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David Ascalon's Holocaust Memorial for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1994), on the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg

David Ascalon's "Totem", fabricated bronze sculpture at the Cherry Hill Public Library, Cherry Hill, New Jersey

From a series of abstract stained glass windows for Beth El Congregation near Washington, DC

The artist and sculptor David Ascalon was born in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 8, 1945. He received his early artistic training as an apprentice of his father, the Hungarian-born sculptor and industrialist, Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003).

David came to the United States as a teenager when his father took the family across the Atlantic as a means to broaden their horizons. David studied art and design at the California State University at Northridge; and architecture and interior design at Pratt Institute in New York, where he received his degree. Throughout the 1970s, Ascalon worked in the fields of interior design and architecture in New York, and for the firm of the noted Israeli architect Arieh Elhanani in Tel Aviv. Seeking a more immediate means of artistic expression than the architectural arts would allow, though, he began experimenting in sculptural metalwork, exploring abstract compositions with a welding torch.

In 1977, David relocated to the Philadelphia area where he joined up with his father to form Ascalon Studios. It was then that he began focusing his efforts on the creation of site-specific artwork for worship and public spaces. Much of his work draws on ecclesiastical themes, however utilizing non-traditional approaches and contemporary forms. In the years since the founding of Ascalon Studios, under David’s direction, the Studio has executed hundreds of projects throughout North America, ranging from monumental sculpture and liturgical stained glass windows, to mosaic murals. Many of his works adorn synagogue architecture and other venues for worship. Among his sculptural installations are a number of Holocaust Memorials that pay tribute to the victims of the atrocities (victims that included many from his own family).

David has been the recipient of major international design commissions and awards, including from the American Institute of Architects' Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture. He serves as President of the American Guild of Judaic Art and has lectured on the subject of Judaic art. David is also a licensed airplane private pilot. Today he resides in the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and in the Hamptons on the east end of Long Island, New York. Among David's children is the contemporary industrial designer Brad Ascalon. David's older brother, who died in 2003, was Adir Ascalon, a surrealist painter and sculptor who collaborated with the noted Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Glass mosaic depicting events from the Old Testament circa 2000, Tustin, California

• “Inside, Outside, Sculpture Shows Pieces of His Soul”, by Jan Hefler, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 2004.

• Smithsonian American Art Museum Art Inventories Catalogue, Call Numbers: PA001671, PA001366, NY000754, 74780001, 747800003, 747800004, 74700005

• Brad Ascalon
• Maurice Ascalon

• Ascalon Studios
• American Guild of Judaic Art