the first director of the school. Early life He was born in Lyon, France France, officially the Fre ...
and
Gideon Stern Gideon (; ) also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites is recounted in of the Book of Judges in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Gideon was the ...
, who took an interview with Baruch in 1984, described this episode: In 1932, on the centenary of
Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
's death, Baruch designed characters and titles for the animated film ''Goethe is Alive!'' The critics praised her work, but the name of the Jewish artist was absent from the list of credits. Baruch created a Hebrew font based on the
Gershom ben Solomon Kohen Gershom ben Solomon Kohen (died ) (also known as Gershon ben Solomon Cohen and Gershom Kohen Katz) was among the first printers of Hebrew books in Prague. He was the founder of the Gersonides, a dynasty of Ashkenazi Jewish printers. Mid-career, he a ...
's 1526 ''Haggadah'', printed with wooden type by the
Gersonides Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 20 April 1344), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus, or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as ''RaLBaG'', was a medieval French Jewish philosoph ...
family in Prague; it was published in 1928 by the type foundry H. Berthold AG under the name "Stam", a Hebrew acronym of Sefarim, Tefillin, Mezuzot, traditional activities of a Jewish scribe. She also created a thinner version of this script for the orientalist
Leo A. Mayer Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually masc ...
, who taught at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
. A new cut of this typeface was later offered as "Mayer-Baruch" by Moshe Spitzer's Jerusalem Type Foundry.


Immigration and career in Israel

Baruch left Germany in 1933, and immigrated to
Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...
alone. She arrived in Tel Aviv "almost penniless", as she recounted, and her few belongings and tools, except for a small suitcase, were retained in Jaffa harbour due to the Arab strike in 1933 against the Jewish
aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...
(immigration from the diaspora). She passed a crash course in window decorating in order to obtain an "artisan's certificate", as her occupation, graphic design, was not recognized by British authorities. She settled in Tel Aviv after the aliyah. Her first work was an exhibition in honor of Bialik's birthday. The architect of this exhibition, Arie Elhanani, heard about her from a mutual friend – the architect Heinz Rau. When she moved to Jerusalem, Rau helped her to become acquainted with other architects. In 1934 she designed the sign for
Hadassah Medical Center Hadassah Medical Center () is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem (one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus) as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology ...
at
Mount Scopus Mount Scopus ( ', "Mount of the Watchmen/ Sentinels"; ', lit. "Mount Lookout", or ' "Mount of the Scene/Burial Site", or "Mount Syenite") is a mountain (elevation: above sea level) in northeast Jerusalem. Between the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...
. In 1936 the influential Schocken family hired Baruch to re-design the ''
Ha'aretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew and English in the Berliner fo ...
'' newspaper, that they bought from a businessman David Cohen in 1935. Baruch shortened the leg of the letter "
tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...
" in the logo, brought letters together, and rounded their sides; her design was in use until 1990 when it was slightly changed by Eran Volkowski.
Gershom Schocken Gershom Gustav Schocken (; born Gustav Schocken; 29 September 1912 – 20 December 1990) was an Israeli journalist and politician who was editor of ''Haaretz'' for more than 50 years and a member of the Knesset for the Progressive Party between ...
, who received the newspaper as a gift from his father Zalman, also hired Baruch; in 1940 he asked her to create a new Hebrew font for him. Work on it was done during World War II, and nine years later the letter "Schocken-Baruch" (or just "Schocken") was published. This font was used for the autobiography of the first president of Israel,
Haim Weizmann Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( ; 27 November 1874 – 9 November 1952) was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization and later as the first pre ...
, which was published in 1949. The book has an inscription: "This book was printed in a new letter, which was installed according to Hebrew letters from the beginning of the printing period in Italy by Francesca Baruch". Nevertheless, commercially the font was unsuccessful. In the 1940s Baruch got a number of works done: she drew geographic maps for the ''Palestine Post'' (now called ''
The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...
''), baked marzipan biscuits, as she knew them from her childhood in Germany (she called them: "Tufinei Baruch"), and packed them in well-designed cardboard boxes. She designed the packaging with motifs of Hanukkah, Christmas or Adam and Eve. In 1948 Baruch co-designed some of the official insignia of the new State of Israel: the cover of the Israeli passport, the emblem of the city of Jerusalem, and the emblems of several institutions. She also participated in the design of first Israeli banknotes, probably under the supervision of
Otte Wallish Otte Wallish (; 1906–1977) was a Czech–Jewish artist and émigré to Mandatory Palestine who established himself as a graphic designer and contributed to the symbolic self-representation of the newly-founded State of Israel as a Jewish stat ...
, but was not credited. Several sketches were found in her archive after her death. As ''Ha'aretz'' put it: Her acquaintance told ''Ha'aretz'', that Baruch "belonged to a group of artists who would meet on Fridays at Cafe Tamon in front of the old Knesset. They all spoke German. She herself did not know a word of Hebrew. The letters she designed were graphic forms with no program meaning". Baruch recalled the story of the design of the
Israeli passport The Israeli passport ( ; ) is the travel document issued to citizens of the State of Israel for the purpose of international travel. It grants the bearer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 170 countries and territories, where they are ent ...
in an interview in 1984: Passports with Baruch's design were used until 1980.


Family and personal life

Baruch's father died when she was a child. Her mother, Augusta, and her sister, Anna, were murdered in
Theresienstadt Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination c ...
concentration camp in 1943; Baruch only found out about this nine years later through the
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
. An acquaintance of Baruch, who stayed anonymous, described her to ''Ha'aretz'' as "a childless woman, dressed in masculine clothes, tall, walking like a camel. The walls of her small apartment were white and bare, empty of any decoration. With such a view she did not need decorations, she would say, and indeed her balcony overlooked the Old City". She lived alone in Jerusalem, on Shmuel Hanagid street. Baruch died in Jerusalem in 1989. She never married and had no children. After her death, her will was taken care of by her close friend and her investment advisor, Ilsa Rosenthal, who donated her archive to the
Israel Museum The Israel Museum (, ''Muze'on Yisrael'', ) is an Art museum, art and archaeology museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world's leading Encyclopedic museum, encyclopa ...
.


Recognition

Designers Henri Friedlaender and Gideon Stern wrote about Baruch's design that it
combines natural, unsophisticated pureness of form with an instinctive feeling for the reach and limits of graphic possibilities. The completed design looks as if it could not be different, inspired by a sober yet imaginative sense for the right form. Her own personality is hidden behind her absolute dedication to the task before her, the job always came first. She barely made a living from her work, yet she contributed unmeasurably to the renaissance of the modern Hebrew letter and graphic design in Israel.
Oded Ezer, a
Bezalel Academy Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design () is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest institution of higher education and is considered the ...
graduate who teaches in the Department of Visual Communication at the Institute of Technology said of Baruch:
I always call her 'the first lady of Hebrew typography' for historical reasons. She was the first woman and she remains the most significant woman in this field. There is no typographer, font designer or graphic designer who studied at one of the institutions in the country who does not know her name.
Gil Weissblai, an archivist at the
National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; ; ), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; ), is the library dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Judaism, Jewish Cultural heritage, heritage. The library holds more ...
and researcher of the history of the Hebrew book, said that "Francesca Baruch was... unique as an artist, one of the greatest and most talented graphic artists who worked in Israel. She belongs to a different generation, of artists who had not signed their works and had not received credit for them."


Exhibitions

* 2015–2016
''New Types. Three Pioneers of Hebrew Graphic Design.''
Palevsky Design Pavilion, Israel Museum in Jerusalem * 2017

Museum für Druckkunst in Leipzig


Notes


References


External links


Specimen of the typefaces «Magere Stam», «Stam», «Rambam», and «Rahel», designed by Franzisca BaruchPassover Haggadah, 1921, by Baruch and Jacob Steinhardt"Franziska Baruch and the font “Stam”: On Ethics and Typeface Design", OtOtOt magazine, 2025, Nitzan Chelouche
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baruch, Franzisca German graphic designers Israeli graphic designers German women graphic designers Israeli women graphic designers Israeli typographers and type designers 1901 births 1989 deaths Jews from Hamburg Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Israeli people of German-Jewish descent Immigrants of the Fifth Aliyah Jewish women artists 20th-century Israeli women artists 20th-century German women artists Artists from Hamburg