The beginning and end of the life of the architect Ossip (later: Joseph) Klarwein, born in Warsaw in 1893 and died in Jerusalem in 1970, do not sound unusual for the life of a Jew in the 20th century. The beginning and end of the life of the architect Ossip (later Joseph) Klarwein, born in Warsaw in 1893 and died in Jerusalem in 1970, do not sound unusual for the life of a Jew in the 20th century. What is extraordinary, however, is the wide range of his designs and buildings: It ranged from detached houses with interiors, churches and town halls to shopping centers, train stations, award-winning funerary monuments and even the design for the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
For the first time, a section of the work of this modernist architect, who is relatively little known today, is being shown in a temporary exhibition at the Museum Neue Synagoge. It is a contribution from the anniversary program of the “Jews in East Prussia” association, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. With this exhibition, the exhibition organizers want to emphasize that their focus and field of research also includes people who were only briefly on the move as Jews in East Prussia.
