Arthur Goldreich

Arthur Goldreich
Born
Arthur Joseph Goldreich

(1929-12-25)25 December 1929
Died24 May 2011(2011-05-24) (aged 81)
Alma materUniversity of the Witwatersrand
Haifa Technion
OccupationsPainter, architect, professor
Known forAnti-apartheid activism
Spouses
Hazel Berman
(divorced)
Tamar de Shalit
(m. 1966; death 2009)
Children3
AwardsSouth African Jewish Board of Deputies human rights award (2011)

Arthur Goldreich (25 December 1929 – 24 May 2011) was a South African-Israeli abstract painter, architect, professor and a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement in the country of his birth.

As a young man, he participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war as a member of the Palmach, the elite military wing of the Haganah.

He later forged a successful career as a painter in South Africa and designer of department stores. He became increasingly active in the anti-apartheid struggle and in 1963 was arrested during a raid at Lilliesleaf Farm. He escaped from the Old Fort prison in Johannesburg while on remand.

He returned to live in Israel in 1964, where he spent the remainder of his life. His professional focus shifted from art towards design and urban planning and he became a prominent figure at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem. He and his second wife, Tamar de Shalit, became prominent contributors to Israel's emerging culture of commemoration, designing monuments and memorial sites.