Zvi (Kretz) & Rivka (nee Bruner) Kra

Rivka Bruner Kra was born in Jerusalem in 1935, the daughter of Moshe and Yehudit. The family lived on Ussishkin Street, opposite the family of Yeshayhu Leibowitz, the scientist and philosopher. Moshe Bruner, Rivka's father, came to Israel as a pioneer in the 1930's. He was active in the Poel Mizrachi Party that believed in integrating work and the study of Torah. He was one of the founders of the Haboneh Association which contributed greatly to the development of the land. Soon after his arrival in Israel, Moshe understanding the impeding danger facing the Jews in Europe brought all his family to Israel. Yehudit came to Israel as a young girl and pioneer, first working in the vineyards in Rishon LeZion and in the tobacco fields. Soon after, she joined the staff at the Motza Rehabilitation Home where she met Moshe Bruner. They married and had 6 children: Rivka, Ruth and Naomi the twins, Amos, Rachale and Yaacov. Moshe died prematurely at the age of 51 and the mother was left to raise the children on her own. Rivka studied at the Ma'ale School and attended the Bnei Akiva Youth Group. She became a counselor and group leader in the movement. After high school, she attended the Efrata Teacher's Seminary in Jerusalem. On completion of her studies, she worked as a kindergarten teacher in the Ohel Yaacov kindergarten in Rehavia, Jerusalem, as well as teaching soldiers and working in youth camps abroad. Rivka married Zvi Kra and later, in her own studio, she gave art lessons to children. During their stay in London, as emissaries of the Education Ministry, she taught art and sculpture. Upon their return to Israel Rivka was introduced to the art of spinning wool from sheep and designing knitwear and weaving carpets. In the '80s she and her husband opened a boutique store selling woolen knitwear and carpets on Ussishkin Street in Rehavia. It was called 'Baba Chic'. It was quite successful. The raw material came from Australia and Zvi would boil it to dye it. The wool was then treated by hand by some Bedouin from the Negev through a broker from Gaza. Rivka helped set up an art gallery called 'Keshet Omanim' in Nachalot Shivah. Different artists, from various areas of art displayed their works there, including textiles, jewelry, art accessories and Judaica. Rivka was active in this project for over 15 years until she retired. Today, together with her husband, she devotes her time to her sculpture garden in her home on Marvah Street in Gilo. In the heart of the garden is a large tree that was replanted after having been uprooted when they built more houses in the forest area near their home. There are many of her bronze sculptures in the garden including: The Avocado Tree, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, and a sculpture in memory of the astronaut Ilan Ramon. Zvi Kra Zvi was born in 1931 in Chost at the base of the Carpathian Mountains. His parents were Baruch the son of Isaac Kretz and his mother, Sidi Fikel. His father was active in the Mizrachi Movement, a Zionist organization with religious leanings, and was the representative of the Jewish Community on the Town Council. One day he participated in a meeting where Ze'ev Jabotinsky spoke. When he returned home from the meeting he announced in a loud voice: "We are going to Palestine". Despite the objection of his family, Baruch sold his successful fish factory and came to Palestine, on his own, to prepare for the arrival of his wife and two children, 4 year old Zvi and his two and a half year old brother Dov. The rest of his family, numbering a few hundred people, were all killed in the holocaust. The Kretz family settled in Jerusalem (1941) on St. George Street in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood, near the Ungrin houses on the outskirts of Meah She'arim. This neighborhood housed a rare combination of Charedi Jews who spoke Yiddish, a few modern Jews speaking Hebrew, Arab families who spoke Arabic and British families who were serving in the British Mandatory Government, who spoke English. In addition to this mixture of languages we have to add Hungarian, spoken by the Kretz family. As Zvi describes it: "I do not know on the basis of which language I came into this world". His love for plants and his sense of aesthetics was inherited from his mother who used to nurture plants in tubs and old metal bathtubs. Her success, as Zvi tells it, was because she didn't shun from going to the farmers and asking them for horse manure to fertilize her plants. And she also used to wish her plants a "Good Morning" every day! Zev's first memory from his early years in Jerusalem is of Zacharia the slender Yemenite man, dressed in a long robe with his curled payot (ear-locks), riding on his donkey. He would take 5 small children to gan and back every day in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood. "Every morning my mother would give me a cloth shoulder bag with a sandwich and a piece of fruit. She would walk with me to the corner of St. George and Shmuel Hanavi, where we would wait for the "transport" of Zacharia the Yemenite who would take me to gan. You could see a row of small children holding onto the rope dragging behind Zecharia and his donkey. In one hand he held onto the reigns and in the other a stick with which he would smack the child who let go of the rope." When Zvi was 6.5 years old he was sent to the religious elementary school "Geulah" in the Geula neighborhood. This school enabled the children to study, in addition to the religious studies, secular studies, as well. One of his teachers there was a man whose family name was Yeshurun. He was very strict and insisted that the students not speak with one another during lessons. Zvi's high school years were spent in the 'Ma'ale' school. Zvi was one of the founders of the Religious Scouts Youth Movement. In 1945 a group Masuot Scouts was founded. The administrator of the group was Emanuel Meidav, a young student, who was much loved by the youngsters. (Meidav was killed during the attack on the Old City in the War of Independence). In 1947 Zvi was drafted to help found a branch of the youth movement in the Old City, however it was not successful. At the age of 16 Zvi quit the Ma'ale school and registered to study at the agricultural school 'Mikveh Yisrael'. During his first year there the State of Israel was founded and the War of Independence broke out. Zvi was drafted into the Gadna and his studies and agricultural training at Mikveh Yisrael ended. Instead he served as a shield against the attacks of the Arabs of Abu Kabir which was close to the school. In the early '50's Zvi joined the 'garin' of the B'nei Akiva Youth Movement and upon completion of their training he joined the 'Nachal' at Kibbutz Sa'ad. Zvi and two of his fellow garin members (Yair, Zvi and Kiva (Akiva), YZK) built buildings on the kibbutz: chicken coops, a garage and many more. In addition, Zvi devoted much time to the social and cultural activities of the kibbutz in the areas of art and festivities of the kibbutz. With the approval of the members of the kibbutz Zvi went to study art at the Bezalel School in Jerusalem. He prepared the sets and exhibitions for the B'nei Akiva Youth Movement and for the Poel Mizrachi Party. In Jerusalem Zvi met Rivka Bruner who had completed her studies and the Teacher's College. He left the kibbutz to marry Rivka and live with her in Jerusalem. Their wedding took place in a restaurant on Luntz Street. Rabbi Aryeh Levine performed the marriage ceremony. His friends from the kibbutz surprised the couple and without notifying them two truck-loads of people drove up for the wedding. There was a lack of food at the time due to the period of austerity and the family was worried that there wasn't enough to feed all the people. They did all they could to gather enough for the guests. It was a wonderful celebration. Upon his retirement he began designing wall carpets, drawing and sculpting. Read more