Michael Pikovsky,1866–1943, and Emil Pikovsky, 1899–1989, father and son printers and publishers in Jerusalem.
After operating in Odessa for more than 30 years, Michael Pikovsky immigrated to Palestine with his two children and re-established his zincography firm in the Musrara neighborhood of Jerusalem. Initially, M. Pikovsky, Ltd. was a surprising addition to the very modest local printing industry and few, beside the Franciscan Order in the Old City, recognized the value of having high quality plates made at home rather than abroad. In order to promote their business, the Pikovskys produced their own illustrated newspaper, HaMizrach. It was the first periodical of its kind in Palestine and, although short-lived, stimulated an appetite for finely illustrated publications in the general public, while clearly demonstrating the skills of the firm for potential clients. As the population and the economy grew, the need for handsome and expert printing both at home and for the Diaspora increased. Services included engraving, letterpress, lithography and offset printing. The Pikovskys developed counterfeit-resistant techniques and the firm became an integral part of the Mandatory government and, with statehood, the government of Israel.
Pikovsky relocated several times, settling in a large building in Rehavia, not far from Ismar David’s studio, in 1935. In a letter from July 1, 1953 to her sister, Helen Rossi mentions “our pal” Pikovsky having met Hortense Mendel in New York the previous year and found her “positively overpowering.”1Letter from Helen Rossi Koussevitsky to Zelda Popkin, July 1, 1953, American Jewish Archives. Emil Pikovsky, along with Helen Rossi and ten others, was designated a Distinguished Citizen of Jerusalem on December 31, 1981.
Ismar David produced graphics, stationery and signage for the Pikovskys.