Moti Sasson
Moti Sasson has been Mayor of Holon since 1993.
He has a B.A. in Arabic Language and Literature and Middle Eastern History from Tel Aviv University, an M.A. in Business Management from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public Policy.
Mayor Moti Sasson is currently in his fourth term and has placed culture and education high on the agenda since being elected.
Many civic projects have been commissioned, including the creation of Holon’s Mediatheque, a creative cultural centre containing Israel’s largest public library and multi-media centre, as well as Design Museum Holon and the Israeli Cartoon Museum.
From 1994
Chairman of Board of Directors, Entertainment Co. (Holon) Ltd.
Chairman of Board of Directors, Holon Economic Development Company Ltd.
Chairman of Board of Directors, Theater Development Company Holon Music and Art Ltd.
From 2008
Chairman of Pais Lottery Council for Culture and Art.
Ms. Hana Hertsman – Managing Director, Holon Municipality
Design Museum Holon Initiator & Planner
Hana Herztman has been CEO of the Municipality of Holon since 1993. She has a B.A. in Sociology, an M.A. in Public Administration from Tel Aviv University and she also completed the Program for Curatorial Studies in Tel Aviv University.
From the earliest days of her term as CEO she has initiated significant changes in the Municipality in areas of human resources and the professional and economic facets of city life.
Along with the city mayor Herztman constructed a vision for the city of Holon and began the process of branding and positioning Holon as the “city of children”.
Part of this process included the establishment of the Israeli Children’s Museum, the Mediatheque complex, the City Stories Project, the Israeli Puppet Center and in recent years the Design Museum Holon by Ron Arad Architect Firm.
The Municipality CEO has seven professional deputies each responsible for their own field of expertise and dedicated to promoting excellence within the city. In addition there are also several municipal companies that help this process along, among them The Company for the Development of Theatre, Music, Art and Dance.
Herztman also serves as Chair of the Holon Theatre Repertoire Committee and Chair of the Municipal Art Committee. She is a board member of the Israel Festival Managing Committee, the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Holon Academic Institute of Technology.
Holon City Council
Ron Arad Associates – Architects
Architect: Ron Arad
Born in Tel Aviv in 1951, educated at the Jerusalem Academy of Art and later at the Architectural Association in London, Ron Arad co-founded with Caroline Thorman both the design and production studio One Off in 1981 and later, in 1989, Ron Arad Associates architecture and design practice.
From 1994 to 1999 he established the Ron Arad Studio, design and production unit in Como, Italy.
He is currently Professor of Design Product at the Royal College of Art in London.
Ron Arad’s constant experimentation with the use of possibilities of materials such as steel, aluminium or polyamide and his radical re-conception of the form and structure of furniture has put him at the forefront of contemporary design.
Alongside his limited edition studio work, Arad designs for many leading international companies including Kartell, Vitra, Moroso, Fiam, Driade, Alessi, Cappellini, Cassina and Magis among others.
His architectural projects include: Ohayon Villa Marrakech (2007-); 154 Ha-Yarkon Street, Tel Aviv (2006-) Mediacite, Liege, Belgium (2006-); Zion Square Sculpture, Jerusalem, Israel (2005-); Hotel at the Kristallwelten in Wattens, Austria (2004-); the Design Museum in Holon, Israel (2004-); Upperwold Hotel, Battersea Power Station, London (2003-); Y’s (Yohji Yamamoto) store in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan (2003); Hotel Puerta America, Madrid (2003-); Hotel Duomo in
Rimini, Italy (2003-); Maserati Headquarters Showroom in Italy (2002-3); the Living room and family dining room for Sheikh Saud Al-Thani of Qatar as part of the Millennium House Project (2002-); the Selfridges Technology Hall in London (2000-1); the Tel Aviv Opera Foyer Architecture in Israel (1989-94); the Belgo Noord (1993-94) and Belgo Centraal (1994-95) restaurants in London; the development of a concept of Sport Cafes incorporating state of the art interactive A/V technology for Adidas/Kronenbourg in France (1996); an advanced technology private residfence in London (1997-98); various gallery and exhibition designs, such as ‘Winning: The Design of Sports’ for the
Glasgow 1999 UK City of Architecture and Design and the exhibition enclosure for Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar (2002-3). Ron Arad presented the winning scheme for the new Adidas Stadium
in Paris (1995-6).
Ron Arad has exhibited at many major museums and galleries throughout the world and his work is in many public collections including, among others, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y; Victoria & Albert Museum, London and The Vitra Design Museum, Germany.
Holon Municipal Development Corporation
General (res.) Jacob Even – CEO
Director of the Design Museum Holon Establishment Project
Born in Israel (1933), and raised in the Jordan Valley (Naharym and Degania), spent his youth in Haifa. In 1951 he enlisted to IDF service and spent most of his military career in the Armored Corps. He completed his military and academic education in Israel as well as military academies in Europe and the USA. He is a graduate of the IDF Command and Staff College. Advanced Armored Corps Fort Knox, USA (1967-68). the Royal College of Defense Studies in London
(1978-79) and the Tel Aviv University History Department.
During his military career he served in varied roles, from company commander to division commander. He participated in the Sinai Campaign (1956), the Six Day War and the War of Attrition. In the Yom Kippur War he served as second in command to Major-General Ariel Sharon. In this capacity he commanded the bridgehead operation which enable the crossing of the Suez Canal. His last IDF post was the commandant of the Israeli National Defense College. He ended his military service at the rank of Major-General in 1983.
After his military career he went on to fulfill various civilian roles: Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, West USA, Director General of Ministry of Transportation – in this capacity he also served as Chairman the board of Israeli Airports Authority, and Chairman of the board of the Steering Committee in EL AL Airlines, as well as Chairman of the Board in the Israel National Coal Supply Corporation.
During the last sixteen years Jackie has been CEO of Holon Economic Municipal Development Corporation LTD, a company he founded. The Company focuses on several economic activities connected with the development of city planning, performance and marketing. Company projects include housing projects such as “Bne Diratha”, the Social Services and National Security building, the Mediatheque compound and the Holon High-tech Industrial Park located in the southern end of the city – a project he initiated and marketed and is currently overseeing its construction.
One of the more complex projects is the Holon Design Museum. As CEO Jackie has a personal hand in managing the construction of the museum from its very earliest stages. He emphasized that the uniqueness of this project lies in the efforts required to act deeply between the various bodies involved in the planning and execution of the project, spread over three countries: The architecture and design firm of Ron Arad Associates in London; the Italian Corten steel manufacturers responsible for producing the artistic aspect of the project headed by Roberto – Como Bergamo; and the third body in Israel managed by Yigal Govrin that includes engineering, overseeing and execution of this unique project.