“Here we confirm that we found the above Steinfeld Haim … is a very poor creature, and therefore we will ask the public to consider it in order to prevent unpleasant, Thank you in advance, chairing the National Poor Society Slumiel Batlani”. Date: 2/5/1967
We must say that when this certificate arrived at the auction house, we looked at it as something of a comic for Purim and the like. Both because of the issue and the names (Shlomiel Battlani, Little Horse Street), but after inquiring and checking, we were surprised to know that a “Poor Certificate” was indeed a Certificate issued by the Poor, to Poor People who were “entitled” to it according to the standards set by it, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. The people who received this certificate were entitled to different preferences such as: not to wait in line at the various state services, to be first on the bus, etc. We even heard from a man who testified that his father had a “poor certificate”, and also can find various ‘poor certificates’ on the websites. However, we do not commit that the certificate before us is indeed a certificate used for the ‘poor’ photographed, and may have been published as a cartoon card. Either way, before us, a very interesting and unusual item.
Size [open]: 17×11 cm. Very good condition.
