1938-1941 – <em>Alexander Zaid</em>, David Polus

David Polus (1893-1975) emigrated from Poland to Palestine, where he spent his life as an itinerant artist. His figure of Alexander Zaid (1866-1938), the founder of HaShomer, a group dedicated to the self-defense of Jewish settlements in the Jezreel Valley and farther north, is a symbol of courage and determination. Zaid was instrumental in uncovering the burial caves at Bet Shearim and survived two attacks by local Arabs but not a third. This pre-state, figurative statue, recast in bronze in the 1970s and standing in Bet Shearim National Park, captures the strength and vision of those who risked everything to settle the land. (Image by De Hanay, own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)