This piece explores the totem and lingua franca concepts in relation to the Hebrew Language Academy in Jerusalem, designed by architect Leah Greenberg Atias and Aharon Kashtan. Atias, a pioneering female architect who immigrated from Tunis and studied at the Technion, played a significant role in advancing women in architecture.

The totem represents the Language Academy's Jerusalem stone structure, connecting past and present and symbolizing the language it represents. Adhering to local regulations, Atias enveloped the academy in Jerusalem stone, preserving the essence of the Hebrew language.

The building features narrow upper windows providing glimpses into a world of knowledge. Its cladding is divided into three levels:

• The lower plane comprises natural cornerstones, symbolizing the foundational values of language and culture.

• The middle plane, while resembling the old, modernizes the authentic, mirroring language's evolution as it embraces global influences.

• The upper plane, floating above the foundation stones, houses written treasures of knowledge, spirituality, discourse, and intellect, creating new values from the basics.

The Language Academy is a repository of national heritage and knowledge, akin to Jerusalem's whispering stones. Preserving the values championed by Leah Greenberg Atias' generation is crucial, whether through stones or writings. Knowledge and stories outlive physical matter, drawing from it and perpetuating it.

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Curator: Arc. Limor Yossifun Goldman and Dr Sigal Davidi
Photography: Yael Shmidt