Important trilingual historical broadside presenting the central passage of the Balfour Declaration, as published by the British Government and its Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, in November 1917. Published by the Mizrachi organization in New York. Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. Rare.
The broadside reproduces, in three languages, the section of the Balfour Declaration containing the British Government’s commitment to the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, together with its assurance that this policy would not prejudice the civil and religious rights of the country’s non-Jewish communities. The Hebrew text appears prominently at the top in large bold letters against the background of a Star of David, while beneath it are printed side by side the original English text and its Yiddish translation. The broadside was printed and distributed by the American Mizrachi movement from its offices at 86 Orchard Street, New York, as part of its educational and fundraising efforts on behalf of the Zionist cause following this landmark diplomatic achievement. The text is enclosed within an ornate geometric border incorporating classical architectural motifs in the corners and center, giving the document a formal and ceremonial appearance befitting what was widely regarded as the beginning of international recognition of the Jewish people’s right to a national home in the Land of Israel.
28×22 cm. Fold mark. Small tears along the fold at the edges. Good condition.
“This Is the Day We Have Longed For—The State of Israel Has Been Established” – Baricht fun der Keren Kayemet LeYisrael – Tetikeyt far dem Yor 5708 in Österreich (Report of the Jewish National Fund – Activities for the Year 5708 in Austria). Published by the National Bureau of the Jewish National Fund in Austria. Linz-Bindermichl, Tishrei 5709 (1948). A celebratory report issued by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in Austria, summarizing the organization’s activities during 1948 and providing a broad survey of the first crucial months of the State of Israel following its establishment. Illustrated with numerous photographs. Printed in blue ink throughout, with many photographic illustrations. Yiddish. Extremely rare.
A rare and historically significant booklet documenting the activities of the National Bureau of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in Austria during the 5708 working year (1947–1948). It was published in Linz-Bindermichl in Tishrei 5709 (September/October 1948), only a few months after the establishment of the State of Israel, and printed by a local Austrian press for JNF activists and members of the She’erit Ha-Pletah residing in the region’s DP camps. The opening page features a group photograph of the members of the JNF National Executive in Austria, accompanied by the names of the officials pictured, including M. Kestensky, S. Totshnik, Mrs. R. Galnik, K. Moravitchik (who served as Chairman of the National Executive and also signed the introduction to the report), D. Idelson, S. Adlerberg, B. Voraletsher, Z. Eidelstein, and A. Wilk.
“Years of destruction and devastation, of humiliation and degradation. Years of coffins, gas chambers, lime kilns, and medieval suffering; years in which the greatest enemies of the Jewish people sought to destroy us physically and spiritually, so that not even a trace of us would remain… And on our journey home, we were forced to come ashore in the very countries we loathed most and to settle temporarily among the peoples who had brought destruction upon us – among the Germans and the Austrians… Yet we continued, despite every obstacle placed in our path… The achievements and accomplishments of the Jewish National Fund in the camps of Austria, despite the harsh material conditions in which the surviving refugees live, are, as this report clearly demonstrates, sufficient proof that the Jews in the camps bound their fate, in life and in death, to the Jewish State, to the ideal of Jewish independence, and to the establishment of a state of their own. Survivors of the concentration camps, partisans, and ghettos; those who returned from the distant forests of Siberia and the steppes of Kazakhstan; and veteran JNF workers – all joined enthusiastically two years ago in renewing the work of the Jewish National Fund in the camps of Austria, demonstrating through their devotion their ability to inspire the younger generation and educate a new generation. May this report for the year 1948, which we present to the surviving refugees in Austria before the liquidation of the camps and during the period of legal immigration to the Land of our dreams, serve as an inspiration for creative nation-building in our free and independent State of Israel, and, for those who may remain here, even if only for another day, as an encouragement and an impetus to continue their work…” – From the foreword by Kapel Moravitchik, Chairman of the Jewish National Fund in Austria.
The booklet provides a detailed account of the Jewish National Fund’s activities across a broad range of fields. It includes a description of the organizational structure and institutions of the JNF in Austria at the time (“Instanzen”), comprising the National Executive, the central office in Linz, the Audit Committee, the Vienna office, and special JNF committees operating within the DP camps themselves. It also presents a detailed account of the JNF’s efforts on behalf of Jewish refugees and their immigration to the Land of Israel aboard the Exodus and other immigrant ships, its work in handling looted Jewish property, and documents the swift and enthusiastic mobilization of Zionist activists and Holocaust survivors in Austria in support of building the young State of Israel immediately following its declaration of independence. Additional sections describe the JNF’s activities in the DP camps, its programs marking the Jewish festivals in Austria, cultural performances and public events, children’s programs, a list of JNF publications, a breakdown of the Fund’s sources of income, and more.
At the center of the booklet is a large photomontage composed of various JNF certificates distributed in Austria.
The front cover features an impressive blue graphic design incorporating the emblem of the Jewish National Fund together with the flag of Israel flying proudly, alongside the celebratory Hebrew inscriptions “This Is the Day We Have Longed For” and “The State of Israel Has Been Established.” The main title, printed in Yiddish, identifies the publication as the annual report of the Jewish National Fund’s activities in Austria for the year 1948.
Extremely rare. Not recorded in the WorldCat library catalog.
27 pages. Light staining. Good-moderate condition.
Double-sided broadside – A Call to All Sephardic Communities / Proklamasyon a Todas las Komunidades Sefardiadas. An official bilingual broadside in Hebrew and Ladino calling for public awakening, political unity, and mass participation by members of the Sephardic community in the elections for the “Constituent Assembly.” Published by the Committee of All Sephardic Communities in Jerusalem / Komisyon di Todas las Komunidades Sefardiadas, Jerusalem, C. 1948/1949.
A fascinating historical document from the period of the establishment of the State of Israel, reflecting the social, communal, and political struggle of Sephardic Jewry in Jerusalem and Eretz Israel during this decisive era. The broadside calls upon the Sephardic public to emerge from the civic apathy that had characterized parts of the community in previous years. Its authors lament that the voice of the Sephardic community, which had been among the pioneers of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, had “fallen silent, ” and that because of insufficient participation in the previous municipal elections in Jerusalem, the community had lost much of its strength and influence. The broadside passionately emphasizes the importance of the forthcoming elections to the “Constituent Assembly, ” described as the supreme body that would determine the fundamental regulations of the Jewish community, organize its institutions, and build the country. A special and emphatic appeal is directed to the women of the community, declaring unequivocally that the right to vote is granted to every man and woman aged 20 and above, and that it is the duty of women to go to the polls and exercise their influence rather than relinquish their rights. The broadside warns against the false promises of other political parties and against splitting the vote, urging the community to vote as one for the Sephardic list in order to ensure proper representation (“that the elected representative shall be one of our own, who knows all our needs”).
31×23 cm. Light folding mark. Good condition.
Poster – Prayer for Israel’s Independence Day, 5 Iyar – The Official Order of Service for Independence Day in the Jewish Communities of Libya. Published by the Chief Rabbinate and the Rabbinical Court of Justice of Tripolitania, Zerad Press. Tripoli, Libya, 5 Iyar 1949.
A rare historical poster published by the spiritual leadership of Libyan Jewry, headed by the eminent rabbinical judges Rabbi Shlomo Yeluz, Rabbi Hai Gabizon, Rabbi Yissachar Hakmon, and Rabbi Kammus Nahaisi, on the occasion of the first anniversary celebrations of the State of Israel. The poster presents the complete order of service established for the Jewish community of Tripoli for Independence Day, drawing a compelling parallel between local history and the national redemption: at the top appears the date 9 Av 70 CE as the symbol of the “Exile of Israel from their Land, ” opposite 5 Iyar 1948, marked as the day of the “Redemption of Israel and their Return to their Land.” The body of the poster contains a detailed halachic ordinance prescribing the removal of three Torah scrolls and the reading of special Haftarot, together with a festive prayer for Independence Day expressing gratitude for the establishment of the State and invoking blessings upon its leaders, its government, and the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces: “Let us give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this great day, the Independence Day of Israel. Fortunate are the leaders who stand at the head of Israel, who have brought this generation to this moment… Our heartfelt blessings are joyfully extended on this Independence Day to Israel, to the President of Israel, to the Prime Minister of Israel, and to all the ministers of the government… and to those whose sacred blood was not shed in vain, who by their heroic deaths and extraordinary self-sacrifice bequeathed life to us on this sacred Independence Day for the revival of the nation…”. It also includes the full text of the “Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel” as instituted by the Chief Rabbinate in Eretz Israel. At the bottom, the poster bears the official ink stamp of the Chief Rabbinate of Tripoli. A moving historical testimony to the profound Zionist commitment of Libyan Jewry and to the days of national exaltation experienced by the community on the eve of the mass immigration to Israel.
34×27 cm. Housed in a protective plastic sleeve. Very good condition.
Two issues of HaTzefirah containing the first complete published transcript of Theodor Herzl’s address delivered at the opening of the First Zionist Congress in Basel, before an audience whose enthusiastic applause repeatedly interrupted his speech. The issue of September 3, 1897 (Issue No. 192), containing the first part of the address, and the issue of September 7, 1897 (Issue No. 195), containing its conclusion. Rare.
Under the heading “The Address Delivered by Dr. Herzl at the Opening of the Assembly in Basel, ” the newspaper publishes the complete text of Herzl’s speech, in which he opened the historic Congress with the visionary declaration: “We have assembled here to lay the foundation stone of the house in which the People of Israel shall one day find refuge and shelter.” After reviewing the plight of the Jewish people among the nations of the world, Herzl proclaimed: “We Zionists seek to bring salvation, ” and outlined the foundations of his Zionist program – a policy of negotiations with the Ottoman government that would lead to a great wave of Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel. The following issue contains the continuation of the address, in which Herzl explained his concept of “Political Zionism.” He declared that the Jewish people should not return to their homeland “like a thief in the night, ” but rather with the consent and approval of the Ottoman Empire, once it had become convinced that the return of the Jewish people would also benefit the Empire and that the Jews would be loyal subjects: “The entry of the Jews will bring strength and great prosperity to a state that is now exceedingly poor, and indeed to the whole Ottoman Empire… It has the power to assist that state and rescue it from many difficulties.” He also criticized what he termed “the infiltration of Jews into the Land of Israel.” Herzl called for the immediate commencement of the Jewish return from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel, declaring: “If, after an agreement and a covenant with those in whose hands lies the destiny of the state, the departure of the Jews begins, then that departure will continue for as long as the causes that give rise to it continue to exist…” He also addressed the nations of the world with the appeal: “Let all the inhabitants of the earth know what Zionism truly is… It is, in truth, a lawful and orderly movement, founded upon noble principles, the vision and deepest aspiration of our people since ancient times.” Among the historic declarations contained in Herzl’s address are: “We wish to lay the foundation stone of the house in which the Jewish people will one day dwell, ” and “Zionism is our return to Judaism even before our return to the Land of the Jews.” Herzl concluded with these stirring words: “At this assembly we are giving the People of Israel an instrument of blessing such as it has never before possessed, yet one that it desperately needs for its life and survival. The enterprise before us is a great one… This undertaking must rise above the individual if it is to succeed. And this assembly shall live forever, not only to lead us out of our ancient distress, but with even greater purpose thereafter…”.
As reported in the contemporary press coverage of the event, an atmosphere of extraordinary excitement filled the hall in Basel as Herzl delivered his address. The Congress was opened by its honorary chairman, Karpel Lippe of Romania, the eldest delegate and one of the veteran leaders of the Hovevei Zion movement. Lippe spoke for thirty minutes instead of the ten minutes allotted to him by Herzl, ignoring four requests from Herzl to conclude his remarks. A profound sense of emotion swept through the audience when Lippe recited the blessing, “Blessed are You… who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this day.” Lippe then handed the chairman’s gavel to Herzl, declaring, “The only thing we need is a homeland, ” prompting a thunderous ovation from the delegates. Herzl found it difficult to begin his address, as each attempt to speak was interrupted by renewed applause. The ovation continued for approximately fifteen minutes. The writer Mordechai Ben-Ami called out, “Long live the King!” Many in the audience echoed the cry. At the conclusion of Herzl’s speech, another prolonged burst of applause erupted. Order in the hall broke down as numerous delegates rushed forward to congratulate him, overturning tables and chairs in the process. Herzl was then unanimously elected President of the Congress. Max Nordau followed as the next speaker, delivering an address on the suffering of the Jewish people throughout the world. At the close of the Congress, Herzl declared, “The First Zionist Congress has come to an end.” His words were almost entirely drowned out by an ovation that lasted nearly an hour. Delegates stamped their feet, women waved their handkerchiefs, people embraced one another, some began singing, while others danced upon the chairs and tables. Throughout the hall the cry resounded: “Next year in Jerusalem!” (See also Amos Elon, Herzl, pp. 259–270.)
Two complete issues. The issue of September 3 bears the original stamped mailing label indicating that it was sent to a contemporary subscriber, while the issue of September 7 bears an original postal stamp. Overall good condition.
Three weekend issues of HaTzefirah published following the death of Theodor Herzl, July 8–22, 1904, including the rare issue announcing Herzl’s death and a subsequent issue containing extensive coverage of the funeral procession and eulogies, illustrated with rare photographs and scenes from the funeral. Rare.
The first issue reporting Herzl’s death and funeral was published on July 8, 1904, the Friday following the funeral. Its front page features Herzl’s portrait enclosed within a black mourning border beneath the caption: “Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl, of blessed memory.” At that stage, photographs and detailed reports from the funeral procession, which had taken place the previous day, had not yet reached the newspaper. These appeared in the following weekend issue, included here, which was devoted entirely to extensive coverage of the “Procession of Mourning” and the funeral. The issue of July 15, 1904 opens with “The Oration of Mourning, ” Nahum Sokolow’s eulogy delivered at the funeral ceremony in Vienna, lamenting Herzl the man: “Our beloved son, Benjamin! We lower the Hebrew pen in mourning, just as soldiers lower their rifles in tribute… Herzl, the man who awakened within us the ancient Hebrew sense of honor…” In his eulogy, Sokolow pledged: “The day will come when we shall bring Benjamin’s bones to the Land of Israel.” The issue continues with “To Herzl’s Soul” by A. Libushitzky, followed by “Behind the Hero’s Coffin, ” a detailed account of the funeral procession describing the flag bearers, the horse-drawn hearse, and the vast crowds accompanying the coffin: “In this coffin were borne the remains of the national hero, Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl—the first of heroes…” This issue also contains rare photographs from the funeral procession, including the cantor, choir, and mourners walking before the bier, as well as the crowds following the cortege in carriages and on foot. The third weekend issue in this bound group, published on July 22, 1904, is devoted extensively to Herzl’s life and is likewise illustrated with rare photographs, including Herzl in his study, a childhood portrait of Herzl, and his children, newly orphaned by their father’s death. It also includes the elegy “On the Death of Herzl” by Zvi Elatin.
Three complete bound issues, comprising all of the weekend editions of HaTzefirah devoted to the death of Theodor Herzl. Overall good – very good condition.
HaKikayon – An early humorous magazine, “Published for Amusement Every Purim, ” Year I, Issue No. 1. (Warsaw), 14 Adar 5664 (March 1, 1904). The first satirical publication issued under the auspices of HaTzefirah, predating by many years the better-known Hebrew satirical periodicals. This inaugural issue includes, among other features, an illustrated satire on Theodor Herzl during his lifetime and on his leadership of the Zionist movement. Rare.
“A newspaper that hurries, cuts, explodes, pokes, pecks, crows, flutters, buzzes, and reports – on one foot, everything that happens from Hodu to Cush, from Egypt to here, and from now until eternity.” A pioneering special issue published exclusively for Purim as a supplement to HaTzefirah. The contents are filled with satirical pieces reflecting the events and controversies of the year, above all the major debate that was then sweeping the Jewish and Zionist world over the Uganda Scheme, the proposal for Jewish settlement in East Africa presented at the Sixth Zionist Congress in late 1903.
The most fascinating section of the issue is devoted to a dramatic satirical piece entitled “Burlesque (Based on a True Incident), ” accompanied by caricatures reflecting the tensions between the various factions within the Zionist movement in the face of the “dictatorship” exercised by Herzl. The newspaper ridicules the way Theodor Herzl handled the crisis with his opponents – particularly the Russian Zionists led by Menahem Ussishkin, who convened the Kharkov Conference and presented Herzl with an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of the Uganda Scheme. In what is one of the earliest examples of Hebrew political satire, the piece lampoons the theatrical nature of Zionist politics: Herzl is portrayed as an aloof European statesman unwilling to listen; his Russian opponents as loud, uncivil agitators issuing empty ultimatums; and the broader public as utterly bewildered by the modern political terminology and controversies unfolding around them. Herzl is depicted in his iconic image, tall, with a long black beard and a frock coat. Small-statured emissaries enter the room and present him with a paper bearing the word “Ultimatum.” The accompanying text mocks Herzl’s air of authority. Addressing them in French, “Pardon! Have you come with an ultimatum?”, he dismisses them sarcastically: “Come now, gentlemen, return to your places! I neither wish to nor shall I comply – et puis…” The wordplay presents him as a leader who refuses to yield to dictates and dismisses his opponents as insignificant politicians. Another caricature shows two “sturdy, broad-shouldered messengers, clubs in hand and belts fastened around their waists, ” approaching a locked door bearing a partially erased sign, apparently Herzl’s office. The accompanying text mocks their sudden loss of courage: “But when they reached Herzl’s place, they recoiled in fear… What, then, were they to do with their ultimatum?” after Herzl had contemptuously dismissed them.
One illustration depicts the presidium of the Zionist Congress, while the satirical poet pokes fun at the participants’ excessive rhetoric, remarking: “Thus spoke our master Menahem to his companions, ” an unmistakable allusion to Menahem Ussishkin, leader of the anti-Uganda camp.
The piece also satirizes the tensions between the religious Zionist camp and Herzl’s followers. Two bearded activists in traditional dress are shown leaving the room, while the accompanying text mocks the disparity between their political ambitions and reality: “…and to their other brethren… to fight for justice and righteousness without fear; yet here the rabbi hesitates in his long coat, stepping gingerly over the clauses of the Shulchan Aruch…”, a pointed critique of religious-Zionist activists attempting to reconcile traditional religious authority with modern political activism. Although HaTzefirah, edited by Nahum Sokolow, was generally regarded as a dignified, measured, and serious newspaper, it used the occasion of Purim to release the extraordinary public tensions that characterized the year 1904.
The issue also includes a section of humorous advertisements satirizing the cultural, literary, and political conventions of the period. Among them is a parody of modern Hebrew literature entitled “Pitturei Bepi VeShet, ” advertising a new story “by a young man who has neither read nor studied, but possesses a wild imagination and excessive audacity.” This is a pointed satire of the “New Trends” in early twentieth-century Hebrew literature, associated with writers such as Micha Yosef Berdyczewski and the young Uri Nissan Gnessin, whose works were often criticized by the older literary generation as obscure, overly melancholic, and pretentious.
The issue also includes a traditional Purim melody, a caricature of a traditionally dressed Jew wearing a shtreimel under the caption “An Esteemed Old Reader Reading a New Hebrew Newspaper, ” a caricature of Baron Salomon de Rothschild, the humorous story “At the Purim Feast, ” “Midrash Esther, ” and many other satirical pieces.
The present issue preceded by several decades the humorous Hebrew periodicals published by various presses during the 1930s and 1940s, both in its style, its illustrations, and its wit.
Complete issue. Staining. Good condition.
BeYad Hazakah (With a Mighty Hand) – A humorous and illustrated literary booklet for Passover. Published by Etz Kotzetz, Jerusalem, Nisan 1931. An early non-traditional version of the Passover Haggadah containing criticism of British Mandate policy and the White Paper, as well as internal criticism of the institutions of the Jewish Yishuv in the Land of Israel. Edited by Zvi Karol. Rare.
The booklet’s title page presents the “Ten Plagues, ” one of which is depicted as MacDonald’s White Paper – “a plague not even written in the Haggadah” – alongside “Revisionism” as one of the plagues and Agudat Israel, represented by a Hasidic figure. At the beginning of the booklet appears a non-traditional Passover Haggadah text opening with the passage: “Ha Kaspa Anya…” (“This is the bread of affliction” is replaced by “This is the poor money…”). It continues: “Let all who flatter come and eat; let all who are in need cry out ‘Living and enduring’…”. The author proposes that one should not ask “Mah Nishtanah” (“Why is this night different?”), lest one arrive at the answer, “We were slaves.” The section “Go forth and learn” has been replaced by a criticism of the White Paper: “Go forth and learn what the ‘White Paper’ sought to do to the Jews, for Simpson decreed only against the land, whereas ‘Lavan’ sought to uproot everything, as it is said: ‘A wandering Arab, ‘ poor fellow, and because of the small number of Jews who are exploiting him, we shall no longer be able to rule over the great, mighty, and numerous Arab nation…”. And further:
“And we cried out unto England, and it heard our protests and said: ‘Speak unto the trees and the stones.'”. Later appears: “Rabbi Eliezer Yaffe says: From where do we know that every crisis that has befallen us came because of our failure to purchase the produce of the Land and the products of ‘Tnuva’? For it is said: He sent among them Australian butter, Egyptian cream, Romanian wheat…”. In the text of Who Knows One?: “Two, who knows? … The two tablets of the covenant – ‘Brit Shalom’ and ‘Brit Trumpeldor.’ What do they have in common? Both are liable to gore in the public domain…”. And further:
“Concerning four daughters does the Torah speak: Ada Fishman, Shoshana Persitz, Mrs. Landau, and… Daniel Persky…”. As well as:
“Blessed is Agadati, who gave the doctrine of dance to the people of Israel…” And more.
Further on appears a humorous piece by Zvi Gordon, “On a Purim That Falls on the Sabbath, ” as well as The Transformations of the Palestine Appeal, and a humorous encyclopedia explaining various terms: “Opposition – a place for people without a position…”. “Mandate – at present, it means the White Paper and MacDonald’s Letter…”. Further sections include From Arab Humor, a humorous piece on the Council of the Histadrut, a satire on national art composed entirely of immigrants from foreign lands, On Dancing, and more. At the end of the booklet are advertisements for manufacturing companies in the Land of Israel.
41 pages. Complete issue. Good condition.
“Haggadat Aviv VePesach”, Alumot Group. Published with the assistance of the Department for Youth and HeHalutz Affairs. Stencil-printed with illustrations. Alumot Group, [C. 1940]. Rare.
A Haggadah independently prepared for the members of the Alumot Group – a small collective that founded Kibbutz Alumot in 1942 after years of perseverance, following the establishment of the group in 1936. Seeking to infuse the traditional holiday with pioneering, agricultural, and national ideals, the texts were adapted to reflect the history of the group itself. The title page is illustrated with the figure of a fellah standing in a field holding sheaves of grain, alongside floral decorations of wheat stalks, wildflowers, and pomegranates, emphasizing Passover as the Festival of Spring and the renewal of nature in the Land of Israel. Following several spring-themed passages accompanied by illustrations of the Land of Israel, the Haggadah turns to the members of the group: “Why is our group different from all other groups? Because all the other groups number fewer than ten, while we are more than thirty. Because all the other groups ascended Masada during the Fifth Aliyah, while we have only now. Because all the other groups wish to complete their training, while we wish to escape from it. Because in all the other groups there are more bachelors than married members, whereas with us it is the opposite…”.
The “Four Sons” section is transformed into a parody featuring members of the group themselves – Boja, Yudka, Elzo, and Adiel. The Ten Plagues of Egypt are recast as the ten plagues that befell the group – the plague of reclaiming the wasteland at Hatzerim, the plague of departures, the plague of Yudka’s excessive talkativeness, and others. The song “Dayenu” is adapted to reflect the struggles involved in establishing the kibbutz: “Had He only completed Hatzerim for us, but not united us with the Haifa group – Dayenu…” Later appear “Zion, Will You Not Inquire, ” “Pour Out Your Wrath, ” “When Our Children Weep Beneath the Shadow of Axes, ” “O Earth, Cover Not Their Blood, for We Were Wasteful, ” and others. “Who Knows One?” is likewise transformed into a parody about the members of the group themselves. At the conclusion of the Haggadah, in place of the traditional “Next Year in Jerusalem, ” original expressions of hope appear, expressing the aspiration to complete their pioneering enterprise by future Passover festivals.
The Alumot Group is closely connected with the story of the well-known Kibbutz Alumot in the Lower Galilee, overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan Valley. The founding group was established in 1936 by a group of young members of the HaNoar HaOved movement. The members initially formed an independent collective and underwent agricultural training in various settlements before ascending to their permanent site at Ramat Poriya in 1942, where they founded the kibbutz. Over the years, particularly during the 1940s and 1950s, the kibbutz and the movement absorbed additional pioneering youth groups, both from the Land of Israel and from the Diaspora, which were named after the original settlement enterprise.
An extremely rare Haggadah. Not recorded in the National Library of Israel. To the best of our knowledge, it has never appeared at auction.
9 pages. 33 cm. Fold mark. Good condition.
Nevatim – Bulletin of the Maccabi Hatzair Shivtei HaBonim Gar’in, Kvutzat Shiller. A handwritten preparatory notebook for the publication of the first issue of Nevatim, Shevat 5704 (February 1944). ״Internal״ publication. Contains handwritten texts and illustrations in pencil and ink on lined notebook paper. Rare.
The bulletin presents the ideological views of the members of the gar’in, discussions concerning communal life, an appeal to graduates to join the group, and impressions from the agricultural work at Kvutzat Shiller. The opening pages are illustrated with drawings of plowing, sowing, and pioneer folk dancing. They are followed by an explanation of the title “Nevatim” (“Seedlings”) and the movement’s objectives; an article on “The Jewish Question, ” stating: “The solution to the Jewish Question (antisemitism) can be achieved only through the concentration of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel”; “The Character of the Gar’in at Neve Eitan, ” describing the consolidation of the members in the Beit She’an Valley, the hardships of establishing the settlement, and the movement’s vision; an article on the gar’in at “Sharashim”; excerpts from the gar’in diary at Neve Eitan; diary entries by members at Kvutzat Shiller; personal reflections by members; and an enthusiastic statement regarding the publication of the bulletin: “Our bulletin has been published under difficult conditions, yet despite this we hope to continue issuing journals that will also express the thoughts and spirit of the members in the various branches… We hereby send the greetings of the members of the gar’in to all members of the movement: Be strong and of good courage!”
The Maccabi Hatzair movement was originally established as a scouting, athletic, and non-partisan youth movement (with a certain affinity to the General Zionists). During its early years, it did not embrace collective settlement or kibbutz pioneering as a central ideal, in contrast to labor movements such as Hashomer Hatzair and Hanoar HaOved. However, in the early 1940s, a group of young, idealistic, and pioneering members emerged within the movement, advocating full pioneering fulfillment, that is, the establishment of their own kibbutz and direct participation in the building of the Land of Israel. This group formed the movement’s Gar’in Aleph (First Gar’in). In order to acquire agricultural training and prepare themselves for communal life, the members of the gar’in spent training periods at established agricultural settlements. Their first year (5703 / 1942–1943) was spent at Kibbutz Neve Eitan in the Beit She’an Valley. In Tishrei 5704 (late 1943), they moved to the second stage of their training at Kvutzat Shiller (Gan Shlomo). At this stage, the gar’in consisted of a select group of approximately fifteen young men and women, joined by several graduates of the Habonim movement, whose name was later incorporated into that of the gar’in as “Shivtei HaBonim.” The designation represented the senior age groups within the movement that had committed themselves to pioneering settlement. During their intensive period at Kvutzat Shiller, balancing agricultural labor with night guard duty, the members of the gar’in resolved to strengthen ties with the movement’s urban branches, in Rishon LeZion, Ness Ziona, Gedera, Tel Aviv, and Haifa, in order to attract additional graduates to the pioneering path. To that end, they established their own internal newspaper and bulletin. In an official letter sent by the members of the gar’in at Kvutzat Shiller to the movement’s headquarters in January 1944 (18 Tevet 5704), they wrote: “We are also about to publish a newspaper for the movement. We have already begun the work, and its continuation depends upon you… Friends! We are waiting for you… We are planning a gathering of the movement’s graduates on Tu BiShvat here at Kvutzat Shiller.” The bulletin Nevatim is, in fact, the very publication referred to in that letter. Its title – meaning “Seedlings”—was chosen as a symbol of the germination of the movement’s new kibbutz-pioneering ideal within Maccabi Hatzair.
The activities of this gar’in at Kvutzat Shiller sparked a transformation within the movement. Inspired by its example, the movement’s next group, Gar’in Bet, enlisted directly into the Palmach in the autumn of 1944, joining the Ramat David Training Unit. Upon completing their training and military service, the members of Gar’in Aleph and Gar’in Bet united to establish a temporary labor company in Ra’anana known as “HaSolelim” (“The Builders”). In 1949, they settled permanently and founded Kibbutz Solelim in the Lower Galilee.
[18] written pages. One leaf detached. Good condition.
Recruitment poster issued by the General Council for Hebrew Aviation in the Land of Israel, C. early 1940s, intended to enlist public support in the Yishuv for the development of an independent Jewish air arm. Rare.
At the top of the poster appears the slogan: “A nation is built by three means: by roads on land, by routes at sea, and by paths in the air, ” a paraphrase expanding the Zionist ideal of conquering labor into the new dimension of aviation. At the center is a striking red illustration of a pilot pointing skyward toward four aircraft, beneath the dramatic headline: “Give Us Aircraft!” The appeal below – “Join the Friends of Hebrew Aviation. Answer the call of those who have enlisted!” – urges the citizens of the Yishuv to become official members of the organization and contribute funds for the purchase of aircraft and the training of Hebrew pilots. Behind the lower text appears the purple circular emblem of the General Council for Hebrew Aviation, incorporating wings and a propeller.
The General Council for Hebrew Aviation in the Land of Israel was established in 1937, during the Great Arab Revolt, as part of the Yishuv’s broader “state-in-the-making” strategy of creating the institutions of an independent nation in every sphere of life, including aviation. The organization was founded upon the strategic understanding of the Yishuv’s leadership that control of the skies was not merely a technological or commercial matter, but a vital national and security asset. It united under one umbrella the pioneering aviation bodies then operating in the country, foremost among them the Aviation Club of Israel and the Aviron airline. Through a network of members and local branches, it financed the acquisition of light training aircraft, trained dozens of the first Hebrew male and female pilots, and developed civilian landing fields throughout the country. The Council’s organized efforts, combining national vision with rigorous practical training, laid the direct human and operational foundations for the Haganah Air Service (Sherut Avir), from which the Israeli Air Force would emerge upon the establishment of the State of Israel.
Rare poster. Not recorded in the poster collection of the National Library of Israel.
[1] leaf. Heavy paper. 33 × 24 cm. Filing holes. Good condition.
État Juif et Monde Arabe – A Jewish State and the Arab World, by François Plessier. The first publication issued in France on the Israeli-Arab conflict shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel. Éditions Gaucher, Paris, 1949.
“There is no doubt that the press, radio, and cinema have kept the French public regularly informed, day by day, about the current and topical aspects of the Palestinian conflict. Yet the interest they display, however keen it may be, remains rather superficial, and it seems that those charged with explaining it are not always sufficiently concerned with clarifying the fundamental issues…” (from the introduction).
An early in-depth analysis of the Jewish-Arab conflict at the dramatic turning point of 1948 – the book was published only a few months after the end of the intense fighting of the War of Independence and the signing of the Armistice Agreements.
The book deals primarily with the birth of the Zionist movement, the return to the Land of Israel, British policy in the Middle East, the Grand Mufti and the Arab Executive Committee, the Peel Plan, the White Paper, the Zionist Congresses, the activities of the Jewish underground movements (which the author refers to as “Jewish terrorism”), the upheavals in the Land of Israel during the Second World War, the Jewish State and the Arab world – can the two peoples live together, the intervention of the world’s nations in the events taking place in the Land of Israel, and more. Plessier analyzes in the book the background that led to the United Nations decision to partition the Land of Israel on November 29, 1947, the course of the 1948 war, and the complex political and military interactions between the young Jewish State and the Arab countries surrounding it. The book was written in Paris in 1949, under the direct influence, on the one hand, of the Second World War and, on the other, of the collapse of the colonial empires (Britain and France) in the Middle East. The book levels harsh criticism at British policy during the final years of the Mandate, accusing it of cynicism, manipulation, and the deliberate creation of chaos intended to preserve its imperial interests in the region at the expense of both peoples. Plessier proceeds from a geopolitical and historical premise according to which the establishment of the State of Israel was not a passing local event, but rather a political and cultural revolution that would permanently transform the face of the Middle East. He does not view Zionism merely as a national movement, but as a modern, Western, and technological force entering an Arab sphere that, at that time, was experiencing a profound crisis in the transition from colonialism to independence. His point of departure is that this collision was inevitable and would compel both sides to redefine themselves. On the Jewish side: The book examines how the Jewish Yishuv succeeded in building a cohesive state and military infrastructure (the Haganah and the Israel Defense Forces) out of the ashes of the Holocaust, and analyzes its ability to wage war on several fronts simultaneously. On the Arab side, the book focuses on the “Arab world” not as a single bloc, but as a mosaic of conflicting interests. It demonstrates how the Arab League suffered from severe internal rivalries (for example, between the Hashemite dynasty in Jordan and Iraq and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Mufti), which seriously undermined the conduct of their military campaign in 1948. It also sharply criticizes the political feudalism and corruption of the Arab regimes of that period. The author argues that they misled their own publics with false promises and used the war against Israel primarily to divert attention from their internal problems, while abandoning the Palestinian refugees. Although his view of the young Jewish State is one of admiration for its organizational and military capabilities, he is critical of its long-term implications. In the book, Plessier warns that Israel’s dramatic military victory in 1948 could condemn it to a permanent state of being an “isolated island” in the heart of a hostile Arab sea, and he questions the possibility of achieving genuine peace so long as the young state is perceived in the Middle East as a bridgehead of an alien Western culture. The book was written from a French-European perspective during a period when the establishment of the State of Israel had shaken the Middle East and altered the global balance of power.
On the book’s title page appears the printed dedication: “A la mémoire du comte Folke Bernadotte et des observateurs français de l’O.N.U. tombés pour la Paix en Palestine…” – “To the memory of Count Folke Bernadotte and of the French United Nations observers who fell for peace in Palestine…”. The Polish-Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte was appointed as a United Nations mediator with the aim of reaching a peace settlement during the War of Independence. On September 17, 1948, he was assassinated in Jerusalem by members of the Lehi organization. Alongside him, the French Colonel André Serot, who served as a United Nations observer, was also killed.
420, [2] pages. Good condition.
Original artwork – an original hand-drawn design by Aryeh Moskovitz for the official emblem of the Kol Tzfat bulletin from the period of the War of Independence, signed by the artist. Eretz Israel, 1940s. One of M. Aryeh’s earliest works created in the Land of Israel.
An emblem depicting a hand holding aloft a burning torch against the backdrop of the peaks of Mount Meron, in shades of brown, green, and orange. Signed in pencil by the artist, “M. Aryeh.” This design was used on the first two issues of the Kol Tzfat bulletin, where it appeared across the entire title page. In these issues, the upper portion of the title page also bears the biblical verse (Numbers 10:35): קומה ה׳ ויפצו אויביך וינסו משנאיך מפניך. In the remaining issues, it was incorporated as part of the title page.
Kol Tzfat was a bulletin published by members of the Haganah during the siege of Safed in the 1948 War of Independence, from the period of the siege until after the city’s capture. It initially appeared as a booklet and later as single sheets. The bulletin’s purpose was to disseminate announcements from Haganah headquarters and to bolster the morale of the besieged Jewish population. A total of 11 issues were published, extending beyond the capture of the city. The publication was issued on the orders of Safed’s military commander, Meir Miber, in the midst of the fighting, out of concern that the city’s Jewish residents might abandon Safed during the war. Following David Ben-Gurion’s appeal, in December 1947 Miber gathered the city’s leading writers in the attic of the Haganah headquarters and established Kol Tzfat. Through encouraging editorials and updates from Haganah headquarters, the bulletin had a significant impact on the morale of the city’s Jewish population, urging them to join the struggle and instilling hope until the city’s capture. The newspaper’s editor was the local journalist Yeshayahu Ashani, who also chose the publication’s title and motto. Ashani later served as head of public information in the Jewish Quarter of Safed. Other members of the editorial staff included Yitzhak Geiger, who edited the news section, and Y. Hazanovsky. Editorials and most news reports were published anonymously. The writers and editors worked from Haganah headquarters, where, between January and May 1948, they produced eleven issues carrying militant messages for the residents of Safed. These issues played an important role in easing tensions within the Jewish community and in disseminating vital information during the fierce fighting.
M. Aryeh was the pen name of Aryeh Moskovitz (1930–2022), a distinguished Israeli painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Moskovitz illustrated dozens of children’s books and designed hundreds of insignia for the Israel Defense Forces. He was born in Iași, Romania. At the age of twelve, he began working as an apprentice scenic painter for the Bucharest theater and opera. Moskovitz was a Holocaust survivor. In December 1946, he immigrated alone to Palestine aboard the immigrant ship Rafiah, which was wrecked in a storm near the Greek island of Syrna. The survivors were sent to the detention camps in Cyprus, where he remained for more than a year before being permitted to enter the country. In 1948, he settled in Safed, where, at the request of the local Haganah commander, he designed the title page of the Kol Tzfat bulletin as well as the Safed stamps. These were his first artistic works created in the Land of Israel. He subsequently embarked on a distinguished career as a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. Under the name M. Aryeh, he illustrated thousands of books and designed many well-known emblems, including numerous insignia for IDF units. He also illustrated a large number of children’s and young adult books during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s—from adapted Bible stories to Kofiko, Hasamba, and Danidin. For many years he served as the principal illustrator for M. Mizrahi Publishing House, designing and illustrating its publications. He also designed numerous greeting cards. His illustrations appear in more than 8,000 Israeli books.
Size: 21×21 cm. Very good condition.
Bamivtza (“In Action”) – For the Day of Haifa’s Liberation – A special issue published on 13 Nisan 5709 (April 12, 1949), devoted entirely to marking the first anniversary of the liberation of the city of Haifa during the battles of the War of Independence. Rare.
At the beginning of the issue, under the heading “Order of the Day on the Anniversary of the Liberation of Haifa, ” appears a message by Major General Moshe Carmel, Commander of Front A:
“Haifa, the city of the future… was liberated by us in a powerful and overwhelming offensive one year ago, on the eve of the Festival of Freedom, in the midst of the great war that engulfed the entire country. With the sudden withdrawal of the British from the city on 12 Nisan 5708, we found ourselves face to face with the Arab enemy in Haifa and its numerous bases outside the city, under the most perilous and severe circumstances… In a large-scale operation, meticulously planned and carried out by the efforts of many fighters, we defeated the enemy in battle and liberated the whole of Haifa, making it a fortress of Hebrew revival and a stronghold of our independent state…” The message goes on to describe the heroism of the Haganah fighters in the liberation of the city.
The issue continues with a detailed account of the Battle of Haifa, including the capture of the Lower City, the battle for the Burj, excerpts from the notebook of a Haganah fighter, Kol Yisrael announcing that Haifa had been liberated by the Haganah, extracts from the Haganah commander’s Orders of the Day, a photograph of the draft armistice terms, pages from a battle diary, the campaign for control of the roads, a map entitled “From the Liberation of Haifa to the Conquest of the Galilee, ” and more. The publication is illustrated with photographs of the defenders and fighters who took part in the liberation of the city, the surrender of the Arab enemy, Haganah attack positions, and more. The cover design, depicting Haganah fighters against the backdrop of Haifa’s Old City, was created by the artist Yossi Mendele.
24 pages. Tears and losses to the edges of the wrappers. Minor tear to the margins of the text leaves. Good-moderate condition.
“To the Citizens of Israel!” – Large historic protest poster issued by the Irgun (Etzel) following the arrest of the five Irgun leaders known as the “Beit She’an Detainees” in the aftermath of the Altalena Affair. Published under the heading “Homeland and Freedom” alongside the Irgun emblem, it is one of the last posters issued by the Irgun as an independent organization before its incorporation into the historic Herut Movement (with which it was already cooperating at this stage). Rare printing in red ink. Printed by Ephraim Struch & Sons, Tel Aviv, 1948.
The poster informs the public of the hunger strike launched by the five Beit She’an Detainees – Yaakov Meridor, Hillel Kook, Eliyahu Lankin, Amitzur, and Moshe Hasson – who were arrested on June 21 (the day after the arrest of Irgun leaders following the Altalena Affair) and held in prolonged detention without due process, without trial, and without any formal charges being brought against them. The organization accuses the Mapai-led government and the Provisional Government of employing the “Emergency Regulations of the British tyranny” and the “unclean Nazi-British Emergency Regulations” to imprison Irgun fighters behind bars without trial. It warns that the regime is descending into tyranny and dictatorship, cautioning the citizens of Israel against remaining passive with the words: “The first victim is someone else – but afterward, your turn will surely come.” The poster calls upon the public not to stand idly by, but to demand the immediate release of the detainees. The poster is printed with the signature: “Herut Movement – Founded by the Irgun Zvai Leumi.”
The historical context and year of publication of this poster are directly tied to the political and military upheaval of the summer of 1948, only weeks after the declaration of Israeli independence. On June 20–21, 1948, following the arrival of the Irgun arms and immigrant ship Altalena and the tragic exchange of fire off the coast, government and army forces launched widespread arrests of Irgun commanders and members throughout the country. The five individuals named on the poster were among the organization’s senior leaders: Yaakov Meridor was Deputy Commander of the Irgun; Eliyahu Lankin commanded the Altalena itself; and Hillel Kook (Peter Bergson) headed much of the organization’s activity in the United States. They were arrested in Tiberias and Beit She’an and held at the Beit She’an detention camp (later transferred to Jalameh) under the British Mandate Emergency Regulations, which had been adopted by the new Israeli government. The administrative detention without trial of these former underground leaders provoked widespread outrage among supporters of the political right, leading the detainees to embark upon a prolonged hunger strike in protest against the denial of their liberty. During these very months, in July and August 1948, Menachem Begin was transforming the Irgun from a military underground organization into a legal political party within the new state—the Herut Movement, whose name appears on this poster. The public campaign for the release of the five detainees, who were ultimately freed in August 1948, became one of the new movement’s first major political and propaganda campaigns against the government of David Ben-Gurion.
Beyond its historical significance, Irgun posters printed entirely in red ink are considered extremely rare. This example is not recorded in the National Library of Israel’s poster collection. That collection contains a different version of this poster, printed in black and red ink with textual variations. See record no. 997003304720405171 (the original held by the Jabotinsky Institute).
Size: 95 × 62 cm. Fold marks. Minor tears. Reinforced with paper repairs on the verso. Good condition.
“Telegram Sent on the 23rd of Elul, 5704” – Rare broadside designed in the form of a TELEGRAM, addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Church in London, calling upon him to forbid British policemen of the Anglican faith from participating in violent incursions into the Western Wall Plaza during Yom Kippur. September 11, 1944. Hebrew and English. Rare.
The broadside is addressed “To His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, ” in the name of “The Hebrews in Zion, Enslaved and Fighting”, a designation used by the Jewish underground movements, particularly the Irgun (Etzel), which was actively engaged in armed resistance against the British Mandate that year. It constitutes a forceful protest against the conduct of the British police at the Western Wall. According to the text, every year on Yom Kippur British policemen, most of them members of the Anglican Church – “burst into the Western Wall, the remnant of our Temple and the glory of our ancient kingdom, ” pushing Jewish worshippers, violating their dignity, and desecrating the sanctity of the day, the holy place, and the prayers. Invoking the principles of the monotheistic religions, the laws of humanity, and mourning over both the subjugation of the Land of Israel and the destruction of the Jewish people (against the backdrop of the Holocaust then unfolding in Europe), the authors appeal to the Archbishop, in his capacity as head of the Anglican Church, to forbid his faithful and the policemen under his spiritual authority from committing “this shocking act, unparalleled except in the deeds of the Nazis.”
Beginning in the late 1920s (particularly after the 1929 Palestine riots), the British authorities imposed increasingly restrictive and discriminatory regulations at the Western Wall in an effort to appease the Supreme Muslim Council. Jews were prohibited from erecting a partition between men and women, bringing benches or Torah arks to the site, and, most notably, from sounding the shofar at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. The ban on the shofar came to be regarded by the Jewish community and the Zionist movement as a profound national and religious humiliation. Beginning in 1930, members of the Betar youth movement and the Jewish underground organizations secretly smuggled shofars into the Western Wall plaza each Yom Kippur and sounded them publicly at the conclusion of the prayers. In response, armed British policemen would violently force their way into the crowd during the holy day or immediately afterward in an effort to arrest those who had sounded the shofar, confiscate the instruments, and disperse the gathering. The present “telegram, ” sent in September 1944 – only days before Yom Kippur of that year, formed part of a sophisticated campaign of psychological and public diplomacy conducted by the Hebrew underground. Rather than addressing the military authorities of the Mandate government in Palestine, the organization deliberately appealed directly to the highest spiritual authority of the British Empire in London. The striking comparison to Nazi atrocities was intended to shock British and international public opinion, while underscoring the irony that Britain was itself then at war with Nazi Germany. The message sought to make clear that the Jewish community in the Land of Israel would no longer tolerate the desecration of its holiest site in its own homeland.
[1] leaf. 20 × 15 cm. Very good condition.
Rare Irgun (Etzel) broadside, printed and distributed in Tevet 5707 (late December 1946), in which the organization claims responsibility for the flogging of British soldiers carried out in retaliation for the flogging sentence imposed on Irgun member Benjamin Kimchi. The broadside also accuses the British intelligence services of murdering Irgun member Ze’ev Epstein.
The first part of the broadside documents, in real time, one of the most famous and consequential episodes in the struggle of the Jewish underground, known as the “Night of the Beatings.” The text denounces the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Palestine, General Sir Evelyn Barker – described here as the “Nazi-British General”, who authorized the humiliating sentence of eighteen lashes to be administered to the young Irgun member Benjamin Kimchi in Jerusalem Central Prison. In direct and immediate retaliation, and in accordance with the organization’s earlier warning that “lashes will be answered with lashes, ” Irgun fighters abducted British officers and soldiers in Netanya, Tel Aviv, and Rishon LeZion two days later, administering eighteen lashes each to one British major and three sergeants. The broadside concludes this section with a stern warning that should the authorities again dare to violate the dignity and bodies of Hebrew fighters, the underground would no longer answer with the whip, but with fire, and that the honor of the Hebrew soldier would never again be humiliated in his own homeland. The incident, which stunned the British command and severely damaged its prestige, was followed shortly thereafter by the official abolition of corporal punishment throughout Mandatory Eretz Israel.
The second part of the broadside turns to the international arena, responding to an official report from Rome concerning the death of Irgun member Ze’ev Epstein, who was said by the Italian police to have been killed inside prison while attempting to escape. The Irgun categorically rejects the official Italian account, characterizing the incident as a deliberate murder intended to eliminate a political prisoner without trial. It directly accuses the British intelligence services of orchestrating the killing by allegedly employing local agents within the Italian police to carry out the covert assassination. The organization calls upon the Italian government to establish an independent commission of inquiry into the circumstances of Epstein’s death and declares that it will not rest until the truth behind what it describes as the murder in Rome has been fully exposed.
[1] leaf. 35×15 cm. Fold mark. Very good condition.
“The Rank-and-File Citizen!” – Militant protest broadside issued by the Irgun Zvai Leumi (Etzel) in the Land of Israel, distributed in Nisan 5707 (April 1947), calling upon the “rank-and-file citizen” to take part in active resistance against British rule rather than being satisfied with a mere “protest meeting” in response to the deportation of immigrant ships bound for the Land of Israel.
The broadside opens with the striking headline “The Rank-and-File Citizen!”, employing a deliberate psychological appeal intended to encourage the inhabitants of the country to challenge the official political leadership of the Jewish Agency and the Histadrut. It was published against the backdrop of the repeated interception of Aliyah Bet immigrant ships by the British Royal Navy and the forcible deportation of Holocaust survivors and other Jewish immigrants to the detention camps in Cyprus during those turbulent months. In this broadside, the Irgun sharply attacks the leaders of the official national institutions, derisively referring to them as “the shouters who swore that they would defend immigration under all circumstances.” It accuses them of passivity and of betraying their previous pledges by limiting their response to the organization of a toothless “protest meeting, ” which the authors characterize as a pattern of helpless Diaspora politics rather than the conduct of a nation fighting for its freedom in its own homeland. The underground movement calls upon the younger generation of the Yishuv to remain silent no longer in the face of the humiliation of the deportation of Holocaust survivors, to cease obeying leaders who advocate restraint, and to join the active armed struggle against British rule.
35 × 15 cm. Very good condition.
Official bilingual invitation (Hebrew and Arabic) to the ceremony marking the opening of the post office in the city of Gaza, held on December 10, 1956, sent to the “Postmaster, R. Gan” (possibly referring to the postal administration in Ramat Gan). Issued jointly by the “IDF Headquarters in the Gaza Area” (headed by the Military Governor) and the “Municipality of Gaza” (then headed by the local mayor, Rushdi al-Shawa, who cooperated with the IDF’s civil administration in governing the city). A rare item from the brief philatelic period in the Gaza Strip.
The invitation details the schedule of the opening ceremony: Monday, 6 Tevet 5717 (December 10, 1956), at precisely 11:00 a.m., in the courtyard of the Gaza Post Office. The body of the invitation states: “This invitation is personal and shall also serve as an entry permit to the city of Gaza.” At that time, the Gaza Strip was a closed military zone, and entry through the Erez crossing required special authorization. The sensitive situation in the Gaza Strip during those days is also reflected in the “Instructions” printed on the reverse of the invitation: “No commercial negotiations may be conducted, and nothing may be purchased within the Gaza area.” It is also stated that: “The invitee may bring for cancellation a reasonable number of envelopes solely for his personal needs (not for commercial purposes).” This provision reflected an awareness of the historical and philatelic significance of the occasion.
On October 29, 1956, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Kadesh. Within a few days, the army had captured the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, which until then had been under Egyptian rule. Following the end of the fighting, Israel established a military administration in the Gaza Strip under the command of Colonel Haim Gaon. Unlike Sinai, from which it was clear that Israel would soon withdraw under international pressure, there was at that time a political aspiration regarding the Gaza Strip – led by David Ben-Gurion – to retain the area under permanent or long-term Israeli control and to sever it from Egyptian influence. As part of this policy, the Israeli military administration began restoring and operating civilian life in the Gaza Strip: governmental institutions were established, municipal activities resumed, and, among other things, postal and communications services were restored. Approximately one month after the end of the fighting, on December 10, the official ceremony marking the opening of the post office was held. The reestablishment of postal services was a highly significant sovereign and public-relations measure. Postal operations in the Gaza Strip were placed under the authority of Israel Post, and ordinary Israeli stamps (the Tribes of Israel series) or Egyptian stamps overprinted with Israeli markings were used there.
The Israeli attempt to establish permanent rule in Gaza in 1956 lasted only a few months. Under heavy pressure from U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, Israel was compelled to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip and Sinai in March 1957. The post office that had been established returned to Egyptian control, and this brief philatelic period (November 1956-March 1957) has remained one of the most sought-after and fascinating chapters in the postal history of the Land of Israel.
Folding invitation, 25 × 11 cm (open). Very good condition.
“This is a historic victory so great that it cannot be expressed in words…” – Battle Bulletin – Central Command, Thursday, 29 Iyar 5727 (June 8, 1967). Official battlefield bulletin marked “For Internal Distribution to IDF Soldiers Only, ” issued by the Central Command during the Six-Day War, printed just one day after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Western Wall. The bulletin contains a detailed contemporary account of the breakthrough to the Western Wall.
The front page bears a proclamation by Central Command General Uzi Narkiss, who solemnly and resolutely announces to his troops that Jerusalem, the City of David and Solomon, is now in the hands of the armies of Israel, and that beneath the shadow of the Western Wall the soldiers had sung Hatikvah that very morning while remembering the Israel Defense Forces personnel who had fallen in the battle for the city. Alongside a map identifying the gates of the Old City, the Temple Mount, and the Jewish Quarter, the bulletin features a vivid, first-hand report by the military correspondent under the title “The Crown of Jerusalem, ” as well as the moving column “The Great Moment at the Western Wall, ” signed by “Didi” (the poet and journalist Didi Menusi, who served as Central Command’s war correspondent during the conflict). These texts describe, in vivid detail, the daring breakthrough through the city walls, the collapse of the frontier that had divided Jerusalem for twenty years, and the emotional encounter of the battle-weary paratroopers and soldiers with the stones of the Western Wall:
“We passed through it by way of the gates that had been opened… Yes. Tears of emotion, the singing of Hatikvah; the Chief Military Rabbi arrived carrying a Torah scroll. The sounding of the shofar… Yet all these together cannot express what is taking place in the heart. For this is a historic victory so great that it cannot be expressed in words…”.
On the reverse, beneath the evocative headline “The Jewish Heart Salutes the Western Wall, ” three iconic photographs capture the first moments following the liberation of the site. The upper-right photograph shows senior headquarters and command officers saluting with profound reverence; behind them, affixed to the ancient stones of the wall, is a street sign from the British Mandate period bearing the street name in Arabic and English, accompanied by the quotation from Hatikvah: “So long as deep within the heart, the soul of a Jew yearns…” To the left is a photograph documenting the soldiers’ first prayer and salute before the massive stones of the Wall. At the bottom of the page appears an especially moving photograph of Central Command General Uzi Narkiss smiling as he receives a warm embrace and kiss from Rabbi Shlomo Goren, beneath the symbolic caption: “The Commanding General Receives a Kiss from Historic Jewry.”
The breakthrough into the Old City and the arrival at the Western Wall on June 7, 1967, marked an unprecedented emotional moment in which ancient history, bereavement, and the intensity of battle converged. The paratroopers of the 55th Brigade entered through the Lions’ Gate under heavy fire, and following Motta Gur’s iconic announcement, “The Temple Mount is in our hands!”, they hurried for the first time in nineteen years to the narrow, hidden alley leading to the Western Wall. There, battle-hardened soldiers who had only moments earlier lost comrades in the fierce fighting at Ammunition Hill broke down in tears, pressing themselves against the ancient stones in overwhelming emotion. The symbolic climax came with the arrival of the Chief Military Rabbi, Shlomo Goren, who sounded the shofar and recited the El Malei Rachamim memorial prayer in honor of the fallen.
[1] leaf (complete issue). Printed on both sides. Light fold marks. Good condition.
Early reply letter signed by David Ben-Gurion to Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan, written in response to Bar-Ilan’s protest over critical remarks Ben-Gurion had made about members of the Mizrachi movement. Signed by David Ben-Gurion. Sent on the official letterhead of the General Federation of Hebrew Workers in the Land of Israel (Histadrut). October 17, 1932. Accompanied by Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan’s strongly worded, typewritten letter.
Shortly before, during a meeting of the Vaad Leumi (Jewish National Council), Ben-Gurion had argued that the views of the Mizrachi representatives were not accepted and that their influence within the national movement was limited because they failed in matters “between man and his fellow man”—that is, in their ethical conduct toward others. Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan, who had been present at the meeting, promptly responded with a forceful letter vigorously challenging Ben-Gurion’s criticism. Among other arguments, Rabbi Bar-Ilan maintained that even if Ben-Gurion were correct in claiming that some members of Mizrachi did not sufficiently uphold ethical obligations toward their fellow human beings, this could not justify disregarding the views of Mizrachi’s representatives as a whole. As he wrote: “Have we not read, heard, and seen that even under the banner of unity, equality, freedom, and liberty, men have murdered and plundered? Yet because of such wicked individuals who have corrupted these ideals, are the noble, sincere, and worthy principles themselves to be rejected?” In the accompanying four-page letter, Rabbi Bar-Ilan develops this argument at length, systematically refuting Ben-Gurion’s assertions. (Rabbi Bar-Ilan’s letter is unsigned.)
In his reply, Ben-Gurion writes that “I feel that these matters touch the soul, ” apologizing that he cannot adequately express in writing everything he wishes to say on the subject. He adds that he would prefer to meet Rabbi Bar-Ilan in person, explaining:
“For it seems to me that this painful matter calls for a humane clarification—not through debate in a public meeting, but rather through the sincere desire of people who respect one another, despite their profound differences of opinion, and whom the great issues standing at the very summit of our people’s life nevertheless unite within one movement…”.
During the 1930s, at the height of the struggle over the character of the Jewish Yishuv, David Ben-Gurion voiced pointed and nuanced criticism of members of the Mizrachi movement. On the one hand, he regarded them as indispensable political partners in building the Zionist coalition and respected their commitment to the national cause. On the other, he sharply criticized what he perceived as their willingness to subordinate the interests of the emerging national institutions and the broader Zionist movement to narrow sectarian and religious demands.
[1] leaf. Typewritten on official stationery and signed by David Ben-Gurion. Filing holes. Good condition.
[4] typewritten leaves – Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan’s letter. Unsigned.
Netzach Israel, by David Ben-Gurion – the generations-long vision of the Jewish people in the eyes of the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Aynot Publishing House, 1964. Copy inscribed and signed by Ben-Gurion, who presented the book as a gift to a Bar Mitzvah boy in his own name and that of his wife Paula: “To Michael Levy on the occasion of your Bar Mitzvah, with blessings from Paula and David Ben-Gurion.”
“The Jewish State in our time is perhaps the only state in the world of which it can be said: In the beginning was the vision… The destruction of European Jewry, the rise of American Jewry, and the rebirth of the Jewish State – these are the great transformations that in our generation have changed the face of the Jewish people, its destiny, its status, and its future…” (from the book).
Ben-Gurion’s ״Netzach Israel״ is far more than a collection of occasional essays; it is the deepest philosophical and historiosophical manifesto he ever wrote. Here, Ben-Gurion attempted to unravel the secret of Jewish survival and to translate it into sovereign political power. Ben-Gurion opens the work with a question that has troubled historians for generations: how did a small and scattered people manage to survive suffering, persecution, and thousands of years of exile without territory or an army? The answer he offers does not rest upon a mystical miracle, but upon what he calls the “moral and spiritual superiority” of the people – a resilient inner strength that refused to submit to the physical laws of history. In his view, there is a direct connection between the moral vision of the biblical prophets and the spirit of modern pioneering; the pioneers who drained swamps and defended the borders were nothing less than the practical heirs of the ancient prophetic ethos. The true aim of Zionism, in his eyes, was not merely the establishment of a secure physical refuge from antisemitism, but a total revolution of consciousness – restoring the Jewish people to the stage of world history as a sovereign subject shaping its own destiny with its own hands, precisely as it had done in biblical times. From this rejection of exile, he develops in the book a firm and uncompromising Zionist position toward Diaspora Jewry. He makes clear that complete, creative, and truly free Jewish life can exist only within the borders of the sovereign state, and that the historical mission of the Diaspora is to devote itself to the process of the complete ingathering of the exiles.
In this book, Ben-Gurion seeks to present a vision for the years to come. In the important chapter, “The Enterprise of Our Generation and Its Mission, ” he writes that the young State of Israel must become a social, scientific, and moral model for the entire world – a society founded upon absolute justice, equality, and technological progress that will prove the righteousness of the Jewish path. To bring this cosmic vision down to the level of practical reality, Ben-Gurion grounds his conception in the geographical test of action – the conquest of the wilderness and the development of the Negev. In the book, the Negev is not merely an arid region, but rather the supreme human laboratory in which the younger generation is put to the test. There, in the face of the expanses of the desert, the pioneering spirit is expected to demonstrate its ability to transform a strategic disadvantage into a geographical and economic advantage, and to infuse the concept of Netzach Israel with concrete, physical, and spiritual meaning. In this chapter, Ben-Gurion also devotes several passages to the Declaration of Independence and its treatment of the Arab minority. Ben-Gurion completed the book at Sde Boker, although parts of it had already been written during the 1950s and were published in the Government Yearbook in 1954.
522 pages. A complete copy with the original dust jacket; wear and minor tears to the dust jacket. Good condition.
Letter signed by Menachem Begin to Rabbi Bezalel Cohen, Chairman of the World Mizrachi Organization. Jerusalem, August 9, 1963.
In his letter, Begin thanks Rabbi Cohen for a previous letter and for his warm words, adding: “May our eyes yet behold the complete redemption – the aspiration of the People of Israel throughout the generations.” At the time, Menachem Begin was serving as a Member of Knesset on behalf of the Herut Movement and as Leader of the Opposition in the Fifth Knesset, facing Israel’s Twelfth Government under Prime Minister Levi Eshkol.
[1] leaf. Official Knesset letterhead. Filing holes. Good condition.
Issue of the American weekly Time magazine dated May 30, 1977, featuring an extensive cover story on Menachem Begin following his election victory one week earlier. Copy signed by Begin on the front cover.
On May 17, 1977, elections were held for the Ninth Knesset, in which Begin led a right-wing party to victory for the first time in the history of the State of Israel, in what became known as “the Upheaval.” The cover story, written by Spencer Davidson, examines Begin as a political figure and the implications of his election victory for the peace process, U.S.-Israel relations, and the Palestinian issue. The cover features an illustrated portrait of Menachem Begin against the backdrop of a map of the Land of Israel, created by the artist Jim Sharpe. The main cover headline reads: “ISRAEL: TROUBLE IN THE PROMISED LAND.”
“In a startling upset, Begin’s Likud coalition last week became the dominant bloc in Israel’s parliament, replacing the shattered and scandal-ridden Labor Alignment that had governed the Jewish state since its founding in 1948. Likud’s hawkish campaign slogan was ‘Israeli sovereignty between the Mediterranean and the Jordan’… Begin’s unexpected rise to power not only transformed Israel’s domestic politics, but also suddenly raised serious questions about the prospects for new steps toward a Middle East peace settlement, ” the article states.
The writer expresses deep admiration for the determination Begin displayed throughout the election campaign despite suffering a heart attack at its outset. He describes the astonishment that swept through the corridors of the White House upon learning of Begin’s victory, where officials had been convinced that his chances of winning were very slim. The article also analyzes the election results by party and surveys the international reactions to the unexpected outcome.
76 pages. Complete issue. Good condition.