Ebeswalda, a firm based in Germany in the 1920's & owned by Aron Hirsch & son was an international player in the copper & brass industry. Using a patent for insulated metal walls that was developed by architects Fredrich Foster & Robert Kraft, the company became involved in mass produced housing. Consequently the company created a division for prefabricated copper houses in 1931.
The concept was to make the prefabricated components in the factory, transport them to the building site & assemble the house within 24 hours. It was hoped that the speed of assembly coupled with the relatively cheap price, (70 sq meters at a cost of 6550 marks) would address the needs of those countries that required mass cheap housing that could be assembled quickly. Walter Gropius (1883 – 1969)one of the pre-eminent architects of the period and initiator of the international style, was employed by the company to improve the design of the product. Both the U.S.A. & U.S.S.R. showed an interest as did the Zionist leadership, who anticipated the mass migration of Jews as a result of the Nazis coming to power and the need to build fast and cost effective housing .
In 1932 the Hirsch company went bankrupt. Undetered, Aron Hirsch's son in law set up an independent copper house division. With the advent of the 5thAliya (1929-39), an advert appeared in the Zionist Federation Weekly (Judische Rundschau) which targeted those Jews who intended making Aliya. The 5th Aliya numbered about 250 000 Jews, the majority of whom were professionals. 80% of this Aliya settled in towns & the remaining 20% established moshavim & kibbuzim. With the Nazis coming to power in 1933 the company opened a branch in Haifa. It was at this time that Haim Arlosoroff concludes the Ha'avara agreement with the Nazis allowing 60 000 German Jews with some assets to make Aliya.
The Ha'avara agreement was essentially an agreement signed in 1933 between the Zionist leaders of the Yishuv headed by Haim Arlosoroff and the Nazis. The Yishuv refers to the body of Jewish residents in the land of Israel from the 1880's to the end of the Mandate period in 1947. It allowed for 60 000 German Jews to sell their assets in Germany and buy essential German manufactured goods that could be transferred to Palestine. From a Jewish perspective it saved 60 000 Jewish lives and offered the Yishuv much needed immigrant labour and material assets. From the Nazi perspective it overcame the boycott imposed on Germany by world powers.( Personel note : The anti-Jewish movements distort the truth by refering to this "collaboration" out of context. In truth it was money spent to redeem Jews from slavery & almost certain death.) Many within the Jewish world opposed this agreement and two days after Haim Arlososroff's return to the Yishuv he was murdered on a beach in Tel Aviv. His murder case remains unresolved to the present day.
On coming to power the Nazis ordered all copper houses to be dismantled for the war effort.
Some owners disguised their houses by painting them white, therby saving them
During the mandate period (1917-1948), 14 of these prefabricated houses made their way to what was then Palestine The idea did not hold and today only 4 of these houses remain. In addition, copper became important for the armaments industry & the last copper house to arrive was immediately melted down to make ammunition.
The importance of the copper house lies not in their innovation. Their importance lies in their connection to the expulsion and annihilation of German Jewry and therefore an integral though lesser known part of Jewish history.
Copper houses are situated at the following addresses: House Tuchler – 20 Tel Mane street – Haifa House Grundman – 9 Horsha street – Haifa House Roxenstein – Mount Canaan – Safad
Note: These are private homes and can be viewed from the outside only, unless permission from the owner is obtained.
Ron Traub (Tour Guide & Architect) Website : rontraub-tours.com