Auction 64- Jewish and Israeli History and Culture
Most of the greetings are written on letterhead stationery or on calling cards, and some are telegrams sent to him. The volume includes, among others, greetings from Menachem Ussishkin; Alexander Zueskind Rabinovich; Asher Barash; the author Hemda Ben-Yehudah; the artist Joseph Budko; the author Avraham Kahana; the poet Emnauel Harussi; Dov Hoz; "Keren HaYessod" and JNF representatives; the staff of the Tel-Aviv zoo; as well as greetings from industrialists, physicians, engineers and acquaintances who immigrated from Germany.
Bound at the end of the volume are about 60 printed paper items related to Loewe's birthday: invitation to an evening led by Loewe, booklets printed in his honor and newspaper clippings with articles about him.
Pasted on the spine is a leather strip, gilt lettered: Heinrich Loewe, Eliakim Ben Yehudah, 70 Geburtstag, 11.7.39.
Enclosed: thirteen paper items, printed and written by hand, related to Heinrich Loewe (some from later periods).
Approx. 360 greetings. Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Bound volume: approx. 30.5 cm. Binding slightly worn.
"HaMered", memoirs of Menachem Begin. Elegant edition. A metal plaque – the emblem of Etzel (Irgun) – is set on the front cover. A photocopy of a letter of dedication by Begin from 1950 is pasted to the front flyleaf.
Signed by Begin on the title page: "with a greeting of victory, M. Begin".
514, [6] pp + [7] photograph plates, 20.5 cm. Good condition. Stains (most leaves are clean). Minor blemishes and creases. Tear at the margins of the leaf preceding the title page. Minor blemishes and tears to margins of binding and spine.
Provenance: Rimon Family Collection.
The volume contains:
• The 28th Zionist Congress, 18-27 January 1972, Binyanei Haooma Jerusalem. Published by The Press and Public Relations Bureau of the World Zionist Organization, Tel-Aviv, [1972]. English.
A booklet published for the 28th Zionist Congress with a survey about the history of the Zionist movement and its future projects.
• Excerpts describing the days of the Declaration of the State of Israel out of the book "Three Days" by Ze'ev Sherf (Am Oved publishing, 1959).
• Scroll of Independence signed by the Provisional State Council members – printed facsimile of the signed scroll, hand-signed in pen by David Ben-Gurion. Pasted on vellum-like leaves, alongside the Scroll of Independence, are stamps with portraits of Moshe Sharett, Levi Eshkol, Yitzchak Ben-Zvi and David Ben-Gurion (with "First Day" postmark and "Midreshet Sde Boker 5.11.74" postmark) and a souvenir sheet in honor of the 25th Independence Day, with "Scroll of Independence" stamp (with "First day" postmark and "25 years to the Declaration of Independence" postmarks, 1973).
• Photograph of David Ben-Gurion reading the Scroll of Independence with two stamps on the side – "thy children shall come again to their own border" (Hebrew) with portraits of Chaim Weizmann and Lord Balfour – issued on the occasion of the Balfour Declaration Jubilee (1967).
[16] leaves, 21.5 cm. Hard cover. Good condition. Some tears to tissue guards. Stains. Some blemishes to joint between endpapers and the body of the book.
"We remember with sorrow… Ephraim Zalman Margalit who fell in the line of duty… the Government of Israel, IDF and the Jewish nation will always remember with pride and love Ephraim Zalman who loyally fulfilled his duty to protect the homeland".
14X17 cm. Good condition. Some stains.
Items include:
• Eight handwritten letters, some written on stationery of the "Avraham Group" from Kfar Etzion, sent by Avraham to his wife Ruhama in the course of the war. The letters were sent to the Ratisbonne Monastery (to which women and children from the village were evacuated), and mention, among other issues: lack of supplies, observance of kashrut in wartime, false news items on English radio broadcasts, the birth of Avraham's daughter Ziona during the war, work on the Sabbath during the war, a letter as a "sign of life" after a heavy battle and other subjects.
• "The Fallen of Gush Etzion, May G-d Avenge Their Blood", leaf printed with the names of the fallen in the defense of Gush Etzion, according to dates of the battles. The last date appearing on the leaf is May 4, 1948, about ten days prior to the end of hostilities and the surrender of Gush Etzion. Possibly, the leaf was printed during the war.
• Handwritten document on parchment with the signature of David Ben-Gurion – letter of condolences to the family: "We hereby notify you with deep sorrow that Avraham Fishgrund, O.B.M., fell while on duty on 4 Iyar 1948…".
• Certificate, printed and handwritten on thick paper, attesting that Avraham's name has been "written in the Torah scroll commemorating the fallen in the War of Independence". Appearing at the bottom of the document, in handwriting, is the verse in which Avraham's name was commemorated: "And G-d said to Abraham, 'As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations'" [Genesis 17:9], with decorations above the letters of the name "Abraham". Issued on Memorial Day, 1954.
• Official documents, permits, a photocopied passport and other items.
Enclosed are two envelopes.
Avraham Fishgrund (1920-1948) was a member of the national-religious settlement group called the "Avraham Group", a fighter in the Palmah paramilitary force and commander of Kfar Eztion during the War of Independence. During the war his wife, Ruhama, was evacuated to Ratisbonne Monastery where she gave birth to their daughter, Ziona. After many months of battles and fatalities, on May 13, 1948, a decision was taken to surrender, with Avraham taking upon himself the task of leading the negotiations. As he approached the enemy, the latter opened fire and Avraham was killed instantly.
Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Stains, creases and folding marks. Small holes to margins of two items. Open tear to one of the letters.
Withdrawn.
Approximately 400 letters, documents and paper items, belonging to Isser Pen, financial advisor to Chief of Staff and head of Supply Wing in the Ministry of Defense. Haifa, Tel-Aviv, Paris, London and other locations. Late 1940s to mid 1960s (a number of items from later years). Hebrew, some French and English.
The collection includes:
• Dozens of letters from leaders and military figures, among them: a letter signed by David Ben-Gurion, typewritten on official stationery of "State of Israel, Defense Minister Office", dated 29.2.1953; notice of appointment of Ya'akov Dori, first IDF Chief of Staff; Two notices of appointment and three letters signed by hand by Yigael Yadin, second IDF Chief of Staff; five letters hand-signed by Mordechai Maklef, third IDF Chief of Staff; two notices hand-signed by Moshe Dayan, fourth IDF Chief of Staff; as well as letters from deputy Chief of Staff Yosef Avidor, Head of Medical Corps Avraham Atzmon, Chief Communications officer Yitzchak Almog, Commander of Intelligence Binyamin Gibli, David Ben-Gurion's military adjutant Nehemia Argov, and others.
• About 20 letters and paper items from the Independence War period: two notices of appointment dated 16.4.1948, assigning Pen the task of "managing all wireless communication in the Haifa region"; two certificates of exemption from duty (different from each other), awarded to Penn in May-June, 1948. One ink-stamped with the "Haganah Haifa Headquarters" stamp and the other ink-stamped with the "Va'adat HaMatzav" stamp; "Urgent" letter, dated 24.11.1948, sent to Penn on behalf of Moshe Carmel, commander of north front. Appointment as investigation committee member to "investigate the horrible actions executed during Operation Hiram", and more.
• Dozens of letters and documents documenting Penn's role in acquisition operations in the 1950s, among them eight letters from Shimon Peres (then Director General of Ministry of Defense).
• Other items.
Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition.
Withdrawn.
Approximately 260 letters hand-signed by Israeli politicians, military and public figures, sent to the diplomat and ambassador Shimshon Arad. Ca. 1960s to 1990s (most are from the 1960s). Hebrew (a number of letters in English).
The collection contains, among other things letters from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion; Prime Minister Moshe Sharett; Chiefs of Staff Moshe Dayan, Yigael Yadin and Haim Bar Lev; politicians and ministers Abba Eban, Pinchas Sapir, Shimon Peres, Teddy Kollek, David Hacohen, Beba Idelson, Yosef (Tommy) Lapid and others; Uzi Narkiss, head of the Central Command during the Six Day War; Mordechai Hod, commander of the Israeli Air Force during the Six Day War; Meir Amit, head of the Mossad; Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar; Gavriel Tsifroni, CEO of Habima Theatre; Moshe Zak and Shalom Rosenfeld, editors-in-chief of Maariv; author and translator Aharon Amir; and others.
The letters, which are handwritten or typewritten (many of them on official stationery), deal with a variety of personal and public subjects: the question of the territories; David Ben-Gurion's resignation from the Mapai party; the changing of generations in the Labor movement; the religious splinter groups joining Likud; the form of government in Israel; the presidential elections in the United States; Jewish communities throughout the world; the relations between Israel and other countries worldwide; and more.
Shimshon Arad (1923-2015) joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1948. He held high-ranking positions in embassies in the United States and was later named Israel's ambassador to Mexico City and The Hague. He retired from public service in 1973.
Enclosed: Camp David – The Unfinished Business by Abba Eban, United States, 1978. Printout from the periodical Foreign Affairs, hand-signed by Abba Eban.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
Caricature by Ze'ev for his section "Al Kol Panim" (in the Friday supplement of "HaAretz" daily newspaper), reflecting the atmosphere and balance of powers in Israel and the world in the days following the Yom Kippur war.
Prime Minister Golda Meir as a basketball coach appears in the center, dressed in sports shoes with a Star of David and a sweat suit with the State of Israel emblem. Sitting on the bench are the team members: Abba Eban, Yigal Alon, Pinchas Sapir, Israel Galili, Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Gad Ya'akobi, Haim Yosef Zadok, Yitzchak Rabin, Haim Bar-Lev and two more members. To the side – Dr. Yosef Burg, Moshe Kol and Menachem Begin.
On the other side are the opponents: Leonid Brezhnev, Anwar Sadat, King Hussein of Jordan and Henry Kissinger – representing the USSR, Egypt, Jordan and the USA. President of Syria Hafez-el-Assad is missing, and only his shoes and undershirt are there; on a further bench appear PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Japan, France and England. The Referee is Kurt Waldheim, UN Secretary General during the Yom Kippur War.
The caricature is signed by all the Israeli personalities who appear in it. It is also signed by Henry Kissinger. Printed on the bottom left corner is a note by Mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek, certifying that all the signatures are original and that every member of the "Israeli Team" personally signed on the illustration. The note was signed in February 1976.
"Ze'ev" (Ya'akov Farkash, 1923-2002) was one of the greatest Israeli illustrators and caricaturists and a recipient of the Israel Prize. Well known for his minimalistic illustrations, based on symbols or prominent characteristics of the figures he drew. His illustrations transmitted with excellence the nature and spirit of the figures he drew. Ze'ev was born in Budapest and started painting at a young age, even though he was color-blind. During World War II he was sent to the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps. He tried to immigrate to Palestine after the war but was deported to a detention camp in Cyprus. He finally arrived in Palestine in 1947 and participated in the War of Independence battle in Latroun. In 1952, with the assistance of Ephraim Kishon, Ze'ev started to work as a caricaturist for the "Ma'ariv" daily newspaper; over the years he also drew caricatures for "Devar HaShavu'a" and "HaAretz" newspapers. Ze'ev worked also for foreign newspapers and illustrated dozens of books.
69X47 cm, framed: 85X64 cm. Good condition. Some signatures are faded. Slight dampstains on the right side. Minor blemishes and stains.
"6,000,000 Accusers", Gideon Hausner's opening speech at the Eichmann trial, translated and edited by Shabtai Rosenne. This copy belonged to Hausner and it bears his signature, in English, on the half-title page: "Gideon Hausner / Jerusalem, March 8, 1965". Pasted to the book's endpapers are newspaper clippings, including a caricature on the subject of the Eichmann trial and an essay titled "Eichmann Hanged"; both were published in the Jerusalem Post newspaper (1961-1962).
Adolf Eichmann, a senior member of the SS and one of the key figures of the "Final Solution" plan intended to exterminate the Jews of Europe, was tried in Israel in 1961. Jurist Gideon Hausner (1915-1990), then Attorney General, was appointed main prosecutor in the trial and became the figure most identified with the Israeli prosecution. The trial, conducted in the presence of hundreds of reporters and broadcast in part on Kol Israel, resonated throughout Israel and worldwide. It presented for the first time the testimonies of hundreds of victims, and is considered a landmark event shaping the memory of the Holocaust.
Hausner's long opening speech was particularly memorable. In it he presented the entire process of the extermination of Europe's Jews, citing endless documents and testimonies, numerical data, names of German officers and officials, destroyed communities and even poems written by victims.
316 pp + [12] photographic plates, 21 cm. Good overall condition. Former library copy (library stamps, paper stickers on front endpapers and binding). Some stains and blemishes. Minor blemishes to binding.
Withdrawn.
Collection of paper items, handwritten and printed, from the estate of the Israeli diplomat Abba Eban. Late 1940s-1990s. English and some Hebrew.
• Dozens of printed and handwritten drafts, for speeches, lectures and essays composed by Eban. Among them: declaration delivered to the UN security council on May 28, 1948 (a fortnight after the establishment of the State of Israel), concerning a proposal for cease fire in the Independence War; another declaration delivered to the UN security council dated July 14, 1948, regarding the battles of the ten days and the call to cease fire; draft of a speech, composed, most probably, shortly after the Yom Kippur War, calling to use the "Historic Opportunity" and start negotiations with the Arabs; as well as essays about the peace process, Gaza and the West Bank, strategies of negotiations and bargaining, the borders of Israel, the peace process, Jewish history and other subjects.
Some of the drafts encompass dozens of pages, and in many of them appear comments, additions and deletions by hand.
• Manuscript, printed and spiral-bound, of a book titled "Reflections on the New Diplomacy" by Eban (apparently the book was eventually published under the title "Diplomacy for the Next Century" by Yale University Press, New Haven, 1998).
• Fifteen books, most of them with signatures and dedications to and from Eban and a minority with handwritten comments (on notes attached to leaves). Among the books: A New Spirit, A New Commitment, A New America, by US President Jimmy Carter. A copy inscribed by the author; "The Temple Mount is in our Hands!" by Chief of Staff Mota Gur. A copy inscribed by the author; Jacques Lipchitz, His Sculpture, monograph of the sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, with a dedication in his handwriting; and more.
• Other paper items, including five booklets with Eban's speeches, a postal envelope in honor of "The peace treaty Israel-Egypt, March 26, 1979"; a typewritten draft – a complete English translation by Eban of the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles; and more.
Enclosed: a vinyl record, painted in gold, with a plaque with Israel's emblem, the UN emblem and the inscription "A Recording of the Vote on Israel Admission to the United Nations".
Approx. 100 items. Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.