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Michel Schwartz was born in Catskill, NY in 1926 where his father served as rabbi. Michel descended from prominent rabbinical families. His great-grandfather, Rabbi Michel HaCohen, who arrived in Jerusalem in 1832, was the founder and publisher of ”Halvanon,“ the first regularly published Hebrew newspaper in Jerusalem, and one of the seven founders, in 1869, of ”Nachlat Shivah,“ the first permanent Jewish settlement outside the Old City walls of Jerusalem. Michel studied at Yeshivot Torat Chaim and Yaakov Yosef after his family moved to New York City. His artistic talent was recognized early by his teachers, and at the age of 13, he was enrolled in the New York School of Art and Design. To Michel, the adage "Otiot Machkimot," which means "Letters of Wisdom," expresses the essence of Jewish history. He believes that this is the secret of Jewish survival for over 3500 years. Michel has created many works which may be seen in Israel in the Presidents' Residence, the Kenesset, and Jerusalem's City Hall, as well as in the White House (a sculpture presented to President Reagan from Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir) and in many synagogues and private collections of Jewish art.
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