Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
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Displaying 13 - 24 of 28
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $20,000
Estimate: $100,000 - $200,000
Sold for: $25,000
Including buyer's premium
Parashiot (parchment scrolls inscribed with biblical passages) and batim (leather boxes) of tefillin – the parashiot were written by R. David of Anipoli, Sofer (scribe) of the Maggid of Mezeritch and his disciples. [Anipoli (Hannopil), 18th century]. The parashiot and batim belonged to Rebbe Yitzchak of Skver, who left them to his descendants.
Pair of tefillin shel rosh and shel yad, following Rashi's opinion – (open) batim, with parashiot in Arizal script. The parashiot were written by R. David of Anipoli – Sofer of great Chassidic leaders, who also wrote the tefillin of his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, those of the holy brothers R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and R. Zusha of Anipoli (who related in the name of R. David, that the reason he charges such a high price for his parashiot, is because "I am always scrupulous to write the parashiot with intense, uninterrupted concentration"), as well as tefillin and a mezuzah for R. Pinchas of Korets and his sons (which were cherished by R. Pinchas of Korets, "who held his tefillin in high regard"), a Torah scroll for R. Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl author of Meor Einayim, and holy articles for other Chassidic leaders (for further details, see below).
The handwriting of the parashiot was identified as that of R. David of Anipoli by R. David Leib Greenfield of the United States, founder and president of Vaad Mishmereth STaM HaOlami, expert on the Stam script writings of Sofrim revered by the early Chassidic leaders, and author of several important and basic books on the laws of scribal writing (enclosed are reports from Rabbi Greenfield, attesting to the identity of the Sofer and the validity of the tefillin).
According to the testimony of R. Aharon Twersky of Jerusalem, this set of tefillin - the batim and parashiot, were handed down from one generation to another in the Twersky family, as an inheritance from their ancestor, first Rebbe of the Skver dynasty, R. Yitzchak Twersky, son of Rebbe Mordechai of Chernobyl. According to the family tradition, relayed to him by his father R. Shlomo, Rebbe Yitzchak left these tefillin to his son Rebbe David, who left them to his son R. Aharon, and then to R. Shlomo (enclosed is a testimony of R. Aharon Twersky regarding this tradition). The rebbes of the Skver dynasty would don tefillin prepared by illustrious Tzaddikim, and holy articles attributed to the Sofrim of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples are preserved in the Skver court (see below).
The Sofer R. David son of R. Moshe Yitzchak HaLevi of Anipoli and Chechelnik (18th century – Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, p. 477) was a close disciple of R. Dov Ber – the great Maggid of Mezeritch (some even say that R. David was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. His name is mentioned in Shivchei HaBaal Shem Tov, Rubinstein edition, p. 198). He was known as the Sofer of the leading Tzaddikim of the first generation of Chassidut. Reputedly, R. David learned the art of scribal writing following the entreaties of his teacher, the Maggid, who repeatedly asked him to study this skill. R. David replied that he is willing to study it on condition that his teacher hands over to him the "kavanot of the holy names". The Maggid hence asked his senior disciple, R. Shlomo Lutsker, author of Dibrat Shlomo, to teach R. David the kavanot. According to Chassidic lore, R. Shlomo Lutsker went with him "out to the field, and taught him", and from when he began writing, "his work was cherished by Tzaddikim, disciples of the Maggid" (Kehal Chassidim HaChadash, Lemberg 1902, p. 11). R. David wrote parashiot of tefillin and mezuzot for foremost Chassidic leaders: his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, R. Pinchas of Korets and his sons, the holy brothers R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and R. Zusha of Anipoli, and Rebbe Moshe of Savran. It is reported that R. Pinchas of Korets "held his Tefillin in high regard" (Imrei Pinchas HaShalem, I, p. 215). R. Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl (grandfather of Rebbe Yitzchak of Skver) paid R. David to sit in his home in Chernobyl for an entire year and write a Torah scroll on his behalf. In Erchei Yehoshua (p. 232) it is brought: "Our teacher (Rebbe Yehoshua of Monastyrshchina) was meticulous to seek parashiot of tefillin written by foremost Tzaddikim, disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, and especially those written by R. David of Anipoli who was the Sofer of our grandfather R. Pinchas of Korets". Reputedly, R. Pinchas of Korets was not initially aware of R. David's preeminence, until he dreamt about him, and thereby realized the extent of R. David's holiness. It is also retold that R. David informed the brothers R. Elimelech and R. Zusha, that the reason he demands such a high price for the parashiot he writes is because "I am always scrupulous to write the parashiot with intense, uninterrupted concentration", and whenever a foreign thought disrupted his focus whilst writing, he would refrain from selling those parashiot, which generated double work (Maamar Mordechai, Slonim, Maarechet R. David MeAnipoli, I).
It is related regarding R. David's exceptional holiness, that he once explained his practice of breaking ice and immersing in the freezing water, as follows: "…I feel that my heart and soul burn within me like a furnace, I am but one great fire of holiness, and I fear lest I be consumed from the intensity of the heavenly holiness, therefore I immerse in freezing water, to cool down somewhat my lofty fervor…" (Maamar Mordechai, Slonim, p. 30). R. David was buried in Anipoli near his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, alongside R. Zusha of Anipoli and R. Yehuda Leib author of Or HaGanuz.
Rebbe Yitzchak Twersky of Skver (1812-1885), son of the maggid R. Mordechai of Chernobyl, and progenitor of the Skver dynasty. After his father's passing in 1837, he cleaved to his older brother, Rebbe Aharon of Chernobyl, and became his close disciple. In 1848, following the demise of his father-in-law R. Naftali Tzvi Rabbi of Skver (Skvyra), he began guiding his followers, and became one of the prominent and renowned leaders of Ukrainian Jewry, and a rebbe to thousands of Chassidim. R. Yitzchak was the seventh son of the eight illustrious sons of R. Mordechai of Chernobyl. The latter stated: "I and my sons descended to this world to repair the souls of the dead and of the living" (R. Yeshaya Wolf Tzikernik – disciple of R. Yitzchak of Skver, Sipurim Nifla'im UMaamarim Yekarim, Lviv 1908, p. 6). Rebbe Aharon of Belz would speak of the brothers' exceptional holiness in effusive terms, and stated in the name of his father Rebbe Yissachar Dov: "We cannot conceive the magnitude of their stature", and once, when R. Aharon of Belz mentioned them, his hands shook, and he exclaimed: "They were truly angels… entirely angels…". He attested regarding Rebbe Yitzchak: "He stood in the breach against the recently emerging innovations" (Beito Naava Kodesh, Nissan, pp. 123-124). When R. Yitzchak was born, his father testified that the soul of R. Yishmael Kohen Gadol rested within him. The Rebbe of Skver was reputed in his times for his wisdom, brilliance and exalted character traits, even amongst maskilim and ministers of the Russian government.
Rebbe Yitzchak Twersky was a leading and faithful transmitter of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezeritch and their disciples, and he is the source of numerous traditions, oral teachings and practices regarding them, many of which were printed in the series of his disciple, R. Yeshaya Wolf Tzikernik. Rebbe Yitzchak reached this position through his illustrious lineage from all sides: his paternal grandfather was the Meor Einayim – a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, his maternal grandfather was R. David Leikes – disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. Furthermore, in his second marriage, he was the son-in-law of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, and in his third marriage, of R. Naftali Tzvi Rabbi of Skver – great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, and son of R. Aharon of Titayov.
Rebbe Yitzchak of Skver particularly cherished the holy articles of great Tzaddikim, especially Torah scrolls and tefillin written by the Sofrim of leading Tzaddikim of the first generation of Chassidut, such as R. Efraim of Brody, R. Tzvi Sofer and R. David of Anipoli (who scribed these parashiot), and he would purchase them for huge sums of money. In his Beit Midrash, there was a Torah scroll of the Baal Shem Tov, written by R. Tzvi, the Sofer of the Baal Shem Tov, and he once stated: "It is worth travelling eighty leagues for the merit of having an aliya before this holy Torah scroll". He also possessed the Tikun Sofrim of the Baal Shem Tov, on which R. Tzvi Sofer based that Torah scroll. This Tikun Sofrim cost the Rebbe of Skver a dowry of one thousand rubles. Likewise, he owned the Sefer HaTzoref handwritten by the kabbalist R. Eliyahu Tzoref, which previously belonged to the Baal Shem Tov. It is also recorded that "The Rebbe of Skver inherited the Tefillin of the Baal Shem Tov. He once gave them in to be inspected, and the Sofer informed him that they were invalid, and not repairable. The Rebbe of Skver then took the tefillin back and restored them himself…" (R. Avraham Yitzchak Bromberg, MiGedolei HaTorah VehaChassidut, Jerusalem 1956, IX, p. 21). Throughout the generations, rebbes of Skver and their sons were accustomed to only donning Tefillin prepared by illustrious Tzaddikim, and until this day, the courts of the various branches of Skver hold tefillin, Torah scrolls and dozens of holy articles attributed to the Sofrim who were held in high regard by the early Chassidic leaders.
Height of parchment scrolls – parashiot of arm-tefilla: 44 mm; parashiot of head-tefilla: 40 mm. Original tefillin batim (open): 47X47 mm. Size of base: 87X66 mm. Height of batim (excluding base): 46 mm. Good-fair condition. The ink of the parashiot is dark brown (though according to the enclosed report, they are fit to be donned with a blessing – see below). Without straps. The edges of the batim were repainted. New plastic protective cases (not covering the base of the batim). Placed in a new velvet pouch.
Enclosed with the tefillin is a special report from R. Greenfield, certifying that despite their age, they are still kosher and suitable to be donned with a blessing (for further halachic study, see references in Hebrew description).
Pair of tefillin shel rosh and shel yad, following Rashi's opinion – (open) batim, with parashiot in Arizal script. The parashiot were written by R. David of Anipoli – Sofer of great Chassidic leaders, who also wrote the tefillin of his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, those of the holy brothers R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and R. Zusha of Anipoli (who related in the name of R. David, that the reason he charges such a high price for his parashiot, is because "I am always scrupulous to write the parashiot with intense, uninterrupted concentration"), as well as tefillin and a mezuzah for R. Pinchas of Korets and his sons (which were cherished by R. Pinchas of Korets, "who held his tefillin in high regard"), a Torah scroll for R. Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl author of Meor Einayim, and holy articles for other Chassidic leaders (for further details, see below).
The handwriting of the parashiot was identified as that of R. David of Anipoli by R. David Leib Greenfield of the United States, founder and president of Vaad Mishmereth STaM HaOlami, expert on the Stam script writings of Sofrim revered by the early Chassidic leaders, and author of several important and basic books on the laws of scribal writing (enclosed are reports from Rabbi Greenfield, attesting to the identity of the Sofer and the validity of the tefillin).
According to the testimony of R. Aharon Twersky of Jerusalem, this set of tefillin - the batim and parashiot, were handed down from one generation to another in the Twersky family, as an inheritance from their ancestor, first Rebbe of the Skver dynasty, R. Yitzchak Twersky, son of Rebbe Mordechai of Chernobyl. According to the family tradition, relayed to him by his father R. Shlomo, Rebbe Yitzchak left these tefillin to his son Rebbe David, who left them to his son R. Aharon, and then to R. Shlomo (enclosed is a testimony of R. Aharon Twersky regarding this tradition). The rebbes of the Skver dynasty would don tefillin prepared by illustrious Tzaddikim, and holy articles attributed to the Sofrim of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciples are preserved in the Skver court (see below).
The Sofer R. David son of R. Moshe Yitzchak HaLevi of Anipoli and Chechelnik (18th century – Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, I, p. 477) was a close disciple of R. Dov Ber – the great Maggid of Mezeritch (some even say that R. David was a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. His name is mentioned in Shivchei HaBaal Shem Tov, Rubinstein edition, p. 198). He was known as the Sofer of the leading Tzaddikim of the first generation of Chassidut. Reputedly, R. David learned the art of scribal writing following the entreaties of his teacher, the Maggid, who repeatedly asked him to study this skill. R. David replied that he is willing to study it on condition that his teacher hands over to him the "kavanot of the holy names". The Maggid hence asked his senior disciple, R. Shlomo Lutsker, author of Dibrat Shlomo, to teach R. David the kavanot. According to Chassidic lore, R. Shlomo Lutsker went with him "out to the field, and taught him", and from when he began writing, "his work was cherished by Tzaddikim, disciples of the Maggid" (Kehal Chassidim HaChadash, Lemberg 1902, p. 11). R. David wrote parashiot of tefillin and mezuzot for foremost Chassidic leaders: his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, R. Pinchas of Korets and his sons, the holy brothers R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and R. Zusha of Anipoli, and Rebbe Moshe of Savran. It is reported that R. Pinchas of Korets "held his Tefillin in high regard" (Imrei Pinchas HaShalem, I, p. 215). R. Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl (grandfather of Rebbe Yitzchak of Skver) paid R. David to sit in his home in Chernobyl for an entire year and write a Torah scroll on his behalf. In Erchei Yehoshua (p. 232) it is brought: "Our teacher (Rebbe Yehoshua of Monastyrshchina) was meticulous to seek parashiot of tefillin written by foremost Tzaddikim, disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, and especially those written by R. David of Anipoli who was the Sofer of our grandfather R. Pinchas of Korets". Reputedly, R. Pinchas of Korets was not initially aware of R. David's preeminence, until he dreamt about him, and thereby realized the extent of R. David's holiness. It is also retold that R. David informed the brothers R. Elimelech and R. Zusha, that the reason he demands such a high price for the parashiot he writes is because "I am always scrupulous to write the parashiot with intense, uninterrupted concentration", and whenever a foreign thought disrupted his focus whilst writing, he would refrain from selling those parashiot, which generated double work (Maamar Mordechai, Slonim, Maarechet R. David MeAnipoli, I).
It is related regarding R. David's exceptional holiness, that he once explained his practice of breaking ice and immersing in the freezing water, as follows: "…I feel that my heart and soul burn within me like a furnace, I am but one great fire of holiness, and I fear lest I be consumed from the intensity of the heavenly holiness, therefore I immerse in freezing water, to cool down somewhat my lofty fervor…" (Maamar Mordechai, Slonim, p. 30). R. David was buried in Anipoli near his teacher the Maggid of Mezeritch, alongside R. Zusha of Anipoli and R. Yehuda Leib author of Or HaGanuz.
Rebbe Yitzchak Twersky of Skver (1812-1885), son of the maggid R. Mordechai of Chernobyl, and progenitor of the Skver dynasty. After his father's passing in 1837, he cleaved to his older brother, Rebbe Aharon of Chernobyl, and became his close disciple. In 1848, following the demise of his father-in-law R. Naftali Tzvi Rabbi of Skver (Skvyra), he began guiding his followers, and became one of the prominent and renowned leaders of Ukrainian Jewry, and a rebbe to thousands of Chassidim. R. Yitzchak was the seventh son of the eight illustrious sons of R. Mordechai of Chernobyl. The latter stated: "I and my sons descended to this world to repair the souls of the dead and of the living" (R. Yeshaya Wolf Tzikernik – disciple of R. Yitzchak of Skver, Sipurim Nifla'im UMaamarim Yekarim, Lviv 1908, p. 6). Rebbe Aharon of Belz would speak of the brothers' exceptional holiness in effusive terms, and stated in the name of his father Rebbe Yissachar Dov: "We cannot conceive the magnitude of their stature", and once, when R. Aharon of Belz mentioned them, his hands shook, and he exclaimed: "They were truly angels… entirely angels…". He attested regarding Rebbe Yitzchak: "He stood in the breach against the recently emerging innovations" (Beito Naava Kodesh, Nissan, pp. 123-124). When R. Yitzchak was born, his father testified that the soul of R. Yishmael Kohen Gadol rested within him. The Rebbe of Skver was reputed in his times for his wisdom, brilliance and exalted character traits, even amongst maskilim and ministers of the Russian government.
Rebbe Yitzchak Twersky was a leading and faithful transmitter of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezeritch and their disciples, and he is the source of numerous traditions, oral teachings and practices regarding them, many of which were printed in the series of his disciple, R. Yeshaya Wolf Tzikernik. Rebbe Yitzchak reached this position through his illustrious lineage from all sides: his paternal grandfather was the Meor Einayim – a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, his maternal grandfather was R. David Leikes – disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. Furthermore, in his second marriage, he was the son-in-law of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, and in his third marriage, of R. Naftali Tzvi Rabbi of Skver – great-grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, and son of R. Aharon of Titayov.
Rebbe Yitzchak of Skver particularly cherished the holy articles of great Tzaddikim, especially Torah scrolls and tefillin written by the Sofrim of leading Tzaddikim of the first generation of Chassidut, such as R. Efraim of Brody, R. Tzvi Sofer and R. David of Anipoli (who scribed these parashiot), and he would purchase them for huge sums of money. In his Beit Midrash, there was a Torah scroll of the Baal Shem Tov, written by R. Tzvi, the Sofer of the Baal Shem Tov, and he once stated: "It is worth travelling eighty leagues for the merit of having an aliya before this holy Torah scroll". He also possessed the Tikun Sofrim of the Baal Shem Tov, on which R. Tzvi Sofer based that Torah scroll. This Tikun Sofrim cost the Rebbe of Skver a dowry of one thousand rubles. Likewise, he owned the Sefer HaTzoref handwritten by the kabbalist R. Eliyahu Tzoref, which previously belonged to the Baal Shem Tov. It is also recorded that "The Rebbe of Skver inherited the Tefillin of the Baal Shem Tov. He once gave them in to be inspected, and the Sofer informed him that they were invalid, and not repairable. The Rebbe of Skver then took the tefillin back and restored them himself…" (R. Avraham Yitzchak Bromberg, MiGedolei HaTorah VehaChassidut, Jerusalem 1956, IX, p. 21). Throughout the generations, rebbes of Skver and their sons were accustomed to only donning Tefillin prepared by illustrious Tzaddikim, and until this day, the courts of the various branches of Skver hold tefillin, Torah scrolls and dozens of holy articles attributed to the Sofrim who were held in high regard by the early Chassidic leaders.
Height of parchment scrolls – parashiot of arm-tefilla: 44 mm; parashiot of head-tefilla: 40 mm. Original tefillin batim (open): 47X47 mm. Size of base: 87X66 mm. Height of batim (excluding base): 46 mm. Good-fair condition. The ink of the parashiot is dark brown (though according to the enclosed report, they are fit to be donned with a blessing – see below). Without straps. The edges of the batim were repainted. New plastic protective cases (not covering the base of the batim). Placed in a new velvet pouch.
Enclosed with the tefillin is a special report from R. Greenfield, certifying that despite their age, they are still kosher and suitable to be donned with a blessing (for further halachic study, see references in Hebrew description).
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $32,500
Including buyer's premium
Large silver cup, with the inscription "LiChevod Shabbat Kodesh" (In honor of the holy Shabbat), belonging to Rebbe Meir Yehuda Shapiro of Bikovsk (Bukowsko). Austro-Hungary, late 19th century.
Engraved silver, stamped with an Austro-Hungarian hallmark, maker's mark (E.G.) and Swedish import marks.
The cup is ornamented with symmetrical foliate motifs, flanking a medallion inscribed "LiChevod Shabbat Kodesh". The inscription: "R. Meir Yehuda Shapiro Rabbi of Bikovsk" is engraved around the base of the goblet.
Rebbe Meir Yehuda Shapiro Rabbi of Bikovsk (1846-1907, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, III, p. 66-67), son of the Tzemach David Rebbe of Dinov, and grandson of the Bnei Yissaschar. He was the son-in-law of Rebbe Yosef Alter Hager of Radovitz, and in his second marriage of R. Yisrael of Kremenitz (son-in-law of Rebbe Chaim Hager of Kosov). He was appointed rebbe in 1874 and many Dinov Chassidim accepted his authority. He authored Or LaMeir on the Torah (Przemyśl 1913). A merciful father to his Chassidim, he would prescribe them medication and they would not seek the opinion of doctors. His home was open to the destitute and downtrodden, who would eat at his table regularly.
Reputedly, he would bring about salvations for sick people through items in his possession which were previously owned by Tzaddikim. In a wondrous testimony documenting the final day of his life, his use of silver items is recorded. On the first night of Sukkot, when he asked R. Naftali, a disciple who would record his discourses, whether he had understood his extremely profound discourse, the latter responded in the negative. R. Meir then went to a case of silver items, and repeated his discourse over and over again, each time holding a different silver item (quoted in Zoharei Chen by R. Noach Gad Weintraub, Jerusalem 1951, p. 9; see there more accounts of the time of his passing).
Height: Approx. 10 cm. Diameter: Approx. 8 cm. Good condition. Minor bends.
Engraved silver, stamped with an Austro-Hungarian hallmark, maker's mark (E.G.) and Swedish import marks.
The cup is ornamented with symmetrical foliate motifs, flanking a medallion inscribed "LiChevod Shabbat Kodesh". The inscription: "R. Meir Yehuda Shapiro Rabbi of Bikovsk" is engraved around the base of the goblet.
Rebbe Meir Yehuda Shapiro Rabbi of Bikovsk (1846-1907, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, III, p. 66-67), son of the Tzemach David Rebbe of Dinov, and grandson of the Bnei Yissaschar. He was the son-in-law of Rebbe Yosef Alter Hager of Radovitz, and in his second marriage of R. Yisrael of Kremenitz (son-in-law of Rebbe Chaim Hager of Kosov). He was appointed rebbe in 1874 and many Dinov Chassidim accepted his authority. He authored Or LaMeir on the Torah (Przemyśl 1913). A merciful father to his Chassidim, he would prescribe them medication and they would not seek the opinion of doctors. His home was open to the destitute and downtrodden, who would eat at his table regularly.
Reputedly, he would bring about salvations for sick people through items in his possession which were previously owned by Tzaddikim. In a wondrous testimony documenting the final day of his life, his use of silver items is recorded. On the first night of Sukkot, when he asked R. Naftali, a disciple who would record his discourses, whether he had understood his extremely profound discourse, the latter responded in the negative. R. Meir then went to a case of silver items, and repeated his discourse over and over again, each time holding a different silver item (quoted in Zoharei Chen by R. Noach Gad Weintraub, Jerusalem 1951, p. 9; see there more accounts of the time of his passing).
Height: Approx. 10 cm. Diameter: Approx. 8 cm. Good condition. Minor bends.
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000
Unsold
Wall ornament (gilt clay), from the home of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Yekaterinoslav (then: Pale of Settlement, Russia; presently: Dnipro, Ukraine).
The ornament was removed from the home where the Lubavitcher Rebbe grew up (from age 7 until 24) – 20 Mironova St., 2nd floor, by R. Moshe Orenstein, dean of the Chabad yeshiva in Netanya. The ornament was taken from the house during its demolishment in 2011. (See enclosed testimony).
The house on 20 Mironova St. in Yekaterinoslav was occupied between 1909/1910-1928 by R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn, rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, his Rebbetzin, and their three children, including their eldest son R. Menachem Mendel, who later became famous as the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe lived in this house until 1926, when he moved to Leningrad (St. Petersburg), to be near his future father-in-law – the Rayatz (Toldot Levi Yitzchak, Kfar Chabad 1995, I, pp. 147, 201-202).
R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn (1878-1944), father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. An illustrious Torah scholar and kabbalist, he served as rabbi of the Chassidic community of Yekaterinoslav in 1909/1910-1939. He was rabbinically ordained by R. Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk and R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisels of Lodz. His teacher, the Rashab of Lubavitch, expended great effort in securing the position of rabbi of Yekaterinoslav for his disciple-relative R. Levi Yitzchak. With all his Chassidic fervor and zealous stringency on every detail of Halacha, R. Levi Yitzchak knew how to connect with everyone. With his broad horizons and regal, impressive bearing, he impacted all factions of the Jewish people in his city, even the Zionists. Following the Communist revolution, he devoted himself to upholding the Jewish ember, with heroism and courage, and this led to his incarceration in 1939. After over a year of imprisonment, during which he was interrogated and tortured, he was judged and sentenced to exile in Chiali, Khazakstan, where he remained for four years. In the final months of his life, he resided in Alma Ata (Almaty), and he was buried there.
In the house on 20 Mironova St., the young Lubavitcher Rebbe devoted his days and nights to diligent and tireless Torah study, in all its breadth, in revealed and hidden realms, in research and Chassidism. Wondrous stories of his assiduous and diligent Torah study in those
days are recounted by eye-witnesses (these testimonies were published in Yemei Melech, by R. Mordechai Menashe Laufer, Brooklyn 1991, vol. I; Toldot Levi Yitzchak, by R. Naftali Tzvi Gottlieb, Kfar Chabad 1995, vol. II, chapter 14).
An interesting documentation of the house where the Rebbe grew up was recorded by the poet Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), who grew up in the same neighborhood as the Rebbe's family. Shlonsky was a childhood friend of the Rebbe, and they studied together under the same teacher. In his youth, Shlonsky would visit the Schneersohn family frequently and eat at their table for kashrut reasons. In his memoirs, Shlonsky describes the Schneersohn children's bedroom "whose walls were covered with astronomical maps, from which the children learnt the orbit of the stars. Each child had his own bookcase, containing holy books and a few books on secular subjects". In Shlonsky's biography, it is related that his brothers and him were "influenced from the atmosphere in the home of the Schneersohn family… the rabbi, with his fine and regal bearing, and impressive beard, looked like a king… the long table was covered with green felt, the brown furniture and large number of bookcases filled with bound books… everything was full of charm… and exuded honorable glory. Their unswayable faith, together with their broad education, wisdom and fascinating personality… made an impact on Shlonsky and helped him establish his wide-ranging knowledge of Judaism". Shlonsky himself later testified: "I was influenced by this strange atmosphere, full of severity, full of fear, full of allusions, full of secrets. It very much enchanted me" (Hagit Halperin, HaMaestro – Chayav VeYetzirato shel Avraham Shlonsky, 2011, pp. 49-50; Menachem Friedman and Shmuel Heilman, HaRabbi MiLubavitch – BeChayav UbaChayim SheleAchar Chayav, 2011, pp. 88-89).
This wall ornament, of gilt clay, consists of a central rounded medallion containing a flower in relief, surrounded with foliage and rocaille. Beside the medallion is a putto (with the head broken off) holding the reins of a horse.
38X57 cm. Weight: 13.2 kg. Fair condition. Many breaks. Broken, uneven edges. Head of putto broken off (enclosed); other broken pieces. Defects to color. Set on a brick.
The ornament was removed from the home where the Lubavitcher Rebbe grew up (from age 7 until 24) – 20 Mironova St., 2nd floor, by R. Moshe Orenstein, dean of the Chabad yeshiva in Netanya. The ornament was taken from the house during its demolishment in 2011. (See enclosed testimony).
The house on 20 Mironova St. in Yekaterinoslav was occupied between 1909/1910-1928 by R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn, rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, his Rebbetzin, and their three children, including their eldest son R. Menachem Mendel, who later became famous as the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe lived in this house until 1926, when he moved to Leningrad (St. Petersburg), to be near his future father-in-law – the Rayatz (Toldot Levi Yitzchak, Kfar Chabad 1995, I, pp. 147, 201-202).
R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn (1878-1944), father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. An illustrious Torah scholar and kabbalist, he served as rabbi of the Chassidic community of Yekaterinoslav in 1909/1910-1939. He was rabbinically ordained by R. Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk and R. Eliyahu Chaim Meisels of Lodz. His teacher, the Rashab of Lubavitch, expended great effort in securing the position of rabbi of Yekaterinoslav for his disciple-relative R. Levi Yitzchak. With all his Chassidic fervor and zealous stringency on every detail of Halacha, R. Levi Yitzchak knew how to connect with everyone. With his broad horizons and regal, impressive bearing, he impacted all factions of the Jewish people in his city, even the Zionists. Following the Communist revolution, he devoted himself to upholding the Jewish ember, with heroism and courage, and this led to his incarceration in 1939. After over a year of imprisonment, during which he was interrogated and tortured, he was judged and sentenced to exile in Chiali, Khazakstan, where he remained for four years. In the final months of his life, he resided in Alma Ata (Almaty), and he was buried there.
In the house on 20 Mironova St., the young Lubavitcher Rebbe devoted his days and nights to diligent and tireless Torah study, in all its breadth, in revealed and hidden realms, in research and Chassidism. Wondrous stories of his assiduous and diligent Torah study in those
days are recounted by eye-witnesses (these testimonies were published in Yemei Melech, by R. Mordechai Menashe Laufer, Brooklyn 1991, vol. I; Toldot Levi Yitzchak, by R. Naftali Tzvi Gottlieb, Kfar Chabad 1995, vol. II, chapter 14).
An interesting documentation of the house where the Rebbe grew up was recorded by the poet Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), who grew up in the same neighborhood as the Rebbe's family. Shlonsky was a childhood friend of the Rebbe, and they studied together under the same teacher. In his youth, Shlonsky would visit the Schneersohn family frequently and eat at their table for kashrut reasons. In his memoirs, Shlonsky describes the Schneersohn children's bedroom "whose walls were covered with astronomical maps, from which the children learnt the orbit of the stars. Each child had his own bookcase, containing holy books and a few books on secular subjects". In Shlonsky's biography, it is related that his brothers and him were "influenced from the atmosphere in the home of the Schneersohn family… the rabbi, with his fine and regal bearing, and impressive beard, looked like a king… the long table was covered with green felt, the brown furniture and large number of bookcases filled with bound books… everything was full of charm… and exuded honorable glory. Their unswayable faith, together with their broad education, wisdom and fascinating personality… made an impact on Shlonsky and helped him establish his wide-ranging knowledge of Judaism". Shlonsky himself later testified: "I was influenced by this strange atmosphere, full of severity, full of fear, full of allusions, full of secrets. It very much enchanted me" (Hagit Halperin, HaMaestro – Chayav VeYetzirato shel Avraham Shlonsky, 2011, pp. 49-50; Menachem Friedman and Shmuel Heilman, HaRabbi MiLubavitch – BeChayav UbaChayim SheleAchar Chayav, 2011, pp. 88-89).
This wall ornament, of gilt clay, consists of a central rounded medallion containing a flower in relief, surrounded with foliage and rocaille. Beside the medallion is a putto (with the head broken off) holding the reins of a horse.
38X57 cm. Weight: 13.2 kg. Fair condition. Many breaks. Broken, uneven edges. Head of putto broken off (enclosed); other broken pieces. Defects to color. Set on a brick.
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Unsold
Tefillin parashiot (parchment scrolls inscribed with biblical passages), written by R. Chaim Asher Lederman, the Sofer (scribe) of the Chazon Ish. [Jerusalem, 20th century].
Stam script (Beit Yosef) on parchment. Parashiot for tefillin shel yad (arm-tefilla) and tefillin shel rosh (head-tefilla; for tefillin conforming with Rashi's opinion). Including the batim (leather boxes) and straps.
These parashiot were written by the expert Sofer R. Chaim Asher Lederman of Jerusalem (1899-1997), a G-d fearing Torah scholar, prominent Chassid of Karlin. Parashiot he wrote are in high demand, for his particularly mehudar writing, which was commended by the Chazon Ish and the Steipler. His writing is characterized as beautiful and mehudar, both for its high standard from the halachic viewpoint, and for its aesthetic magnificence.
R. Chaim Asher Lederman was the Sofer of the Chazon Ish, who employed him especially to write a Torah scroll on his behalf, according to his precise instructions. With this Torah scroll, the Chazon Ish merited to personally fulfil, in the most ideal way, the commandment of writing a Torah scroll.
The Steipler, brother-in-law of the Chazon Ish, highly recommended using tefillin parashiot beautifully written by R. Chaim Asher. In his letter from 1965 to R. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Twersky of Hornosteipel-Pittsburgh, who sought his advice regarding the purchase of high-quality tefillin, the Steipler wrote: "There is also an excellent and renowned Sofer in Jerusalem named R. Chaim Asher Lederman…" (Ye'amer LeYaakov UleYisrael, p. 198, letter 14).
Thin parchment, suited in its size and level of suppleness to small-medium sized tefillin batim. Height of parchment – parashiot of arm-tefilla: approx. 30 mm; parashiot of head-tefilla: approx. 23 mm. Very good condition.
Original tefillin batim (open): 30X30 mm. Size of base: approx. 44X59 mm. Including high-quality straps, and new plastic protective covers.
Enclosed are two reports from Stam experts, certifying that these parashiot were written by the above-mentioned Sofer, and that they are "beautiful and mehudar", "like new".
Stam script (Beit Yosef) on parchment. Parashiot for tefillin shel yad (arm-tefilla) and tefillin shel rosh (head-tefilla; for tefillin conforming with Rashi's opinion). Including the batim (leather boxes) and straps.
These parashiot were written by the expert Sofer R. Chaim Asher Lederman of Jerusalem (1899-1997), a G-d fearing Torah scholar, prominent Chassid of Karlin. Parashiot he wrote are in high demand, for his particularly mehudar writing, which was commended by the Chazon Ish and the Steipler. His writing is characterized as beautiful and mehudar, both for its high standard from the halachic viewpoint, and for its aesthetic magnificence.
R. Chaim Asher Lederman was the Sofer of the Chazon Ish, who employed him especially to write a Torah scroll on his behalf, according to his precise instructions. With this Torah scroll, the Chazon Ish merited to personally fulfil, in the most ideal way, the commandment of writing a Torah scroll.
The Steipler, brother-in-law of the Chazon Ish, highly recommended using tefillin parashiot beautifully written by R. Chaim Asher. In his letter from 1965 to R. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel Twersky of Hornosteipel-Pittsburgh, who sought his advice regarding the purchase of high-quality tefillin, the Steipler wrote: "There is also an excellent and renowned Sofer in Jerusalem named R. Chaim Asher Lederman…" (Ye'amer LeYaakov UleYisrael, p. 198, letter 14).
Thin parchment, suited in its size and level of suppleness to small-medium sized tefillin batim. Height of parchment – parashiot of arm-tefilla: approx. 30 mm; parashiot of head-tefilla: approx. 23 mm. Very good condition.
Original tefillin batim (open): 30X30 mm. Size of base: approx. 44X59 mm. Including high-quality straps, and new plastic protective covers.
Enclosed are two reports from Stam experts, certifying that these parashiot were written by the above-mentioned Sofer, and that they are "beautiful and mehudar", "like new".
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $25,000
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
Unsold
A pair of tefillin batim (leather boxes), made from thin leather (sheep or goat skin), with leather straps (without the parashiot – parchment scrolls inscribed with biblical passages) [Lithuania?, 1920s-1930s].
These tefillin batim where given by the Chazon Ish to his close disciple R. Avraham HaLevi Horowitz (author of Devar Halacha and Orchot Rabbenu), together with the parashiot. After a while, R. Avraham Horowitz ordered new batim (made of thick leather – cattle hide), and used them to house the parashiot of the Chazon Ish, while the batim of the Chazon Ish remained in his possession as a precious remembrance of the holy articles of the Chazon Ish.
R. Avraham refers to these tefillin several times in his book Orchot Rabbenu: "In Europe, and in the beginning of his stay in Eretz Israel, the Chazon donned tefillin fashioned from a single piece of thin hide. They were slightly larger than the tefillin which he later donned in Eretz Israel. Some time after he immigrated to Eretz Israel, the Chazon Ish ordered new tefillin batim made from thick leather, together with new parashiot (though I do not know how long after his arrival in Eretz Israel). In the last year of the Chazon Ish's life, my tefillin, which were also made from thin leather, got damaged, and for a period of time I would don the thick tefillin of the Chazon Ish after he finished praying. I later received from the Chazon Ish his pair of tefillin from Europe, made of thin leather, with the straps (these were very thick). I used them, and ordered new, thick batim, to which I transferred the parashiot from the tefillin of the Chazon Ish (these are not the parashiot photographed in the appendix of Orchot Rabbenu part I, the photographs are of the new parashiot of the Chazon Ish, from the thick batim). The thin batim of the Chazon Ish with the straps are still in my possession". (Orchot Rabbenu, III, p. 192; in the new edition, 2014, I, p. 39); "…the tefillin of the Chazon Ish, from a single piece of thin hide, which he donned in Europe and in his early days in Eretz Israel, and when he ordered here new parashiot, I received them (the old batim) with the scrolls, since that was the Chazon Ish's practice, when he ordered new batim, he also concurrently ordered new parashiot, since he didn't transfer parashiot from one set of batim to another" (Orchot Rabbenu, III, p. 195; in the new edition 2014, I, p. 81).
Enclosed are notes handwritten by R. Avraham Horowitz, stating: "Tefillin shel Rosh Chazon Ish"; "Tefillin shel Yad Chazon Ish"; "The straps of the Chazon Ish".
Tefillin batim (without parashiot): 40X40 mm. Size of base: approx. 74X48 mm. Including straps, in very worn condition.
These tefillin batim where given by the Chazon Ish to his close disciple R. Avraham HaLevi Horowitz (author of Devar Halacha and Orchot Rabbenu), together with the parashiot. After a while, R. Avraham Horowitz ordered new batim (made of thick leather – cattle hide), and used them to house the parashiot of the Chazon Ish, while the batim of the Chazon Ish remained in his possession as a precious remembrance of the holy articles of the Chazon Ish.
R. Avraham refers to these tefillin several times in his book Orchot Rabbenu: "In Europe, and in the beginning of his stay in Eretz Israel, the Chazon donned tefillin fashioned from a single piece of thin hide. They were slightly larger than the tefillin which he later donned in Eretz Israel. Some time after he immigrated to Eretz Israel, the Chazon Ish ordered new tefillin batim made from thick leather, together with new parashiot (though I do not know how long after his arrival in Eretz Israel). In the last year of the Chazon Ish's life, my tefillin, which were also made from thin leather, got damaged, and for a period of time I would don the thick tefillin of the Chazon Ish after he finished praying. I later received from the Chazon Ish his pair of tefillin from Europe, made of thin leather, with the straps (these were very thick). I used them, and ordered new, thick batim, to which I transferred the parashiot from the tefillin of the Chazon Ish (these are not the parashiot photographed in the appendix of Orchot Rabbenu part I, the photographs are of the new parashiot of the Chazon Ish, from the thick batim). The thin batim of the Chazon Ish with the straps are still in my possession". (Orchot Rabbenu, III, p. 192; in the new edition, 2014, I, p. 39); "…the tefillin of the Chazon Ish, from a single piece of thin hide, which he donned in Europe and in his early days in Eretz Israel, and when he ordered here new parashiot, I received them (the old batim) with the scrolls, since that was the Chazon Ish's practice, when he ordered new batim, he also concurrently ordered new parashiot, since he didn't transfer parashiot from one set of batim to another" (Orchot Rabbenu, III, p. 195; in the new edition 2014, I, p. 81).
Enclosed are notes handwritten by R. Avraham Horowitz, stating: "Tefillin shel Rosh Chazon Ish"; "Tefillin shel Yad Chazon Ish"; "The straps of the Chazon Ish".
Tefillin batim (without parashiot): 40X40 mm. Size of base: approx. 74X48 mm. Including straps, in very worn condition.
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Unsold
Shabbat Challah board and knife, used by R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv for many years, and given as a gift for charitable purposes. His son-in-law, R. Chaim Kanievsky, inscribed the board with a blessing in his handwriting: "בו"ה" (= Beracha VeHatzlacha – blessing and success).
A testimony was handwritten on the back of the board by R. Yisrael Elyashiv, attesting that the board and knife were used "for many years" by his grandfather R. Elyashiv.
For a video clip of R. Chaim Kanievsky inscribing his blessing on the Challah board click here.
Enclosed is a letter addressed to R. Chaim Kanievsky, with questions regarding the significance of items belonging to Tzaddikim and the study and knowledge of Torah, with answers handwritten by R. Chaim Kanievsky. In response to the question whether items previously owned by Tzaddikim are a segulah, R. Chaim refers to an explicit source: "See Yeru[shalmi] Nedarim 9:1 – R. Meir's staff was in my hand and it taught me knowledge". To the question: "Does that refer to any item used by a Tzaddik or only specific items", R. Chaim replied: "Any item"; and regarding the question "What is the rabbi's opinion of people who spend large sums of money to acquire items of Tzaddikim", R. Chaim responded: "They act well".
These items are being offered for sale now in collaboration with the Aish HaTorah institutions to fund their activities.
Aish HaTorah is an international organization which reconnects Jews worldwide to their Jewish heritage and the State of Israel through Torah knowledge. Aish HaTorah was founded in 1974 by R. Noach Weinberg, and serves as a global platform fostering personal and communal responsibility, by building bridges between Jews of different backgrounds, through Torah study and cultivation of the connection with the Jewish homeland. Aish HaTorah is a network comprising today 35 branches throughout the world. Over 150,000 Jews participate in their activities every year. The Aish.com website logs over a million user sessions a month. The Aish HaTorah Word Center, located opposite the Western Wall, offers daily programs and lectures which are open to the general public.
Challah board: 23.5X34 cm. + a matching knife. Extensive wear due to prolonged use by R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.
Leaf handwritten by R. Chaim Kanievsky: 29.5 cm. Fair condition. Folding marks, stains, tears to folds and margins.
A testimony was handwritten on the back of the board by R. Yisrael Elyashiv, attesting that the board and knife were used "for many years" by his grandfather R. Elyashiv.
For a video clip of R. Chaim Kanievsky inscribing his blessing on the Challah board click here.
Enclosed is a letter addressed to R. Chaim Kanievsky, with questions regarding the significance of items belonging to Tzaddikim and the study and knowledge of Torah, with answers handwritten by R. Chaim Kanievsky. In response to the question whether items previously owned by Tzaddikim are a segulah, R. Chaim refers to an explicit source: "See Yeru[shalmi] Nedarim 9:1 – R. Meir's staff was in my hand and it taught me knowledge". To the question: "Does that refer to any item used by a Tzaddik or only specific items", R. Chaim replied: "Any item"; and regarding the question "What is the rabbi's opinion of people who spend large sums of money to acquire items of Tzaddikim", R. Chaim responded: "They act well".
These items are being offered for sale now in collaboration with the Aish HaTorah institutions to fund their activities.
Aish HaTorah is an international organization which reconnects Jews worldwide to their Jewish heritage and the State of Israel through Torah knowledge. Aish HaTorah was founded in 1974 by R. Noach Weinberg, and serves as a global platform fostering personal and communal responsibility, by building bridges between Jews of different backgrounds, through Torah study and cultivation of the connection with the Jewish homeland. Aish HaTorah is a network comprising today 35 branches throughout the world. Over 150,000 Jews participate in their activities every year. The Aish.com website logs over a million user sessions a month. The Aish HaTorah Word Center, located opposite the Western Wall, offers daily programs and lectures which are open to the general public.
Challah board: 23.5X34 cm. + a matching knife. Extensive wear due to prolonged use by R. Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.
Leaf handwritten by R. Chaim Kanievsky: 29.5 cm. Fair condition. Folding marks, stains, tears to folds and margins.
Category
Belongings of Tzaddikim
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $1,500
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Unsold
An envelope with a seal of a place of business in the city of Pest owned by Jacob Herzl, Theodor Herzl's Father. Sent from Pest (Hungary; Budapest of today), to Serbia in 1860.
On the envelope (a folded leaf of paper) appear the sender's name, "Jacob Herzl & C" and beneath it the date – September 5, 1864 (handwritten by Jacob Herzl?), and the addressee's name. The envelope was sent to the city of Racsa (presumably, Sremska Rača in Servia) and bears postmarks of the cities Kikinda and Peterwardein and additional stamps.
The envelope is stamped with Jacob Herzl's official paper-seal, which reads "Jacob Herzl & Co. Pest".
Jacob Herzl (1832-1902) a Jewish-German merchant and banker, was Theodor Herzl's father. Jacob was born to a Jewish orthodox family in the city of Semlin, Servia (his father, Theodor's grandfather, was the warden of the Sephardic synagogue of the city). At the age of 15, he left home and started working as an apprentice at a supply company. Several decades later, he had a fortune of several millions of marks and his business spread over various fields of commerce and banking.
In 1857, Jacob married Jeanette Diamant and three years later their first child and only son, Theodor, was born. Jacob judged his son's unique and revolutionary ideas favorably and when he discovered what his real plan was – to establish an independent Jewish State in Palestine – he told him he must write a book about it, so as to appeal directly to the people (indeed, about a year later, Theodor Herzl wrote his book "Der Judenstaat").
Jacob died of a stroke in 1902, when Theodor was on his way to visit him. Of the loss of his father, Theodor Herzl said: "My dearest, my best… I owe him everything".
[1] leaf, 23X29 cm, folded into an envelope sized 9.5x13 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears along edges and along fold lines. Ink corrosion in the line of the addressee's address.
On the envelope (a folded leaf of paper) appear the sender's name, "Jacob Herzl & C" and beneath it the date – September 5, 1864 (handwritten by Jacob Herzl?), and the addressee's name. The envelope was sent to the city of Racsa (presumably, Sremska Rača in Servia) and bears postmarks of the cities Kikinda and Peterwardein and additional stamps.
The envelope is stamped with Jacob Herzl's official paper-seal, which reads "Jacob Herzl & Co. Pest".
Jacob Herzl (1832-1902) a Jewish-German merchant and banker, was Theodor Herzl's father. Jacob was born to a Jewish orthodox family in the city of Semlin, Servia (his father, Theodor's grandfather, was the warden of the Sephardic synagogue of the city). At the age of 15, he left home and started working as an apprentice at a supply company. Several decades later, he had a fortune of several millions of marks and his business spread over various fields of commerce and banking.
In 1857, Jacob married Jeanette Diamant and three years later their first child and only son, Theodor, was born. Jacob judged his son's unique and revolutionary ideas favorably and when he discovered what his real plan was – to establish an independent Jewish State in Palestine – he told him he must write a book about it, so as to appeal directly to the people (indeed, about a year later, Theodor Herzl wrote his book "Der Judenstaat").
Jacob died of a stroke in 1902, when Theodor was on his way to visit him. Of the loss of his father, Theodor Herzl said: "My dearest, my best… I owe him everything".
[1] leaf, 23X29 cm, folded into an envelope sized 9.5x13 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears along edges and along fold lines. Ink corrosion in the line of the addressee's address.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $8,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $12,500
Including buyer's premium
An album with approx. 250 press photographs, documenting the battle over Palestine and the battles in the Middle East during World War I. Palestine, Sinai Desert, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, ca. 1915-1918.
World War I is considered a turning point in the history of photography, being the first war that was photographed by all fighting parties. Although most of the photographers were sent to the main front in Eastern Europe, a smaller number of photographers operated also in the Middle East (some of them were soldiers who were appointed as photographers during the war, having no professional background) and their photographs constitute an early, important documentation of Palestine and the events of the war: the movement of the forces in desert areas, historic battles, the soldiers of the various armies, and of course – the views, holy sites and old cities, as they looked after hundreds of years without European presence.
The album before us contains an extraordinary number of photographs that were taken in Palestine and its surroundings, presumably by the British Army. Among others, appear in the album: a photograph of a British canon making its way to the front in the Sinai Desert, by means of a carriage harnessed to twenty-six horses; a photograph of the British forces preparing for the Battle of Romani (Sinai Desert, August 1916); group photograph of soldiers of four different nations, fighting for the same side: Indian, British, Italian and Algerian; Photograph of British soldiers getting dressed before the battle over Jerusalem; a large photograph of Allenby reading the Jerusalem Declaration at the foot of David's Tower; an aerial photograph of Jerusalem during the war; photograph of Jews in traditional attire and British soldiers at the Western Wall Plaza; photograph of the Zionist reception for the British army – a formation of boys saluting General Allenby and raising a welcome sign; a photograph of Indian horsemen riding in the streets of downtown Haifa; a series of photographs – building a bridge of barrels across a river in Palestine [The Jordan River?]; many photographs of prisoners of war of the Turkish army (among them photographs from detention camps in Egypt); sports competitions conducted in the desert (boxing, riding, wrestling on camels and more); several photographs of the Zionist Commission delegation headed by Chaim Weizmann, which arrived in Palestine during the war (one photograph depicts Weizmann visiting Tel-Aviv, whose residents were driven out to Northern Palestine by the Turks); and more.
In addition, the album contains photographs documenting other places and battles in the Middle Eastern front as well as photographs from other places and times, used for propaganda purposes: a group of Arab rebels from the city of Hijaz (Saudi Arabia), raising the Arab Revolt flag; Arab Revolt leader Faisal bin Hussein (the future Faisal I, king of Iraq) in a tent, meeting the representative of the British Army; many photographs of British soldiers during the battles in Iraq and Damascus; a photograph of Wilhelm II, the German Emperor, standing on an oriental rug and wearing a tarbush (the photograph was distributed among the Arab population in the Middle east, with the intention to present the Emperor as the friend and protector of the Muslims); and more.
The photographs are mounted on the leaves of the album at their edges (so that they can be lifted and their verso, as well as other photographs mounted under them, can be seen). On the margins of most of them there are press information notes (English) and on verso, various stamps. Several photographs are captioned by hand on verso (French). Two of the photographs are stamped on their lower margins: Bonfils (presumably, they were used during the war, due to lack of photographs from Palestine).
Photographs of varying size and condition. Fair-good overall condition. Creases, stains and blemishes. Some of the photographs are detached. Album: approx. 35 cm. Creases, stains and small tears to margins of leaves. Several leaves detached or partly detached. Worn and rubbed binding (especially in the edges). Worn cloth spine, with tears to edges.
World War I is considered a turning point in the history of photography, being the first war that was photographed by all fighting parties. Although most of the photographers were sent to the main front in Eastern Europe, a smaller number of photographers operated also in the Middle East (some of them were soldiers who were appointed as photographers during the war, having no professional background) and their photographs constitute an early, important documentation of Palestine and the events of the war: the movement of the forces in desert areas, historic battles, the soldiers of the various armies, and of course – the views, holy sites and old cities, as they looked after hundreds of years without European presence.
The album before us contains an extraordinary number of photographs that were taken in Palestine and its surroundings, presumably by the British Army. Among others, appear in the album: a photograph of a British canon making its way to the front in the Sinai Desert, by means of a carriage harnessed to twenty-six horses; a photograph of the British forces preparing for the Battle of Romani (Sinai Desert, August 1916); group photograph of soldiers of four different nations, fighting for the same side: Indian, British, Italian and Algerian; Photograph of British soldiers getting dressed before the battle over Jerusalem; a large photograph of Allenby reading the Jerusalem Declaration at the foot of David's Tower; an aerial photograph of Jerusalem during the war; photograph of Jews in traditional attire and British soldiers at the Western Wall Plaza; photograph of the Zionist reception for the British army – a formation of boys saluting General Allenby and raising a welcome sign; a photograph of Indian horsemen riding in the streets of downtown Haifa; a series of photographs – building a bridge of barrels across a river in Palestine [The Jordan River?]; many photographs of prisoners of war of the Turkish army (among them photographs from detention camps in Egypt); sports competitions conducted in the desert (boxing, riding, wrestling on camels and more); several photographs of the Zionist Commission delegation headed by Chaim Weizmann, which arrived in Palestine during the war (one photograph depicts Weizmann visiting Tel-Aviv, whose residents were driven out to Northern Palestine by the Turks); and more.
In addition, the album contains photographs documenting other places and battles in the Middle Eastern front as well as photographs from other places and times, used for propaganda purposes: a group of Arab rebels from the city of Hijaz (Saudi Arabia), raising the Arab Revolt flag; Arab Revolt leader Faisal bin Hussein (the future Faisal I, king of Iraq) in a tent, meeting the representative of the British Army; many photographs of British soldiers during the battles in Iraq and Damascus; a photograph of Wilhelm II, the German Emperor, standing on an oriental rug and wearing a tarbush (the photograph was distributed among the Arab population in the Middle east, with the intention to present the Emperor as the friend and protector of the Muslims); and more.
The photographs are mounted on the leaves of the album at their edges (so that they can be lifted and their verso, as well as other photographs mounted under them, can be seen). On the margins of most of them there are press information notes (English) and on verso, various stamps. Several photographs are captioned by hand on verso (French). Two of the photographs are stamped on their lower margins: Bonfils (presumably, they were used during the war, due to lack of photographs from Palestine).
Photographs of varying size and condition. Fair-good overall condition. Creases, stains and blemishes. Some of the photographs are detached. Album: approx. 35 cm. Creases, stains and small tears to margins of leaves. Several leaves detached or partly detached. Worn and rubbed binding (especially in the edges). Worn cloth spine, with tears to edges.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000
Sold for: $17,500
Including buyer's premium
"Proclamation of Marital Law in Jerusalem", a trilingual proclamation which was printed a short time after the conquest of Jerusalem by the British on December 9, 1917, containing the text of the Jerusalem Declaration – the official declaration of Martial Law in Jerusalem by Sir Edmund Allenby. [Jerusalem?]: Govt. Press, December 1917. English, French and Italian. The first proclamation that was printed under the British Mandate for Palestine. 300 copies printed.
The proclamation before us bears a dedication handwritten by Ronald Storrs, the first British governor of Jerusalem: "Ronald Storrs / military governor / to Colonel Isham" [Colonel Ralph Heyward Isham].
The Turkish army retreated from Jerusalem on the eve of December 8, 1917. The next day, the Muslim Mayor of Jerusalem, Hussein el-Husayni, and his entourage gave their written submission and the keys of the city to the British Army. The official surrender took place two days later, on December 11. On the same day, General Allenby entered Jerusalem and announced its conquest during a festive ceremony in the presence of the commanders-in-chief of the Allies of World War I. The great importance Allenby attributed to the event was reflected, among others, in his decision to dismount his horse before entering the Jaffa gate and in this declaration, which was read in several languages and was printed on two different broadsides (the one before us and an additional one, which was printed in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Greek).
In his declaration, Allenby chose to emphasize the importance of Jerusalem's uniqueness as a city which is sacred to the three religions: "[…] do I make known to you that every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, pious bequest or customary place of prayer, of whatsoever form of the three religions, will be maintained and protected according to the existing customs and beliefs of those to whose faith they are sacred".
Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs (1881-1955), who signed the proclamation before us, was the first military governor of Jerusalem during the British Mandate. In 1904, he was sent to serve in the Egyptian Civil Administration and within several years, was appointed as the secretary of the High Commissioner in Egypt, Henry McMahon. Storrs was fluent in Arabic and was familiar with the culture of the area. During the years of the war, he was in contact with the leader of the Hashemite dynasty, Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi, and he was the person to introduce him to the British army officer Thomas Edward Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia").
After the war, Storrs was appointed the military governor of Jerusalem, after the officer who was supposed to receive the appointment, Bill Burton, declined the offer claiming that "the only sufferable places in Jerusalem are the bathtub and the bed".
Although he did much for the city (issued coins, renewed the postal services, enacted a law for cladding the houses of Jerusalem with stone), more than once Storrs was accused of hostile and discriminating attitude towards the Jews and there were people who saw him as responsible for the 1920 and 1921 Riots. In his memoir, Storrs recalled: "I had to endure such a tempest of vituperation in the Palestine and World Hebrew Press that I am still unable to understand how I did not emerge from it an anti-Semite for life". Nonetheless, Storrs felt affection for several key figures of the Jewish Yishuv and was a friend of Chaim Nachman Bialik, Achad HaAm and even Ze'ev Jabotinsky. He died in England in 1955, at the age of 73.
The receiver of the proclamation, Ralph Heyward Isham (1890-1955) was an American collector of books and manuscripts, who was known for purchasing documents and manuscripts of the writer James Boswell. During World War I, he served in the British Army; it was then that he presumably received the proclamation before us from Ronald Storrs.
Although 300 copies of the proclamation were printed, it seems that only a few copies had survived (Isham himself believed that only three copies of the proclamation had survived. See enclosed article of the New York Times).
65.5X50 cm. Good overall condition. Stains. Brittle paper. Tears to the margins, some of them restored.
Enclosed:
A clipping from the New York Times (May 16, 1936) – an article describing the proclamation before us (accompanied by a picture). English.
Provenance:
1. The Collection of Ralph Heyward Isham.
2. Bought at Christie's, New York. Auction no. 6824, May 17, 1989.
The proclamation before us bears a dedication handwritten by Ronald Storrs, the first British governor of Jerusalem: "Ronald Storrs / military governor / to Colonel Isham" [Colonel Ralph Heyward Isham].
The Turkish army retreated from Jerusalem on the eve of December 8, 1917. The next day, the Muslim Mayor of Jerusalem, Hussein el-Husayni, and his entourage gave their written submission and the keys of the city to the British Army. The official surrender took place two days later, on December 11. On the same day, General Allenby entered Jerusalem and announced its conquest during a festive ceremony in the presence of the commanders-in-chief of the Allies of World War I. The great importance Allenby attributed to the event was reflected, among others, in his decision to dismount his horse before entering the Jaffa gate and in this declaration, which was read in several languages and was printed on two different broadsides (the one before us and an additional one, which was printed in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Greek).
In his declaration, Allenby chose to emphasize the importance of Jerusalem's uniqueness as a city which is sacred to the three religions: "[…] do I make known to you that every sacred building, monument, holy spot, shrine, traditional site, endowment, pious bequest or customary place of prayer, of whatsoever form of the three religions, will be maintained and protected according to the existing customs and beliefs of those to whose faith they are sacred".
Ronald Henry Amherst Storrs (1881-1955), who signed the proclamation before us, was the first military governor of Jerusalem during the British Mandate. In 1904, he was sent to serve in the Egyptian Civil Administration and within several years, was appointed as the secretary of the High Commissioner in Egypt, Henry McMahon. Storrs was fluent in Arabic and was familiar with the culture of the area. During the years of the war, he was in contact with the leader of the Hashemite dynasty, Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi, and he was the person to introduce him to the British army officer Thomas Edward Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia").
After the war, Storrs was appointed the military governor of Jerusalem, after the officer who was supposed to receive the appointment, Bill Burton, declined the offer claiming that "the only sufferable places in Jerusalem are the bathtub and the bed".
Although he did much for the city (issued coins, renewed the postal services, enacted a law for cladding the houses of Jerusalem with stone), more than once Storrs was accused of hostile and discriminating attitude towards the Jews and there were people who saw him as responsible for the 1920 and 1921 Riots. In his memoir, Storrs recalled: "I had to endure such a tempest of vituperation in the Palestine and World Hebrew Press that I am still unable to understand how I did not emerge from it an anti-Semite for life". Nonetheless, Storrs felt affection for several key figures of the Jewish Yishuv and was a friend of Chaim Nachman Bialik, Achad HaAm and even Ze'ev Jabotinsky. He died in England in 1955, at the age of 73.
The receiver of the proclamation, Ralph Heyward Isham (1890-1955) was an American collector of books and manuscripts, who was known for purchasing documents and manuscripts of the writer James Boswell. During World War I, he served in the British Army; it was then that he presumably received the proclamation before us from Ronald Storrs.
Although 300 copies of the proclamation were printed, it seems that only a few copies had survived (Isham himself believed that only three copies of the proclamation had survived. See enclosed article of the New York Times).
65.5X50 cm. Good overall condition. Stains. Brittle paper. Tears to the margins, some of them restored.
Enclosed:
A clipping from the New York Times (May 16, 1936) – an article describing the proclamation before us (accompanied by a picture). English.
Provenance:
1. The Collection of Ralph Heyward Isham.
2. Bought at Christie's, New York. Auction no. 6824, May 17, 1989.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000
Sold for: $18,750
Including buyer's premium
A map of Palestine, stone relief made by Elazar Alperin (a smaller version of a stone relief made by Alperin for the British Empire Exhibition in London). Jerusalem, [ca. 1924].
Carved Hebron stone.
A topographic relief map carved into a slab of reddish Hebron stone, based on a map of Palestine published by the Palestine Exploration Fund, without the area of the southern Negev and Eilat. On the lower part of the raised stone frame surrounding the map, appears the caption "Eretz Yisrael" (Palestine). Signed "A. Aya" (one of Alperin's nicknames) and "Gedud HaAvodah al shem Y. Trumpeldor, Jerusalem" (The Y. Trumpeldor Labor Battalion, Jerusalem).
Elazar Alperin (1896-1983), also known as "Barada" and "Aya", was born in Bialystok (then in Russia) and immigrated to Palestine in 1919. In 1920, he was appointed by Yosef Trumpeldor to command the defense of Metulah and after Trumpeldor's death, became a member of the Yosef Trumpeldor Labor and Defense Battalion which was established by Yitzchak Sadeh in memory of Trumpeldor, where he worked in paving roads, fishing in the Sea of the Galilee and other works; in 1923 he moved to Jerusalem. He studied for about a year in Bezalel, where he acquired the artistic aspects of stone sculpting, until he was expelled from the school. At the same time, he became a member of a Labor Battalion which was then located near the Ratisbonne Monastery. With the other members of the Labor Battalion, he learned the art of quarrying and carving in stone from Arab craftsmen.
In April 1924, the British Empire Exhibition opened in London; the exhibition was open for two seasons, from April 1924 to November 1924 and from May 1925 to November 1925, and due to pressure by the High Commissioner for Palestine, Herbert Samuel, a Jewish Palestine pavilion was included in it, despite Palestine being a mandate area and not a colony. The Labor battalion was then in a difficult financial situation and before the Exhibition, Yitzchak Sadeh appealed to the Zionist administration with a request for a loan that will enable the creation of various stone products to be presented in the exhibition, among them a carved stone map of Palestine. The mission of carving the map, more than two meters long, was assigned to Alperin. After the exhibition closed, the displays disassembled and the exhibits sold, the map disappeared, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Shortly after he created the large map, Alperin carved the map before us – a similar, smaller map – and gave it as a gift to the Jerusalemite contractor Shimon Diskin for providing work and livelihood. Diskin set the map on a wall of his house in the Rechavya neighborhood of Jerusalem, where it remained until his house was demolished.
94X57X19 cm. weight: approx. 300 kg. Good condition. Sawn iron poles protruding out of the sides of the slab. Small chip to frame. Several stains to frame.
For additional information, see enclosed article: "A Map of Israel Carved in Stone", by Dov Gavish (2004).
Carved Hebron stone.
A topographic relief map carved into a slab of reddish Hebron stone, based on a map of Palestine published by the Palestine Exploration Fund, without the area of the southern Negev and Eilat. On the lower part of the raised stone frame surrounding the map, appears the caption "Eretz Yisrael" (Palestine). Signed "A. Aya" (one of Alperin's nicknames) and "Gedud HaAvodah al shem Y. Trumpeldor, Jerusalem" (The Y. Trumpeldor Labor Battalion, Jerusalem).
Elazar Alperin (1896-1983), also known as "Barada" and "Aya", was born in Bialystok (then in Russia) and immigrated to Palestine in 1919. In 1920, he was appointed by Yosef Trumpeldor to command the defense of Metulah and after Trumpeldor's death, became a member of the Yosef Trumpeldor Labor and Defense Battalion which was established by Yitzchak Sadeh in memory of Trumpeldor, where he worked in paving roads, fishing in the Sea of the Galilee and other works; in 1923 he moved to Jerusalem. He studied for about a year in Bezalel, where he acquired the artistic aspects of stone sculpting, until he was expelled from the school. At the same time, he became a member of a Labor Battalion which was then located near the Ratisbonne Monastery. With the other members of the Labor Battalion, he learned the art of quarrying and carving in stone from Arab craftsmen.
In April 1924, the British Empire Exhibition opened in London; the exhibition was open for two seasons, from April 1924 to November 1924 and from May 1925 to November 1925, and due to pressure by the High Commissioner for Palestine, Herbert Samuel, a Jewish Palestine pavilion was included in it, despite Palestine being a mandate area and not a colony. The Labor battalion was then in a difficult financial situation and before the Exhibition, Yitzchak Sadeh appealed to the Zionist administration with a request for a loan that will enable the creation of various stone products to be presented in the exhibition, among them a carved stone map of Palestine. The mission of carving the map, more than two meters long, was assigned to Alperin. After the exhibition closed, the displays disassembled and the exhibits sold, the map disappeared, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Shortly after he created the large map, Alperin carved the map before us – a similar, smaller map – and gave it as a gift to the Jerusalemite contractor Shimon Diskin for providing work and livelihood. Diskin set the map on a wall of his house in the Rechavya neighborhood of Jerusalem, where it remained until his house was demolished.
94X57X19 cm. weight: approx. 300 kg. Good condition. Sawn iron poles protruding out of the sides of the slab. Small chip to frame. Several stains to frame.
For additional information, see enclosed article: "A Map of Israel Carved in Stone", by Dov Gavish (2004).
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $2,500
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $3,125
Including buyer's premium
Collection of items documenting the philanthropic activity of the couple Yefim and Sarah Kirschner for various Jewish and Zionist organizations, and especially for the Maritime school of Betar in Italy and an aid organization for Jewish refugees in France. The collection contains letters sent to the couple, some thanking them for their activity and others requesting their financial aid, including an interesting letter handwritten by Ze'ev Jabotinsky (sent from the USA, several months prior to his death). Italy, France, USA, Palestine and elsewhere, the 1930s and 1940s (some of them from earlier or later years). Russian and French (several items in other languages).
Yefim (Ephraim) Kirschner, a fur trader, was born in Odessa in 1879. From Odessa he moved to Germany and from there, to Paris. Throughout his life, Kirschner was in contact with various Zionist leaders and Jewish organization, devoting his time and donating a considerable part of his fortune to support their activities. Several fundraisers were held in his house in Paris, organized by his wife Sarah, and many appealed to the couple with requests for donations and assistance.
Today, Kirschner is remembered mainly due to his contribution to the activity of the maritime school of Betar in Civitavecchia, Italy, during the 1930s. His contribution enabled, among others, the purchase of a training ship for the school (the ship was named "Sarah I" after Kirschner's wife). During this period of time, he was introduced to Ze'ev Jabotinsky and the two remained in touch during the following years. Kirschner's activity for the maritime school of Betar and for the Revisionist Movement were documented by Yirmiyahu Halpern in his book "The Revival of Hebrew Seamanship" (Hebrew) (Tel-Aviv, 1961). In the book, Halpern describes Kirschner as "One of the last of the Mohicans of his kind in our generation – a Jewish figure of Morozov [a Russian merchant who financially supported Russian literature and art], one of the characters commemorated by Jabotinsky, using his artistic imagination, in his book 'Piatero'".
The collection before us includes photographs of the school in Civitavecchia as well as letters, certificates and documents shedding light on the diverse philanthropic activity of Yefim and Sarah Kirschner, on their contacts with Jewish leaders around the world and their forgotten contribution to the Zionist enterprise.
The collection can be divided into several sections:
1. Items related to the maritime school of Betar in Civitavecchia
The maritime school for training Hebrew seamen and marine officers in Civitavecchia, Italy, operated during the years 1935-1938 and was the first institution in Modern History to train Hebrew marine officers. Yirmiyahu Halpern, a member of Betar and the Revisionist Movement, was the person to initiate the establishment of the school, which trained three years of students from Europe and Palestine. The school training ship, TS Sarah I, was purchased with Kirschner's money and served the school until its sinking in 1937 (the ship sank near the coast of Corsica after returning from a visit to Palestine).
Among the items:
• Photographs of the students and teachers of the school, including: group photographs taken on deck of the TS Sarah I (one of them depicting Kirschner); a photograph of a formation of the second-year students of the school; photograph taken during a student group visit to Palestine; and more. Some of the photographs are signed in the plate "Foto Fabiani Civitavecchia".
• A handwritten copy of a letter sent by Yirmiyahu Halpern to Ze'ev Jabotinsky, dealing with the TS Sarah I. October 1935. At the end of the letter it is noted that an additional copy was sent to Yefim Kirschner. The letter bears a Tel-Hai Fund stamp depicting the TS Sarah I.
• "Jewish Marine League" – a booklet issued by the Jewish Marine League established in order to support the maritime school in Civitavecchia and operating from New-York. The booklet contains photographs of the school and information about its activity and the league's activity.
2. Letters to Yefim and Sarah Kirschner dealing with their philanthropic activity
• Certificate of appreciation given to the Kirschners subsequent to a fundraiser that they held for an aid organization for Jewish refugees in France - Foyer des Israelites Refugies. The certificate is written on parchment, in neat script (in Russian) and signed by the members of the organization. November 1937.
• Two letters of appreciation to the Kirschners by the Union Pour la Protection des Israelites Emigres et de leurs enfants ("The Union for Protection of Jewish Refugees and Their Children"; presumably, the first name of the Foyer des Israelites Refugies).
• A letter to Yefim Kirschner, handwritten and signed by Ze'ev Jabotinsky (three and a half pages. Russian). In the letter, sent from New-York in May 1940, Jabotinsky asks Kirschner for a donation of $15,000 for funding his activity in the USA and achieving the goal of establishing a united Zionist front that will demand Jewish settlement in Palestine.
At the beginning of the letter, Jabotinsky writes about the situation in Europe and the apparent need for a new haven for Jewish refugees of war – Palestine: "I think that towards the end of the war there will be millions of homeless Jews, so homeless that we could only bring them back to a 'Jewish State'. The Great Powers will not find any other country for this purpose but Palestine (although it now seems that very soon they will be able to find)… England will not object, and no one will take the Arabs into consideration".
Later in the letter, Jabotinsky addresses the difficulties in recruiting the support of American Jews and establishing a united Zionist front, and the great importance of his mission: "This of course is the final great mission of my life. It is especially difficult since everyone here is in deep sleep, Zionist and those who have assimilated alike, and I am treated as people always and everywhere treat a person who is trying to awaken others… our people are dying in Eastern Europe, and now the last hour has come in which our generation will be able to fulfill its historical mission…".
At the end of the letter, Jabotinsky tells Kirschner about his son who is imprisoned in Palestine [in 1937, Eri Jabotinsky was imprisoned by the police of the British Mandate after being involved in a retaliation act against Arabs].
Jabotinsky came to the USA in 1940, as part of a delegation of the New Zionist Federation for establishing a Hebrew army. During his visit, he suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. In his final years, only he knew about his illness and he saw his mission in the USA as his final great enterprise, as is reflected in the letter before us.
• Additional letters sent to the Kirschners: requests for aid, invitations, letters of appreciation, and more. Among them, a French letter by the Tel Hai Fund, hand-signed by Johanna Jabotinsky; a letter hand-signed by Ezra Taubal, one of the leaders of the Jewish community of Argentine; baron Robert de-Rothschild's calling card, with several handwritten lines; and more.
3. Additional items from the estate of Yefim Kirschner
• Official documents of the Mandate Government – extract from the register of land indicating that land was purchased by Kirschner in the area of Tulkarm.
• Personal photographs; presumably from his wedding day.
• An identifying document, issued to Kirschner in France in 1939.
• And more.
A total of 55 items (35 letters and paper items and 20 photographs). Size and condition vary.
Yefim (Ephraim) Kirschner, a fur trader, was born in Odessa in 1879. From Odessa he moved to Germany and from there, to Paris. Throughout his life, Kirschner was in contact with various Zionist leaders and Jewish organization, devoting his time and donating a considerable part of his fortune to support their activities. Several fundraisers were held in his house in Paris, organized by his wife Sarah, and many appealed to the couple with requests for donations and assistance.
Today, Kirschner is remembered mainly due to his contribution to the activity of the maritime school of Betar in Civitavecchia, Italy, during the 1930s. His contribution enabled, among others, the purchase of a training ship for the school (the ship was named "Sarah I" after Kirschner's wife). During this period of time, he was introduced to Ze'ev Jabotinsky and the two remained in touch during the following years. Kirschner's activity for the maritime school of Betar and for the Revisionist Movement were documented by Yirmiyahu Halpern in his book "The Revival of Hebrew Seamanship" (Hebrew) (Tel-Aviv, 1961). In the book, Halpern describes Kirschner as "One of the last of the Mohicans of his kind in our generation – a Jewish figure of Morozov [a Russian merchant who financially supported Russian literature and art], one of the characters commemorated by Jabotinsky, using his artistic imagination, in his book 'Piatero'".
The collection before us includes photographs of the school in Civitavecchia as well as letters, certificates and documents shedding light on the diverse philanthropic activity of Yefim and Sarah Kirschner, on their contacts with Jewish leaders around the world and their forgotten contribution to the Zionist enterprise.
The collection can be divided into several sections:
1. Items related to the maritime school of Betar in Civitavecchia
The maritime school for training Hebrew seamen and marine officers in Civitavecchia, Italy, operated during the years 1935-1938 and was the first institution in Modern History to train Hebrew marine officers. Yirmiyahu Halpern, a member of Betar and the Revisionist Movement, was the person to initiate the establishment of the school, which trained three years of students from Europe and Palestine. The school training ship, TS Sarah I, was purchased with Kirschner's money and served the school until its sinking in 1937 (the ship sank near the coast of Corsica after returning from a visit to Palestine).
Among the items:
• Photographs of the students and teachers of the school, including: group photographs taken on deck of the TS Sarah I (one of them depicting Kirschner); a photograph of a formation of the second-year students of the school; photograph taken during a student group visit to Palestine; and more. Some of the photographs are signed in the plate "Foto Fabiani Civitavecchia".
• A handwritten copy of a letter sent by Yirmiyahu Halpern to Ze'ev Jabotinsky, dealing with the TS Sarah I. October 1935. At the end of the letter it is noted that an additional copy was sent to Yefim Kirschner. The letter bears a Tel-Hai Fund stamp depicting the TS Sarah I.
• "Jewish Marine League" – a booklet issued by the Jewish Marine League established in order to support the maritime school in Civitavecchia and operating from New-York. The booklet contains photographs of the school and information about its activity and the league's activity.
2. Letters to Yefim and Sarah Kirschner dealing with their philanthropic activity
• Certificate of appreciation given to the Kirschners subsequent to a fundraiser that they held for an aid organization for Jewish refugees in France - Foyer des Israelites Refugies. The certificate is written on parchment, in neat script (in Russian) and signed by the members of the organization. November 1937.
• Two letters of appreciation to the Kirschners by the Union Pour la Protection des Israelites Emigres et de leurs enfants ("The Union for Protection of Jewish Refugees and Their Children"; presumably, the first name of the Foyer des Israelites Refugies).
• A letter to Yefim Kirschner, handwritten and signed by Ze'ev Jabotinsky (three and a half pages. Russian). In the letter, sent from New-York in May 1940, Jabotinsky asks Kirschner for a donation of $15,000 for funding his activity in the USA and achieving the goal of establishing a united Zionist front that will demand Jewish settlement in Palestine.
At the beginning of the letter, Jabotinsky writes about the situation in Europe and the apparent need for a new haven for Jewish refugees of war – Palestine: "I think that towards the end of the war there will be millions of homeless Jews, so homeless that we could only bring them back to a 'Jewish State'. The Great Powers will not find any other country for this purpose but Palestine (although it now seems that very soon they will be able to find)… England will not object, and no one will take the Arabs into consideration".
Later in the letter, Jabotinsky addresses the difficulties in recruiting the support of American Jews and establishing a united Zionist front, and the great importance of his mission: "This of course is the final great mission of my life. It is especially difficult since everyone here is in deep sleep, Zionist and those who have assimilated alike, and I am treated as people always and everywhere treat a person who is trying to awaken others… our people are dying in Eastern Europe, and now the last hour has come in which our generation will be able to fulfill its historical mission…".
At the end of the letter, Jabotinsky tells Kirschner about his son who is imprisoned in Palestine [in 1937, Eri Jabotinsky was imprisoned by the police of the British Mandate after being involved in a retaliation act against Arabs].
Jabotinsky came to the USA in 1940, as part of a delegation of the New Zionist Federation for establishing a Hebrew army. During his visit, he suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. In his final years, only he knew about his illness and he saw his mission in the USA as his final great enterprise, as is reflected in the letter before us.
• Additional letters sent to the Kirschners: requests for aid, invitations, letters of appreciation, and more. Among them, a French letter by the Tel Hai Fund, hand-signed by Johanna Jabotinsky; a letter hand-signed by Ezra Taubal, one of the leaders of the Jewish community of Argentine; baron Robert de-Rothschild's calling card, with several handwritten lines; and more.
3. Additional items from the estate of Yefim Kirschner
• Official documents of the Mandate Government – extract from the register of land indicating that land was purchased by Kirschner in the area of Tulkarm.
• Personal photographs; presumably from his wedding day.
• An identifying document, issued to Kirschner in France in 1939.
• And more.
A total of 55 items (35 letters and paper items and 20 photographs). Size and condition vary.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
Sold for: $5,000
Including buyer's premium
Deck log book, printed and filled-in by hand, documenting the voyage of the illegal immigration ship "Atzma'ut" (Pan Crescent). Venice, Burgas, Cyprus and elsewhere, 1947-1948. Italian and English.
The ships "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot" were the two largest ships that took part in the illegal immigration to Palestine. The two were purchased by the "Mossad LeAliyah B" (Institution for Immigration B) in 1947 in the USA (Their original names were the SS Pan Crescent and the SS Pan York, or the common nickname "The Pans") and due to their exceptional size and ventilation system, they could carry approx. 7500 immigrants each (together, the two carried approx. a fifth of the total number of illegal immigrants to Palestine).
In 1947, the ships sailed to the port of Venice under the flag of Panama and from there to Constanţa (Romania) where they were secretly renovated in order to be turned into immigrant ships. For several months, the leadership of the Yishuv refused to approve the voyage (mainly due to the fear of hurting Israel's chances before the vote of the UN on November 29); however, eventually, in December 1947, the two decided 'off their own bat' to leave towards Palestine. When they were far out at sea, David Ben-Gurion chose their Hebrew names, "Atzma'ut" (Independence) and "Kibbutz Galuyot" (The Gathering of the Exiles). The ships were discovered by the British at an early stage of the journey, and battleships were sent to prevent their arrival to Palestine. Fearing for the passengers' lives, the captains of the ships were ordered to obey the British orders and they sailed without resistance to the detention camps in Cyprus, and ceased activity.
With the Declaration of the State of Israel, on the fifth of Iyar 1948, a festive ceremony was held on the decks of the "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot", and shortly afterwards, the Panama flag was removed and the Israel flag raised and they left for the port of Haifa. In the months after the establishment of the State, the "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot" carried thousands of immigrants from Cyprus, Italy, Marseille and North Africa.
Before us is the deck log book of the ship "Atzma'ut", documenting the various stations of the voyage during the months of September 1947 - May 1948. Among other things, the log refers to the communication between the two ships throughout the journey; the negotiations with the British authorities at sea and the agreements that were reached; the arrival of the passengers to the detention camps in Cyprus; a visit of a British medical officer on the ship before the illegal immigrants were taken off them; the appointment of a military guard and the closure of the ships; the removal of the arrest warrant regarding the two ships on the day of the Declaration of Independence; the replacement of the the ships' home port from Panama to Haifa; waiting for a leave pass to be given by the Israeli government; and more.
The log is composed of forms to be filled-in by the captain, with spaces for recording the conditions of the voyage (the wind, route, atmospheric pressure and additional details) and spaces for the captain's comments. The first part of the log was filled-in, presumably, by the Italian member of the crew who navigated the ship, and its second part (from the day it left towards Palestine), by the Jewish captain, Yitzchak (Ike) Aronowicz.
[62] leaves, approx. 34.5 cm. Good condition. A few stains. Creases, stains and tears to margins of the cover. A strip of cloth along the spine, with tears and blemishes. Stamps on each one of the pages.
The ships "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot" were the two largest ships that took part in the illegal immigration to Palestine. The two were purchased by the "Mossad LeAliyah B" (Institution for Immigration B) in 1947 in the USA (Their original names were the SS Pan Crescent and the SS Pan York, or the common nickname "The Pans") and due to their exceptional size and ventilation system, they could carry approx. 7500 immigrants each (together, the two carried approx. a fifth of the total number of illegal immigrants to Palestine).
In 1947, the ships sailed to the port of Venice under the flag of Panama and from there to Constanţa (Romania) where they were secretly renovated in order to be turned into immigrant ships. For several months, the leadership of the Yishuv refused to approve the voyage (mainly due to the fear of hurting Israel's chances before the vote of the UN on November 29); however, eventually, in December 1947, the two decided 'off their own bat' to leave towards Palestine. When they were far out at sea, David Ben-Gurion chose their Hebrew names, "Atzma'ut" (Independence) and "Kibbutz Galuyot" (The Gathering of the Exiles). The ships were discovered by the British at an early stage of the journey, and battleships were sent to prevent their arrival to Palestine. Fearing for the passengers' lives, the captains of the ships were ordered to obey the British orders and they sailed without resistance to the detention camps in Cyprus, and ceased activity.
With the Declaration of the State of Israel, on the fifth of Iyar 1948, a festive ceremony was held on the decks of the "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot", and shortly afterwards, the Panama flag was removed and the Israel flag raised and they left for the port of Haifa. In the months after the establishment of the State, the "Atzma'ut" and "Kibbutz Galuyot" carried thousands of immigrants from Cyprus, Italy, Marseille and North Africa.
Before us is the deck log book of the ship "Atzma'ut", documenting the various stations of the voyage during the months of September 1947 - May 1948. Among other things, the log refers to the communication between the two ships throughout the journey; the negotiations with the British authorities at sea and the agreements that were reached; the arrival of the passengers to the detention camps in Cyprus; a visit of a British medical officer on the ship before the illegal immigrants were taken off them; the appointment of a military guard and the closure of the ships; the removal of the arrest warrant regarding the two ships on the day of the Declaration of Independence; the replacement of the the ships' home port from Panama to Haifa; waiting for a leave pass to be given by the Israeli government; and more.
The log is composed of forms to be filled-in by the captain, with spaces for recording the conditions of the voyage (the wind, route, atmospheric pressure and additional details) and spaces for the captain's comments. The first part of the log was filled-in, presumably, by the Italian member of the crew who navigated the ship, and its second part (from the day it left towards Palestine), by the Jewish captain, Yitzchak (Ike) Aronowicz.
[62] leaves, approx. 34.5 cm. Good condition. A few stains. Creases, stains and tears to margins of the cover. A strip of cloth along the spine, with tears and blemishes. Stamps on each one of the pages.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue