Lot 159
Collection of Letters and Paper Items - Council of the Ashkenasic Jewish Community of Jerusalem - First Half of the 20th Century
About 100 letters, documents and paper items, mostly printed, that belonged to the "Council (Waad Hair) of the Ashkenasic Jewish Community, Jerusalem". Jerusalem, New York, Geneva and elsewhere, early 1920s to early 1950s. English, some German and some Hebrew.
The "Council of the Ashkenasic Jewish Community, Jerusalem" (today the Orthodox Council of Jerusalem) was founded in the early 1920s on the initiative of Rabbi Yosef Hayim Sonenfeld, in light of the community's opposition to the Zionist institutions and the appointment of Rabbi Kook as Jerusalem's chief rabbi. While it was active, the Council followed a policy of radical separatism and sought to achieve the recognition of the British Mandate authorities and international bodies. The present collection includes documentation of the council's activities during its first decades. Items include:
* Memorandum, submitted to His Majesty's secretary of state for the colonies, when on a visit in Palestine on April 24th, 1925 - memorandum typewritten on official stationery, addressed to the English Minister of the Colonies Leo Amery with a request not to subject the Haredi Community to the authority of the Zionist organizations.
* Copy of a letter, typewritten, addressed to Arthur James Balfour with a request to act for the rights of the Haredi community and separate it from the Zionist institutions.
* Copy of a letter from April 29, 1928, addressed to the League of Nations, with a request to assist the community in achieving recognition as a separate entity.
* Statement By The Orthodox Community, Presented To The Anglo American Committee of Enquiry For Palestine, Jerusalem, 1946. Booklet on behalf of the Orthodox Council of Jerusalem, presented to the Anglo-American Committee of Enquiry for Palestine, containing a report on the condition of the Jews, opposition to the establishment of a secular Jewish state, recommendations for limiting immigration and other matters.
* Numerous letters sent to the Council (many from Jewish communities in the U.S.), items concerning donations to "Kupat Ha-Rabbanim", the issue of divorce documents, the will of Sima Balilius and other matters.
Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Creases, stains, tears and open tears (mostly small, to margins). Folding marks and filing holes to some of the items.
