Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
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Displaying 157 - 168 of 168
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
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
26 press photographs from the War of Independence, many of them documenting the Arab side of the war. Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Safed and elsewhere, 1948.
Among them: a photograph from the day the port of Haifa was handed to the IDF – a formation of naval officers raising the flag of Israel and the flag of the Israeli navy for the first time in the port, upon the entrance of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion; two Jewish snipers crouching before an embrasure in an improvised "Fortress" made of blocks on a Tel-Aviv rooftop; an Egyptian fighter aircraft which was shot down at the sea-shore of Tel-Aviv; an Arab propaganda photograph – a staged picture of a Palmach fighter surrendering to armed Arabs (the fighter in the photograph is an Arab 'actor' in costume); a photograph of Jaffa as a ghost town, after being abandoned by its residents; a photograph of Abdullah I of Jordan and the Iraqi regent Abd al-Ilah in Oman, wearing military uniforms several weeks before the Arab armies' invasion of Palestine; a photograph of the Arab Legion commander, John Bagot Glubb, talking to one of his officers in Jerusalem; Arab fighters lying in wait for Jewish convoys on Al-Qastal; an Arab sniper piercing a water pipe supplying a Jewish settlement close to Jerusalem; Syrian fighters during a temporary truce; Egyptian fighters during a temporary truce; Arab women in line for receiving cooking oil in Jerusalem; and more.
On verso of most of the photographs there are stamps and handwriting, on verso of some of them there are information notes and mounted newspaper clippings. A Daily Picture Order form on verso of one photograph.
Size and condition of photographs vary, approx. 15X20.5-25.5X20 cm. Good overall condition. Stains and blemishes (most of them minor, on verso). Handwritten marks on recto of some.
Among them: a photograph from the day the port of Haifa was handed to the IDF – a formation of naval officers raising the flag of Israel and the flag of the Israeli navy for the first time in the port, upon the entrance of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion; two Jewish snipers crouching before an embrasure in an improvised "Fortress" made of blocks on a Tel-Aviv rooftop; an Egyptian fighter aircraft which was shot down at the sea-shore of Tel-Aviv; an Arab propaganda photograph – a staged picture of a Palmach fighter surrendering to armed Arabs (the fighter in the photograph is an Arab 'actor' in costume); a photograph of Jaffa as a ghost town, after being abandoned by its residents; a photograph of Abdullah I of Jordan and the Iraqi regent Abd al-Ilah in Oman, wearing military uniforms several weeks before the Arab armies' invasion of Palestine; a photograph of the Arab Legion commander, John Bagot Glubb, talking to one of his officers in Jerusalem; Arab fighters lying in wait for Jewish convoys on Al-Qastal; an Arab sniper piercing a water pipe supplying a Jewish settlement close to Jerusalem; Syrian fighters during a temporary truce; Egyptian fighters during a temporary truce; Arab women in line for receiving cooking oil in Jerusalem; and more.
On verso of most of the photographs there are stamps and handwriting, on verso of some of them there are information notes and mounted newspaper clippings. A Daily Picture Order form on verso of one photograph.
Size and condition of photographs vary, approx. 15X20.5-25.5X20 cm. Good overall condition. Stains and blemishes (most of them minor, on verso). Handwritten marks on recto of some.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $1,200
Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $15,000
Including buyer's premium
A postcard containing a letter handwritten and signed by David Ben-Gurion, sent to Shlomo Lavi of Kibbutz Ein Harod a day after the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel. May 15, 1948.
In the Hebrew letter Ben-Gurion compares the country as it was when he immigrated to it to the country as it was a day after the establishment of the State of Israel: "When we immigrated to Palestine, you as Levkovitch and I as Green, with the flag of labor in our hands, we found – Malaria and corruption – under the Ottoman rule. Now, although the thunder of cannons has not yet ceased and our sons are fighting at the fronts – the heart is happy to see the great progress". Ben-Gurion ends his letter with a kind of 'personal declaration' about the establishment of the State: "The Jewish nation has reached the peak of its existence – the State of Israel has been born".
The addressee, Shlomo Lavi (Levkovitch, 1882-1963), one of the forefathers of the Kibbutz Movement, was born in the city of Plonsk (Ben-Gurion's hometown) and was a member of the "Ezra" Zionist youth movement, which was established by David ben-Gurion and Shlomo Tzemach.
Lavi immigrated to Palestine in 1905, as part of the second Zionist wave of immigration. In Palestine, he worked as a laborer in the orchards of Petach-Tikvah and Sejera, at the Atid oil factory and in the farm of Kinneret, and was one of the founders of "HaShomer" Organization. As a member of Kvutzat Kinneret, he formulated the idea of the larger communal settlement (the Kibbutz) and in 1921 was one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Harod.
In 1931, Lavi became a member of the Mapai party and one of its leaders. During World War II, he volunteered to join the British Army and served as a driver in a transport unit. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he was a member of the first and second Knesset. During the 1950s, after the split of the United Kibbutz Movement, Lavi moved to Ein Harod Ichud and became one of the leaders of the new Kibbutz Movement.
Over the years, Lavi maintained a close friendship with David Ben-Gurion, whom he knew from his youth. Ben-Gurion saw him as one of the greatest thinkers of the second Zionist wave of immigration.
9X14 cm. Postmarks and a "Doar Ivri" stamp. Good condition. Stains, especially on the lower right corner. Filing hole in the right margin (slightly affecting text).
In the Hebrew letter Ben-Gurion compares the country as it was when he immigrated to it to the country as it was a day after the establishment of the State of Israel: "When we immigrated to Palestine, you as Levkovitch and I as Green, with the flag of labor in our hands, we found – Malaria and corruption – under the Ottoman rule. Now, although the thunder of cannons has not yet ceased and our sons are fighting at the fronts – the heart is happy to see the great progress". Ben-Gurion ends his letter with a kind of 'personal declaration' about the establishment of the State: "The Jewish nation has reached the peak of its existence – the State of Israel has been born".
The addressee, Shlomo Lavi (Levkovitch, 1882-1963), one of the forefathers of the Kibbutz Movement, was born in the city of Plonsk (Ben-Gurion's hometown) and was a member of the "Ezra" Zionist youth movement, which was established by David ben-Gurion and Shlomo Tzemach.
Lavi immigrated to Palestine in 1905, as part of the second Zionist wave of immigration. In Palestine, he worked as a laborer in the orchards of Petach-Tikvah and Sejera, at the Atid oil factory and in the farm of Kinneret, and was one of the founders of "HaShomer" Organization. As a member of Kvutzat Kinneret, he formulated the idea of the larger communal settlement (the Kibbutz) and in 1921 was one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Harod.
In 1931, Lavi became a member of the Mapai party and one of its leaders. During World War II, he volunteered to join the British Army and served as a driver in a transport unit. After the establishment of the State of Israel, he was a member of the first and second Knesset. During the 1950s, after the split of the United Kibbutz Movement, Lavi moved to Ein Harod Ichud and became one of the leaders of the new Kibbutz Movement.
Over the years, Lavi maintained a close friendship with David Ben-Gurion, whom he knew from his youth. Ben-Gurion saw him as one of the greatest thinkers of the second Zionist wave of immigration.
9X14 cm. Postmarks and a "Doar Ivri" stamp. Good condition. Stains, especially on the lower right corner. Filing hole in the right margin (slightly affecting text).
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $8,000
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000
Unsold
Approx. 450 letters and documents documenting the activity of the Zionist-American diplomat Abba Hillel Silver during the establishment of the state of Israel and the War of Independence – protocols of Zionist conferences, correspondence with officials of the USA government, speeches, press releases and other documents. New-York, Washington and elsewhere in Israel and the USA, 1948-1949 (some of them from later or earlier years). English, several items in Hebrew.
Abba Hillel Silver (1893-1963), a reform rabbi and Zionist politician, was one of the leaders of the diplomatic front for the establishment of the state of Israel. Silver was known for his aggressive and decisive style, and by the 1930s became the undisputed leader of Zionism in the USA (he served as the chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, the United Jewish Appeal, the Zionist Emergency Council, the Jewish Agency in the USA and additional organizations). With his guidance, the Jewish community became an important and influential factor in American politics and Silver used it time and again to influence the opinion of the government in favor of Israel. His contribution and the importance of his activity were fully revealed a short while after the Israeli declaration of independence, when USA President Harry Truman was the first to recognize the newly-established State of Israel.
The archive before us includes a documentation of Silver's activity during the crucial years of 1948-1949, during which he formed relationships with American senators and officials, arranged countless meetings and Zionist conferences and delivered some of his most important speeches. Among other things, the documents in the collection address the question of recognition of the State of Israel, the Arms Embargo that was imposed on Israel during the war, the question of Arab refugees, secret offers made by Arab leaders to end the war, disputes between the Zionist leadership in America and the temporary government in Israel, relations with informers, and more.
Among the items:
• Dozens of press releases, announcements and speeches: a transcript of a joint press conference with Moshe Sharet on 6.2.1948, with a detailed report about Silver's visit to Palestine; press release from 25.3.1948, announcing USA President Harry Truman's support of the partition of Palestine (that is, the establishment of a Jewish state); a press release from 22.4.1948, announcing that the Yishuv, under no circumstances, will surrender even if the UN does – the state of Israel will be established; "The Declaration of Independence" – a speech from 14.5.1948, announcing the establishment of the state of Israel; and more.
• Dozens of documents: an interesting summary of a conversation between Eliyahu Epstein (Eilat) and General Dwight David Eisenhower (the future USA President), containing an analysis of Eisenhower's body language and facial expressions; a list of names of senators, governmental officials and heads of committees who assisted in the efforts to lead to recognition of Israel (with recommendations to send letters of appreciation); an interesting document with a "political profile" of American officials, reviewing their opinions and activity; and more.
• Dozens of letters: five letters sent to Silver by American senators (among them the senators Olin D. Johnston, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg, and others); a letter sent by Silver to the members of the Republican Party suggesting a new clause for the party's platform – policy regarding the issue of Israel (with the text of the clause); and more.
• Dozens of memoranda of the American Zionist Emergency Council, among them: a memorandum from 27.5.1948 with the first notice for the newly established State of Israel – greetings for its establishment and a promise that American Jewry will stand beside it (signed in print by all members of the Council); and more.
• Dozens of briefs and protocols of the meetings of the American branch of the Jewish Agency.
• And more.
These documents were presumably collected by the scholar and writer Noah Orian, for a dissertation he wrote on Abba Hillel Silver.
Enclosed: "The Status and Activity of Abba Hillel Silver in the Jewish American Arena, 1933-1944, Chapter B: The Years of Frustration in the Shadow of the Holocaust (1933-1943)" (Hebrew), by Noah Orian, 1971. A draft of a dissertation submitted to Tel-Aviv University (in two copies); dozens of newspaper clippings with articles and news items related to Abba Hillel Silver.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
Abba Hillel Silver (1893-1963), a reform rabbi and Zionist politician, was one of the leaders of the diplomatic front for the establishment of the state of Israel. Silver was known for his aggressive and decisive style, and by the 1930s became the undisputed leader of Zionism in the USA (he served as the chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, the United Jewish Appeal, the Zionist Emergency Council, the Jewish Agency in the USA and additional organizations). With his guidance, the Jewish community became an important and influential factor in American politics and Silver used it time and again to influence the opinion of the government in favor of Israel. His contribution and the importance of his activity were fully revealed a short while after the Israeli declaration of independence, when USA President Harry Truman was the first to recognize the newly-established State of Israel.
The archive before us includes a documentation of Silver's activity during the crucial years of 1948-1949, during which he formed relationships with American senators and officials, arranged countless meetings and Zionist conferences and delivered some of his most important speeches. Among other things, the documents in the collection address the question of recognition of the State of Israel, the Arms Embargo that was imposed on Israel during the war, the question of Arab refugees, secret offers made by Arab leaders to end the war, disputes between the Zionist leadership in America and the temporary government in Israel, relations with informers, and more.
Among the items:
• Dozens of press releases, announcements and speeches: a transcript of a joint press conference with Moshe Sharet on 6.2.1948, with a detailed report about Silver's visit to Palestine; press release from 25.3.1948, announcing USA President Harry Truman's support of the partition of Palestine (that is, the establishment of a Jewish state); a press release from 22.4.1948, announcing that the Yishuv, under no circumstances, will surrender even if the UN does – the state of Israel will be established; "The Declaration of Independence" – a speech from 14.5.1948, announcing the establishment of the state of Israel; and more.
• Dozens of documents: an interesting summary of a conversation between Eliyahu Epstein (Eilat) and General Dwight David Eisenhower (the future USA President), containing an analysis of Eisenhower's body language and facial expressions; a list of names of senators, governmental officials and heads of committees who assisted in the efforts to lead to recognition of Israel (with recommendations to send letters of appreciation); an interesting document with a "political profile" of American officials, reviewing their opinions and activity; and more.
• Dozens of letters: five letters sent to Silver by American senators (among them the senators Olin D. Johnston, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg, and others); a letter sent by Silver to the members of the Republican Party suggesting a new clause for the party's platform – policy regarding the issue of Israel (with the text of the clause); and more.
• Dozens of memoranda of the American Zionist Emergency Council, among them: a memorandum from 27.5.1948 with the first notice for the newly established State of Israel – greetings for its establishment and a promise that American Jewry will stand beside it (signed in print by all members of the Council); and more.
• Dozens of briefs and protocols of the meetings of the American branch of the Jewish Agency.
• And more.
These documents were presumably collected by the scholar and writer Noah Orian, for a dissertation he wrote on Abba Hillel Silver.
Enclosed: "The Status and Activity of Abba Hillel Silver in the Jewish American Arena, 1933-1944, Chapter B: The Years of Frustration in the Shadow of the Holocaust (1933-1943)" (Hebrew), by Noah Orian, 1971. A draft of a dissertation submitted to Tel-Aviv University (in two copies); dozens of newspaper clippings with articles and news items related to Abba Hillel Silver.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000
Unsold
Four copies of "A Framework for Peace in the Middle East" and four copies of "The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty". Divided into four pairs, each of them signed by a different leader: a pair by Anwar Sadat, a pair by Walter Mondale and two pairs by Menachem Begin. [Washington]: International Communication Agency Embassy of the U.S.A, 1978/1979. English.
Eight booklets – official copies of two of the historical agreements signed between Israel and Egypt during the peace talks in Washington. The first agreement, A Framework for Peace in the Middle East (also named the first Camp David Accords), was signed on 17.9.1978, and laid the foundations for the peaceful relations between the two countries. The second agreement, The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, was signed on 26.3.1979 and thus brought thirty years of war between the parties to an end.
The booklets are divided into four pairs (each pair containing one copy of each of the agreements), signed on the cover by the different leaders: one pair is signed by the President of Egypt Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (in Arabic and English); one pair is signed by the Vice President of the United States, Walter Mondale; and two pairs are signed by the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin (in Hebrew and English, one of them is dated by hand: Jerusalem, Menachem-Av [1980]).
The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed on the lawn of the White House on 26.3.1979, and was the first peace treaty between Israel and one of its neighbors. The peace talks opened officially with the surprising arrival of the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, at Israel, only four years after the Yom Kippur War.
At first, the talks encountered some difficulties; however, after the intervention of Jimmy Carter, the President of the United States, the parties assembled at Camp David, the presidential country retreat. After two weeks of negotiations, a festive ceremony was held in which the first treaty, A Framework for Peace in the Middle East, was signed. Approximately six months later, the parties assembled at the White House to sign the Peace Treaty, which signaled a new era in the history of the Middle East. Due to the agreement, Sadat and Begin received the shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
Enclosed: two letters (typewritten on official stationery): a letter by the director of the public relations department of Egypt, Mohammad Hassan Raafat, and a letter by Walter Mondale's advisor, Sue Cockrell; two envelopes in which the treaties were sent.
A Framework for Peace in the Middle East: 44 pp. approx. 20 cm. The Egyptian-Israeli Treaty: [36] pp, 26.5 cm. Good condition. Stains on the covers. Minor blemishes.
Eight booklets – official copies of two of the historical agreements signed between Israel and Egypt during the peace talks in Washington. The first agreement, A Framework for Peace in the Middle East (also named the first Camp David Accords), was signed on 17.9.1978, and laid the foundations for the peaceful relations between the two countries. The second agreement, The Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, was signed on 26.3.1979 and thus brought thirty years of war between the parties to an end.
The booklets are divided into four pairs (each pair containing one copy of each of the agreements), signed on the cover by the different leaders: one pair is signed by the President of Egypt Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (in Arabic and English); one pair is signed by the Vice President of the United States, Walter Mondale; and two pairs are signed by the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin (in Hebrew and English, one of them is dated by hand: Jerusalem, Menachem-Av [1980]).
The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed on the lawn of the White House on 26.3.1979, and was the first peace treaty between Israel and one of its neighbors. The peace talks opened officially with the surprising arrival of the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, at Israel, only four years after the Yom Kippur War.
At first, the talks encountered some difficulties; however, after the intervention of Jimmy Carter, the President of the United States, the parties assembled at Camp David, the presidential country retreat. After two weeks of negotiations, a festive ceremony was held in which the first treaty, A Framework for Peace in the Middle East, was signed. Approximately six months later, the parties assembled at the White House to sign the Peace Treaty, which signaled a new era in the history of the Middle East. Due to the agreement, Sadat and Begin received the shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.
Enclosed: two letters (typewritten on official stationery): a letter by the director of the public relations department of Egypt, Mohammad Hassan Raafat, and a letter by Walter Mondale's advisor, Sue Cockrell; two envelopes in which the treaties were sent.
A Framework for Peace in the Middle East: 44 pp. approx. 20 cm. The Egyptian-Israeli Treaty: [36] pp, 26.5 cm. Good condition. Stains on the covers. Minor blemishes.
Category
Zionism, Palestine and the State of Israel
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Unsold
"On the Rivers of Babylon", painting by Saul Raskin (1878-1966).
Oil on wood. Signed.
The painting, showing Raskin's interpretation of Psalms 137 ("On the rivers of Babylon there we wept, when we remembered Zion…"), depicts a group of Jewish exiles beside a river, a chained man at their head, and beside them weeping trees, with lyres and a violin hanging from their drooping branches.
In 1942, the Book of Psalms, illustrated by Raskin, was published in New-York, containing also the picture before us. Several of Raskin's illustrations for the book were affected by the events of World War II and reflect the spirit of the times. This influence can be seen to a certain extent in this picture too, especially in the way Raskin chose to present the Jewish figures.
Saul Raskin (1878-1966) was born in Ukraine, studied litography in Odessa and later studied art in Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. In ca. 1904, he emigrated to the USA, there he worked at drawing caricatures for Yiddish periodicals, illustrating books and writing art critique.
Many of his works dealt with Jewish tradition, including his illustrations for the Avot tractate, the Passover Haggadah and the Five Scrolls. Raskin, who defined himself as a Zionist, visited Palestine several times and painted its views and inhabitants. Some of these paintings was published in the book "Erezt Yisrael in Vort un Bild" ("Palestine in Words and Pictures". New York, 1925).
74.5X62 cm.
Oil on wood. Signed.
The painting, showing Raskin's interpretation of Psalms 137 ("On the rivers of Babylon there we wept, when we remembered Zion…"), depicts a group of Jewish exiles beside a river, a chained man at their head, and beside them weeping trees, with lyres and a violin hanging from their drooping branches.
In 1942, the Book of Psalms, illustrated by Raskin, was published in New-York, containing also the picture before us. Several of Raskin's illustrations for the book were affected by the events of World War II and reflect the spirit of the times. This influence can be seen to a certain extent in this picture too, especially in the way Raskin chose to present the Jewish figures.
Saul Raskin (1878-1966) was born in Ukraine, studied litography in Odessa and later studied art in Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. In ca. 1904, he emigrated to the USA, there he worked at drawing caricatures for Yiddish periodicals, illustrating books and writing art critique.
Many of his works dealt with Jewish tradition, including his illustrations for the Avot tractate, the Passover Haggadah and the Five Scrolls. Raskin, who defined himself as a Zionist, visited Palestine several times and painted its views and inhabitants. Some of these paintings was published in the book "Erezt Yisrael in Vort un Bild" ("Palestine in Words and Pictures". New York, 1925).
74.5X62 cm.
Category
Paintings and Graphic Art
Catalogue
Lot 167 "Follow the Orders of the Civil Guard" – Original Sketch for a Poster Made by Pesach Ir-Shay
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Unsold
"Follow the Orders of the Civil Guard" (Hebrew), an original sketch for a poster made by Pesach Ir-Shay. [Palestine, ca. 1947].
A sketch for a poster designed by Pesach Ir-Shay for the Civil Guard, an organization that was founded in 1938 and operated in Palestine during World War II and the War of Independence.
Gouache on paper mounted on cardboard. Signed.
The graphic designer and typographer Pesach Ir-Shay (István Irsai, 1896-1968) was an important modernist graphic designers in Europe between the two world wars and one of the most important graphic designers in Israel. Ir-Shay was born in Budapest, Hungary, served in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, and after his service, studied architecture in Budapest. After his graduation, he worked as an architect and graphic designer. He designed the Hebrew font "Chaim" – a modern font that for the first time presented the Hebrew letter in its basic lines only, without decorations, while using straight lines and geometrical shapes (unlike preceding fonts that were based on traditional and biblical script). In 1925, Ir-Shay immigrated to Palestine and continued his work as graphic designer, focusing on designing posters, using the font he had designed. He was also one of the founders of the Hebrew satirical theater, "HaKumkum" (The kettle), together with Avigdor HaMeiri and Eliezer Donáth. In 1929, he returned to Hungary. The modernist posters he designed in the 1930s established him as one of the leading graphic designers of his time. With the outbreak of World War II, he remained in Budapest, suffering the horrors of the Holocaust. Ir-Shay was one of the survivors of the Kastner Train, with which he came to Bergen-Belsen, where he drew the sights of the camp. In 1945, he again immigrated to Palestine and settled in Tel-Aviv.
94.5X63.5cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears, open tears and holes in the margins (affecting illustration). Peeling and minor blemishes.
A sketch for a poster designed by Pesach Ir-Shay for the Civil Guard, an organization that was founded in 1938 and operated in Palestine during World War II and the War of Independence.
Gouache on paper mounted on cardboard. Signed.
The graphic designer and typographer Pesach Ir-Shay (István Irsai, 1896-1968) was an important modernist graphic designers in Europe between the two world wars and one of the most important graphic designers in Israel. Ir-Shay was born in Budapest, Hungary, served in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, and after his service, studied architecture in Budapest. After his graduation, he worked as an architect and graphic designer. He designed the Hebrew font "Chaim" – a modern font that for the first time presented the Hebrew letter in its basic lines only, without decorations, while using straight lines and geometrical shapes (unlike preceding fonts that were based on traditional and biblical script). In 1925, Ir-Shay immigrated to Palestine and continued his work as graphic designer, focusing on designing posters, using the font he had designed. He was also one of the founders of the Hebrew satirical theater, "HaKumkum" (The kettle), together with Avigdor HaMeiri and Eliezer Donáth. In 1929, he returned to Hungary. The modernist posters he designed in the 1930s established him as one of the leading graphic designers of his time. With the outbreak of World War II, he remained in Budapest, suffering the horrors of the Holocaust. Ir-Shay was one of the survivors of the Kastner Train, with which he came to Bergen-Belsen, where he drew the sights of the camp. In 1945, he again immigrated to Palestine and settled in Tel-Aviv.
94.5X63.5cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears, open tears and holes in the margins (affecting illustration). Peeling and minor blemishes.
Category
Paintings and Graphic Art
Catalogue
Auction 66 - Rare and Important Items
May 15, 2019
Opening: $12,000
Estimate: $15,000 - $18,000
Unsold
A collection of approx. 70 sketches and drawings by Meir Ariel and eleven pages handwritten by him, with drafts of the songs of the album "Rishumei Pecham" (Charcoal Sketches). [Ca, 1990s].
An impressive collection of drawings and handwritten drafts from the time Meir Ariel was working on his fifth album – "Rishumei Pecham" (Charcoal Sketches).
• Eleven draft pages handwritten by Meir Ariel, of the songs of the album "Rishumei Pecham": "Chayat HaBarzel" (Iron Animal), "Shamati SheAt Nimtzet" (I Heard You are Present), "HaZanav HaBilti Nireh shel Shir HaMiktzo'ah" (The Invisible Tail of the Profession Song), "HaAdam Eino Elah…" (Man is But…), "Democraki" [Democracy], "Bass BaBalon" (Bass in the Balloon), "S'Uchtuha-Efes 3" [S'Uchtu Eppes 3], "Shir Hata'asuka" (The Employment Song), "Keta MeHagmara – MeEin Haftarah" [Peh Gadol] and a song that eventually was not included in the album – "Kamah VeChama Sibot Tovot Bishvil Geveret Lakum BaBoker" (Several Good Reasons for a Lady to Wake Up in the Morning). Most of the drafts are somewhat different from the versions that were eventually recorded, varying in a few words or in complete verses.
• Three abstract portrait-sketches in pastel chalks, two of them integrating the Hebrew inscription "Charcoal Sketches". Presumably, they were meant to appear on the cover of the album.
• Approx. 70 sketches and drawings on stationery, notes and leaves of notebooks in various techniques (ink, watercolors, felt-tipped pens, and more). Presumably, they were meant to accompany Ariel's songs and appear in album booklets. Many of the sketches are portraits (among them at least one self-portrait) and on some of them, there is also an inscription: names of songs, recording instructions, names and more.
• Two envelopes with Hebrew captions handwritten by Ariel: "Rishuemi Pecham, sketches" and "Rishumei Pecham (temporary name), (there is a donor!), lyrics".
Meir Ariel (1942-1999), songwriter, singer and composer, one of the most important creators in Israeli music. As a member of Kibbutz Mishmarot and a son of a bible teacher, Ariel absorbed in his childhood and youth the culture of the Kibbutz as well as knowledge of the bible. This combination served Ariel as an inexhaustible fountain of linguistic combinations describing in the most precise manner the Israeli crisis as he experienced it during the late 1960s. In 1967, after taking part in the conquering of the Western Wall as a paratrooper, he responded as battle-shocked, yet directly and immediately, to the voices of victory and the euphoria, and in response to Naomi Shemer's song "Jerusalem of Gold", he wrote and performed his own version of the hit song which he titled "Jerusalem of Iron", in which he emphasized the bitter aspects of the war. Ariel was usually misunderstood and received the title "the Singing Paratrooper", which he rejected. After a long stay in the USA, where he was deeply affected by Bob Dylan, he returned to Israel and by a rich and complex series of albums revealed aspects of the Israeli existence which until then had been hidden from view. His first album "Shirei Chag UMoed VeNofel" (Songs of Holidays and Stumbling and Falling – the Hebrew phrase "Chag uMoed" is homonymous, meaning both "holidays" and "spinning and stumbling"), includes one of the most important texts of Hebrew songwriting, "Shir Ke'ev" (A Song of Pain), in which he succeeded in representing the emotional consequences of the Occupation. In this song, he wrote among others one of his most quoted sentences: "At the end of every sentence you say in Hebrew sits an Arab with a narghile (hooka), even if it begins in Siberia or Hollywood with Hava Nagila (Let Us Rejoice)".
His fifth album, "Rishumei Pecham" (Charcoal Sketches), published in 1995, is considered a complex concept album, harder to digest than its predecessors. The album contained, among others, the songs "Chayat Habarzel" (Iron Animal), "Bass BaBalon" (Bass in the Balloon), "Shir HaMiktzo'ah" (The Profession Song) and others, in which Ariel expressed man's futility facing nature, alongside a sense of grievance against the Capitalistic race and enslavement to technology.
In the decade leading to his premature death, Ariel grew close to Jewish tradition and started observing Mitzvahs "in a sportive manner" as he defined it. Among others, he engaged in an in-depth study of the bible and in dialogue with rabbinic tradition in a manner that influenced his later work, in which he defied the digital era, which he perceived as apocalyptic.
A total of approx. 70 drawings and sketches, 11 handwritten drafts and two envelopes. Size and condition vary. Good overall condition. Three of the sketches are stamped with the stamp of Meir Ariel's Estate.
An impressive collection of drawings and handwritten drafts from the time Meir Ariel was working on his fifth album – "Rishumei Pecham" (Charcoal Sketches).
• Eleven draft pages handwritten by Meir Ariel, of the songs of the album "Rishumei Pecham": "Chayat HaBarzel" (Iron Animal), "Shamati SheAt Nimtzet" (I Heard You are Present), "HaZanav HaBilti Nireh shel Shir HaMiktzo'ah" (The Invisible Tail of the Profession Song), "HaAdam Eino Elah…" (Man is But…), "Democraki" [Democracy], "Bass BaBalon" (Bass in the Balloon), "S'Uchtuha-Efes 3" [S'Uchtu Eppes 3], "Shir Hata'asuka" (The Employment Song), "Keta MeHagmara – MeEin Haftarah" [Peh Gadol] and a song that eventually was not included in the album – "Kamah VeChama Sibot Tovot Bishvil Geveret Lakum BaBoker" (Several Good Reasons for a Lady to Wake Up in the Morning). Most of the drafts are somewhat different from the versions that were eventually recorded, varying in a few words or in complete verses.
• Three abstract portrait-sketches in pastel chalks, two of them integrating the Hebrew inscription "Charcoal Sketches". Presumably, they were meant to appear on the cover of the album.
• Approx. 70 sketches and drawings on stationery, notes and leaves of notebooks in various techniques (ink, watercolors, felt-tipped pens, and more). Presumably, they were meant to accompany Ariel's songs and appear in album booklets. Many of the sketches are portraits (among them at least one self-portrait) and on some of them, there is also an inscription: names of songs, recording instructions, names and more.
• Two envelopes with Hebrew captions handwritten by Ariel: "Rishuemi Pecham, sketches" and "Rishumei Pecham (temporary name), (there is a donor!), lyrics".
Meir Ariel (1942-1999), songwriter, singer and composer, one of the most important creators in Israeli music. As a member of Kibbutz Mishmarot and a son of a bible teacher, Ariel absorbed in his childhood and youth the culture of the Kibbutz as well as knowledge of the bible. This combination served Ariel as an inexhaustible fountain of linguistic combinations describing in the most precise manner the Israeli crisis as he experienced it during the late 1960s. In 1967, after taking part in the conquering of the Western Wall as a paratrooper, he responded as battle-shocked, yet directly and immediately, to the voices of victory and the euphoria, and in response to Naomi Shemer's song "Jerusalem of Gold", he wrote and performed his own version of the hit song which he titled "Jerusalem of Iron", in which he emphasized the bitter aspects of the war. Ariel was usually misunderstood and received the title "the Singing Paratrooper", which he rejected. After a long stay in the USA, where he was deeply affected by Bob Dylan, he returned to Israel and by a rich and complex series of albums revealed aspects of the Israeli existence which until then had been hidden from view. His first album "Shirei Chag UMoed VeNofel" (Songs of Holidays and Stumbling and Falling – the Hebrew phrase "Chag uMoed" is homonymous, meaning both "holidays" and "spinning and stumbling"), includes one of the most important texts of Hebrew songwriting, "Shir Ke'ev" (A Song of Pain), in which he succeeded in representing the emotional consequences of the Occupation. In this song, he wrote among others one of his most quoted sentences: "At the end of every sentence you say in Hebrew sits an Arab with a narghile (hooka), even if it begins in Siberia or Hollywood with Hava Nagila (Let Us Rejoice)".
His fifth album, "Rishumei Pecham" (Charcoal Sketches), published in 1995, is considered a complex concept album, harder to digest than its predecessors. The album contained, among others, the songs "Chayat Habarzel" (Iron Animal), "Bass BaBalon" (Bass in the Balloon), "Shir HaMiktzo'ah" (The Profession Song) and others, in which Ariel expressed man's futility facing nature, alongside a sense of grievance against the Capitalistic race and enslavement to technology.
In the decade leading to his premature death, Ariel grew close to Jewish tradition and started observing Mitzvahs "in a sportive manner" as he defined it. Among others, he engaged in an in-depth study of the bible and in dialogue with rabbinic tradition in a manner that influenced his later work, in which he defied the digital era, which he perceived as apocalyptic.
A total of approx. 70 drawings and sketches, 11 handwritten drafts and two envelopes. Size and condition vary. Good overall condition. Three of the sketches are stamped with the stamp of Meir Ariel's Estate.
Category
Paintings and Graphic Art
Catalogue