Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
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Displaying 97 - 108 of 124
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000
Sold for: $6,250
Including buyer's premium
Seder Tefillah, The Order of Prayer for Divine Service – Part I: prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, festivals and special days; Part II: Yom Kippur prayers. New York: Thalmessinger, Cahn & Benedicks, 1860-1863. Two parts in two volumes. Hebrew and English (with some German).
Second edition of the Seder Tefillah siddur by the Reform rabbi Dr. Leo Merzbacher; and the first edition revised by Dr. Samuel Adler. Includes year-round prayers; Hebrew and English on facing pages. Opens from right to left. Handwritten inscriptions on the endpapers of both volumes, including a hymn for the consecration day of Temple Emanuel in Curaçao (see below).
The Seder Tefillah siddur is the first Reform siddur printed in the United States, featuring the English translation alongside the Hebrew text (instead of the usual German translation found in siddurim published for Reform communities of German origin).
The siddur was compiled in 1855 by Dr. Leo Merzbacher, first rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in New York. Although Dr. Merzbacher's siddur kept to a certain degree the traditional prayer text, omitting, as he puts it, only prayers containing "repetitions, incongruities, and obvious abuses" – Orthodox R. Yissachar Ber (Bernard) Illowy issued a ban on whomever utilized this prayerbook (Response to Modernity, a History of the Reform Movement in Judaism. Detroit, 2019. p. 337).
The present edition, which was revised and corrected by Dr. Samuel Adler, successor of Dr. Merzbacher as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, distanced itself even more from the traditional prayer text and adopted radical changes to the structure and text of the prayerbook (although the title page of this edition states that it is the second edition, Dr. Adler's revision in effect produced a new edition of the siddur, very distant from R. Merzbacher's original text). Seder Tefillah revised by Dr. Adler became the official prayerbook used by Temple Emanu-El, until the official reform prayerbook – the Union Prayer Book was published in 1895. In the second half of the 19th century, the siddur was reprinted in several editions.
Eulogy for Hedwig Rosenbaum on the endpapers of vol. I (presumably a member of Temple Emanu-El), indicating the date of death – 22nd August 1863 (in English).
Bound at the end of vol. II are 16 leaves from the 1864 edition of the siddur, with hymns in German, and four leaves with English hymns. "Hymn on the Consecration Day of the Temple Emanuel, Curacao [in the southern Caribbean Sea], 12 Sept 1867" handwritten on the back endpaper.
Vol. I: XVII, 181 pages. Vol. II: [2] leaves, 397 pages; [6], 32, [1] pages. Approx. 17 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Minor marginal creases and tears to several leaves. Open tears to endpapers of vol. I (not affecting inscription); these leaves are partially detached. Stains. Browned paper in vol. II. Marginal tears to one leaf of Psalms at end of vol. II, reinforced with tape.
Rare. Vol. I is not recorded in OCLC nor in Goldman.
Singerman 1667. Deinard (Kohelet America) 966-968. See Goldman 48 (third edition, 1864).
Second edition of the Seder Tefillah siddur by the Reform rabbi Dr. Leo Merzbacher; and the first edition revised by Dr. Samuel Adler. Includes year-round prayers; Hebrew and English on facing pages. Opens from right to left. Handwritten inscriptions on the endpapers of both volumes, including a hymn for the consecration day of Temple Emanuel in Curaçao (see below).
The Seder Tefillah siddur is the first Reform siddur printed in the United States, featuring the English translation alongside the Hebrew text (instead of the usual German translation found in siddurim published for Reform communities of German origin).
The siddur was compiled in 1855 by Dr. Leo Merzbacher, first rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in New York. Although Dr. Merzbacher's siddur kept to a certain degree the traditional prayer text, omitting, as he puts it, only prayers containing "repetitions, incongruities, and obvious abuses" – Orthodox R. Yissachar Ber (Bernard) Illowy issued a ban on whomever utilized this prayerbook (Response to Modernity, a History of the Reform Movement in Judaism. Detroit, 2019. p. 337).
The present edition, which was revised and corrected by Dr. Samuel Adler, successor of Dr. Merzbacher as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, distanced itself even more from the traditional prayer text and adopted radical changes to the structure and text of the prayerbook (although the title page of this edition states that it is the second edition, Dr. Adler's revision in effect produced a new edition of the siddur, very distant from R. Merzbacher's original text). Seder Tefillah revised by Dr. Adler became the official prayerbook used by Temple Emanu-El, until the official reform prayerbook – the Union Prayer Book was published in 1895. In the second half of the 19th century, the siddur was reprinted in several editions.
Eulogy for Hedwig Rosenbaum on the endpapers of vol. I (presumably a member of Temple Emanu-El), indicating the date of death – 22nd August 1863 (in English).
Bound at the end of vol. II are 16 leaves from the 1864 edition of the siddur, with hymns in German, and four leaves with English hymns. "Hymn on the Consecration Day of the Temple Emanuel, Curacao [in the southern Caribbean Sea], 12 Sept 1867" handwritten on the back endpaper.
Vol. I: XVII, 181 pages. Vol. II: [2] leaves, 397 pages; [6], 32, [1] pages. Approx. 17 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Minor marginal creases and tears to several leaves. Open tears to endpapers of vol. I (not affecting inscription); these leaves are partially detached. Stains. Browned paper in vol. II. Marginal tears to one leaf of Psalms at end of vol. II, reinforced with tape.
Rare. Vol. I is not recorded in OCLC nor in Goldman.
Singerman 1667. Deinard (Kohelet America) 966-968. See Goldman 48 (third edition, 1864).
Category
Americana
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $30,000
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000
Unsold
Register of the Ahavath Chesed (Ahawath Chesed) congregation in Manhattan, New York, with thousands of marriage and death records from 1849-1900. German, with some English and Hebrew.
The Ahavath Chesed congregation was founded in 1846 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan by immigrants from Bohemia. The German-speaking community flourished and expanded, and relocated to the center of Manhattan, where it inaugurated its new premises in 1872. In 1898, the community merged with Congregation Shaar HaShamayim, and from 1917, it is known as the Central Synagogue.
This register contains comprehensive documentation of marriages and deaths in the Ahavath Chesed congregation, in the second half of the 19th century, and as such serves as a unique source of information on the history of this community and the history of New York Jewry in general. In the 1850s-1880s, there were only several tens of thousands of Jews in New York, of which close to 4000 are documented in this register. In many cases, this register serves as the only source of information on New York Jewry in that time. In other cases, it discloses inaccuracies in existing records (thus for instance, an entry on p. 125 records the passing of Hannah Bloomingdale, mother of the founders of the Bloomingdale's department stores in the United States, and states the exact date of her passing and her age at the time of her death – 62. In other sources, these details are not recorded, and she is sometimes recorded to have passed away at the age of 63).
Study of the register also allows us to track the development of the community over the years, and offers details about its members, leaders and activities. On p. 56 appears a record of the congregation's relocation to its new premises on Lexington Avenue corner of 55th Street (central Manhattan) in 1872; this location serves the congregation until this day.
The register documents prominent Jewish-German families, including: Oppenheim and Oppenheimer, Blumenthal, Guggenheimer, Weil, Wertheimer, Lauterbach, Loeb, Schwab, Schiff, and others, and sheds light on the activities of the rabbis and spiritual leaders in the community. Amongst others, the following rabbis are mentioned: Dr. Adolf Huebsch (first permanent rabbi of the congregation) and Dr. Alexander (Chanoch Yehudah) Kohut. On p. 76, a record of the marriage of Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise.
Contents of the register:
Pp. 1-118: marriage records, 1849-1886.
Pp. 119-137: death records, 1874-1896.
Pp. 138-164: marriage records, 1886-1900.
Pp. 165-211: death records, 1849-1874.
The entries contain various combinations of the following details: Name (including maiden name), age, parents, spouse, date of marriage or death, name of officiating rabbi, place of burial and sum paid. In earlier records, the member's town of origin is often given (mostly towns in Bavaria and Bohemia). A small part of the entries document weddings which took place outside Manhattan. Most of the register is in German; a few entries (beginning from 1897) were written in English, and some of the dates are given in Hebrew.
[211] written pages (and several dozen blank pages). 31.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, some marginal creases and tears (mostly minor). Strip of paper pasted along margin on verso of first leaf (blank). Binding with gilt lettering, worn and rubbed, partially detached.
For more information about the contents of the register and its significance, see enclosed material (English).
The Ahavath Chesed congregation was founded in 1846 in the Lower East Side of Manhattan by immigrants from Bohemia. The German-speaking community flourished and expanded, and relocated to the center of Manhattan, where it inaugurated its new premises in 1872. In 1898, the community merged with Congregation Shaar HaShamayim, and from 1917, it is known as the Central Synagogue.
This register contains comprehensive documentation of marriages and deaths in the Ahavath Chesed congregation, in the second half of the 19th century, and as such serves as a unique source of information on the history of this community and the history of New York Jewry in general. In the 1850s-1880s, there were only several tens of thousands of Jews in New York, of which close to 4000 are documented in this register. In many cases, this register serves as the only source of information on New York Jewry in that time. In other cases, it discloses inaccuracies in existing records (thus for instance, an entry on p. 125 records the passing of Hannah Bloomingdale, mother of the founders of the Bloomingdale's department stores in the United States, and states the exact date of her passing and her age at the time of her death – 62. In other sources, these details are not recorded, and she is sometimes recorded to have passed away at the age of 63).
Study of the register also allows us to track the development of the community over the years, and offers details about its members, leaders and activities. On p. 56 appears a record of the congregation's relocation to its new premises on Lexington Avenue corner of 55th Street (central Manhattan) in 1872; this location serves the congregation until this day.
The register documents prominent Jewish-German families, including: Oppenheim and Oppenheimer, Blumenthal, Guggenheimer, Weil, Wertheimer, Lauterbach, Loeb, Schwab, Schiff, and others, and sheds light on the activities of the rabbis and spiritual leaders in the community. Amongst others, the following rabbis are mentioned: Dr. Adolf Huebsch (first permanent rabbi of the congregation) and Dr. Alexander (Chanoch Yehudah) Kohut. On p. 76, a record of the marriage of Reform rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise.
Contents of the register:
Pp. 1-118: marriage records, 1849-1886.
Pp. 119-137: death records, 1874-1896.
Pp. 138-164: marriage records, 1886-1900.
Pp. 165-211: death records, 1849-1874.
The entries contain various combinations of the following details: Name (including maiden name), age, parents, spouse, date of marriage or death, name of officiating rabbi, place of burial and sum paid. In earlier records, the member's town of origin is often given (mostly towns in Bavaria and Bohemia). A small part of the entries document weddings which took place outside Manhattan. Most of the register is in German; a few entries (beginning from 1897) were written in English, and some of the dates are given in Hebrew.
[211] written pages (and several dozen blank pages). 31.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, some marginal creases and tears (mostly minor). Strip of paper pasted along margin on verso of first leaf (blank). Binding with gilt lettering, worn and rubbed, partially detached.
For more information about the contents of the register and its significance, see enclosed material (English).
Category
Americana
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $6,000
Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000
Sold for: $13,750
Including buyer's premium
Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae. Das ist ein Reisebuch, uber die ganze heilige Schrifft, in zwei Bücher getheilet. Magdeburg (Germany): Paul Donat (in Vorlegung Ambrosii Kirchners), 1597. German.
Travel Book Through Holy Scriptures, by Heinrich Bünting (1545-1606), a German pastor, theologian and cartographer, describes the travels of various notable Biblical figures through the Holy Land. The book was first published in 1581, and provided the most complete and comprehensive summary of biblical geography available. It has since been reprinted and translated into many languages.
The book features 12 maps (woodcuts), mostly double-spread (printed on two pages), including three figurative maps drawn by Bünting: The first and most well-known is the map portraying the world in the shape of a cloverleaf (the cloverleaf appears on the emblem of the city of Hanover, Bünting's birthplace). The three leaves of the clover represent the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. Jerusalem is depicted in the center of the leaf, representing the center of the world. The second map portrays Asia as Pegasus (a winged horse from the Greek mythology). Europe is depicted in the third map as a crowned and robed woman (the Phoenician princess Europa). In addition to these figurative maps, the book also contains more conventional maps: a world map, a map of the Mediterranean Basin, a map of Africa, four maps of Palestine, a map of Jerusalem and a plan of the Holy Temple.
[7] leaves, 240 [i.e. 241], [7] pages; [3] leaves, 30, 30-41, 43-102, [8] pages (eighth page blank); [1], 34 pages; [6], 15, [2], 14-21 pages. Lacking 3 leaves: one leaf at beginning of book (poems) and two final leaves. Mispagination. 29.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and tears (including open tears) to maps and other leaves, mostly repaired. Paper and tape repairs (including old repairs) to some leaves and maps. Tear to center of cloverleaf map, repaired with paper. Tears to Queen shaped map of Europe and Pegasus map, repaired with tape. Margins of several maps trimmed. Marginal tears to title page, slightly affecting text, mounted on paper for preservation and reinforcement. One leaf near beginning of book (map of Palestine) mounted on paper for reinforcement. Worming to several leaves. A few handwritten inscriptions (addition in red ink to map of Jerusalem). Fine, original binding, blind-stamped vellum with metal corners and clasps. Minor damage and wear to binding. Missing one clasp.
Travel Book Through Holy Scriptures, by Heinrich Bünting (1545-1606), a German pastor, theologian and cartographer, describes the travels of various notable Biblical figures through the Holy Land. The book was first published in 1581, and provided the most complete and comprehensive summary of biblical geography available. It has since been reprinted and translated into many languages.
The book features 12 maps (woodcuts), mostly double-spread (printed on two pages), including three figurative maps drawn by Bünting: The first and most well-known is the map portraying the world in the shape of a cloverleaf (the cloverleaf appears on the emblem of the city of Hanover, Bünting's birthplace). The three leaves of the clover represent the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. Jerusalem is depicted in the center of the leaf, representing the center of the world. The second map portrays Asia as Pegasus (a winged horse from the Greek mythology). Europe is depicted in the third map as a crowned and robed woman (the Phoenician princess Europa). In addition to these figurative maps, the book also contains more conventional maps: a world map, a map of the Mediterranean Basin, a map of Africa, four maps of Palestine, a map of Jerusalem and a plan of the Holy Temple.
[7] leaves, 240 [i.e. 241], [7] pages; [3] leaves, 30, 30-41, 43-102, [8] pages (eighth page blank); [1], 34 pages; [6], 15, [2], 14-21 pages. Lacking 3 leaves: one leaf at beginning of book (poems) and two final leaves. Mispagination. 29.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and tears (including open tears) to maps and other leaves, mostly repaired. Paper and tape repairs (including old repairs) to some leaves and maps. Tear to center of cloverleaf map, repaired with paper. Tears to Queen shaped map of Europe and Pegasus map, repaired with tape. Margins of several maps trimmed. Marginal tears to title page, slightly affecting text, mounted on paper for preservation and reinforcement. One leaf near beginning of book (map of Palestine) mounted on paper for reinforcement. Worming to several leaves. A few handwritten inscriptions (addition in red ink to map of Jerusalem). Fine, original binding, blind-stamped vellum with metal corners and clasps. Minor damage and wear to binding. Missing one clasp.
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
"Map of the Holy Land as it is in the Bible… translated from Latin to the Holy Tongue by Mr. Jacob Auspitz of Ofen: with the approbation of… the rabbi and dean of our community, R. Moshe Mintz", map of Palestine – hand colored engraving, plate 4 from the book Be'er HaLuchot by Jacob Auspitz. [Vienna, 1818]. Second edition (the map was published a year earlier, with slight variations, in Be'er HaLuchot, Ofen [present day: Budapest], 1817).
Map of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan river, depicting the territories of the Tribes. The shoreline stretches between Sidon in the north and Egypt in the south. Decorated cartouche in the upper left corner, flanked on one side by the figure of Yehoshua, holding a tribal flag in one hand and pointing to the sun with the other hand, and on the other by the figure of Elazar clad in priestly clothes and bearing the breastplate. An inscription above the sun reads: "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon". The cartouche is surmounted with illustrations of the pillars of fire and cloud which accompanied and guided the Jewish people in their travels through the desert. A map scale and compass rose appear at the foot of the map, alongside a legend for royal cities, cities of refuge, Levitical cities and cities of Israel.
The engraving was produced by Gottfried Prixner (signed in print), after a map of Palestine by German cartographer and publisher Tobias Conrad Lotter (the cartouche illustrations on both maps are almost identical). Both maps are based on the map of Palestine by cartographer Nicolas Sanson, in his book Geographia Sacra.
Leaf: 48.5X40 cm. Fair condition. Darkened paper. Stains (including dark stains and dampstains). Inscription in margins. Creases and defects. Worming and tears, including open tears, repaired with paper and paint (mostly marginal). The entire map is mounted on thin, acid-free paper; framed.
Laor 884.
Map of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan river, depicting the territories of the Tribes. The shoreline stretches between Sidon in the north and Egypt in the south. Decorated cartouche in the upper left corner, flanked on one side by the figure of Yehoshua, holding a tribal flag in one hand and pointing to the sun with the other hand, and on the other by the figure of Elazar clad in priestly clothes and bearing the breastplate. An inscription above the sun reads: "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon". The cartouche is surmounted with illustrations of the pillars of fire and cloud which accompanied and guided the Jewish people in their travels through the desert. A map scale and compass rose appear at the foot of the map, alongside a legend for royal cities, cities of refuge, Levitical cities and cities of Israel.
The engraving was produced by Gottfried Prixner (signed in print), after a map of Palestine by German cartographer and publisher Tobias Conrad Lotter (the cartouche illustrations on both maps are almost identical). Both maps are based on the map of Palestine by cartographer Nicolas Sanson, in his book Geographia Sacra.
Leaf: 48.5X40 cm. Fair condition. Darkened paper. Stains (including dark stains and dampstains). Inscription in margins. Creases and defects. Worming and tears, including open tears, repaired with paper and paint (mostly marginal). The entire map is mounted on thin, acid-free paper; framed.
Laor 884.
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $1,000
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
Unsold
Judith, "book including the travelogue of Lady Judith Montefiore. Written in English during her travels with her husband Sir Moses Montefiore to the Holy Land in 1839… translated to Hebrew by one who loves the Holy Tongue [Eliezer Shauli]". London: Nathan Valentine, [1879?]. Hebrew and some English. Copy signed by Montefiore.
Hebrew translation of the travelogue written by Judith, wife of prominent activist and philanthropist Moses Montefiore, during their journey from London to Palestine via Germany, France and Italy (November 1, 1838 – August 10, 1839). The translation was produced 15 years after the passing of Judith Montefiore. The book begins with two forewords (in Hebrew and English), as well as a poem by the translator, and concludes with several letters regarding the settlement of Palestine addressed to Moses Montefiore, and one letter from him.
Moses Montefiore's signature appears on the verso of the front endpaper, in English, alongside an inscription (in English and German): "…Herrn David Schifman in Tiberias, Care of Signor Moise Yedid Halevi in Beyrut, Syria".
Inscription handwritten and signed by R. Schifman on the front endpaper: "Received by post as a gift from the prominent… Sir Moses Montefiore".
On the inside front board, a label with the Montefiore family crest and a portrait of Moses and Judith Montefiore. A thin metal label with the Montefiore family crest is attached (upside down) beneath Schifman's signature.
R. David Schifman (1852-1927), born in Russia, immigrated to Tiberias in his youth. A leading Ashkenazi Torah scholar, he served as dayan and posek. He authored HaBikkurim VehaRe'ayon (Jerusalem, 1879).
[2], VI, 285, [1] pages. 16.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Some stains (mostly to first leaves). First 7 leaves detached. Minor marginal tears to a few leaves. Piece cut out of front endpaper (approx. 1.5X9 cm); leaf detached – strips of sellotape to margin. Original binding, rubbed, with minor damage.
Hebrew translation of the travelogue written by Judith, wife of prominent activist and philanthropist Moses Montefiore, during their journey from London to Palestine via Germany, France and Italy (November 1, 1838 – August 10, 1839). The translation was produced 15 years after the passing of Judith Montefiore. The book begins with two forewords (in Hebrew and English), as well as a poem by the translator, and concludes with several letters regarding the settlement of Palestine addressed to Moses Montefiore, and one letter from him.
Moses Montefiore's signature appears on the verso of the front endpaper, in English, alongside an inscription (in English and German): "…Herrn David Schifman in Tiberias, Care of Signor Moise Yedid Halevi in Beyrut, Syria".
Inscription handwritten and signed by R. Schifman on the front endpaper: "Received by post as a gift from the prominent… Sir Moses Montefiore".
On the inside front board, a label with the Montefiore family crest and a portrait of Moses and Judith Montefiore. A thin metal label with the Montefiore family crest is attached (upside down) beneath Schifman's signature.
R. David Schifman (1852-1927), born in Russia, immigrated to Tiberias in his youth. A leading Ashkenazi Torah scholar, he served as dayan and posek. He authored HaBikkurim VehaRe'ayon (Jerusalem, 1879).
[2], VI, 285, [1] pages. 16.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Some stains (mostly to first leaves). First 7 leaves detached. Minor marginal tears to a few leaves. Piece cut out of front endpaper (approx. 1.5X9 cm); leaf detached – strips of sellotape to margin. Original binding, rubbed, with minor damage.
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
A splendid collection of 18 souvenir coins and medals, mostly silver, specially minted to mark the occasion of the official visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine. [Germany?, ca. 1898].
On the obverse, the majority of the coins and medals bear the figure of Kaiser Wilhelm II (helmeted, mounted on horseback, and/or accompanied by the figure of the Empress Augusta Victoria); the reverse sides feature various images associated with the journey (such as the imperial yacht, the Church of the Redeemer, and other images), as well as (German) inscriptions commemorating the visit. Highlighting the collection are a number of singularly unique medals, including: • A medal with no portrait, with the (German) inscription "From Jerusalem shall emanate the light [that brightens] the world, by the glow of the light did our German nation gain its strength. Neither power, nor acclaim, nor honor, nor worldly material benefits do we seek here…" (probably circulated to allay concerns that Germany was aiming to take control of the Port of Haifa; two copies of this coin, in two different metals). • Souvenir medal for tourists of the German Imperial House of Hohenzollern: obverse shows images of the Kaiser and the Empress; reverse bears an inscription listing the various pilgrimage journeys undertaken by the House of Hohenzollern through the centuries (from 1340 to 1898 CE).
18 coins and medals. Two duplicates. Size and condition vary. Some with metal suspension loops. One medal with original neck ribbon in the colors of the flag of the German Imperial House. Three medals housed in plastic cases of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
Through the months of October-November 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany toured some of the major cities of the Ottoman Empire, including Beirut, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Jaffa. The visit to Palestine, in particular, was regarded as one of the most salient events in the annals of the Land of Israel in the 19th century.
Preparations for the Kaiser's visit to Palestine had already begun in the summer of 1898. These included a massive municipal clean-up, the improvement and overhaul of infrastructure, the laying of a telegraph line, and other operations. In time for the Kaiser's arrival in Jerusalem, a number of municipal roads were widened. The authorities went as far as breaching a gap in Jerusalem's Old City Wall, adjacent to Jaffa Gate, to enable the smooth passage of the Kaiser's opulent carriage. In addition, the city streets – most notably HaNevi'im Street, where a special tent camp for the Kaiser and his entourage was to be temporarily constructed – were adorned with the flags of Germany and the Ottoman Empire, and with makeshift gates of honor.
The highlight of the Kaiser's visit to Jerusalem was the opening ceremony of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. But he also visited the German Colony, the Mt. of Olives, the Christian Quarter of the Old City, City Hall, and other sites. From a Jewish standpoint, perhaps the most historically important event in the Kaiser's itinerary was his meeting with Theodor Herzl.
Throughout his visit, Wilhelm was accompanied by his wife, the Empress Augusta Victoria, and a small entourage. The Kaiser rode either on horseback or in the imperial carriage. Following in the footsteps of his immediate entourage in Jerusalem was a parade of lesser-ranked officials, accompanied by cavalry regiments and "kawas" officials – ceremonial Ottoman-Empire bodyguards. Large crowds of people thronged to Jerusalem to witness the occasion. Many were willing to pay money for the privilege of occupying vantage points on rooftops and balconies overlooking the planned route of the procession.
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $1,200
Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $10,000
Including buyer's premium
Some 65 glass slides, most hand-painted – early pictures and photographs of Palestine, some documenting the official visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1898. Various sites in Palestine (mostly Jerusalem), [ca. late 19th century and early 20th century].
The rarest of the slides in the collection are those that offer snapshots of the proceedings in the course of the official visit of the German head of state, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in Palestine in the year 1898: The imperial yacht (SMY Hohenzollern) disembarking from the Port of Venice (after painting by Hans Bohrdt, Instructor in Painting to the Imperial Court of Wilhelm II); balconies decked with flags and wreaths along Jaffa Road in Jerusalem in honor of the Kaiser's arrival; the Kaiser and his entourage on the Temple Mount, ascending the steps leading up from the Golden Gate; a train adorned with both Ottoman and Prussian flags departing from a train station (most likely the departure of the Kaiser and his entourage from Jerusalem en route to Jaffa); and more.
The majority of slides in the collection present landscapes and sites from all across Palestine, including Jerusalem (the Western Wall, Mt. of Olives, Tower of David, Dome of the Rock), Bethlehem, Jaffa (the Flea Market), Haifa, and other cities; local inhabitants in traditional dress; and more.
A small number of the glass slides are unpainted. The majority are titled (mostly in German) and numbered in handwriting on stickers in the margins. Edges wrapped in black paper tape.
Approx. 65 slides. Approx. 8.5X8.5 – 8.5X10 cm. Condition varies. Overall good condition. Minor blemishes. Number of slides in fair condition, with fractures to glass or blemishes to print. One slide with corner broken off and missing. Collection housed in wooden case.
The rarest of the slides in the collection are those that offer snapshots of the proceedings in the course of the official visit of the German head of state, Kaiser Wilhelm II, in Palestine in the year 1898: The imperial yacht (SMY Hohenzollern) disembarking from the Port of Venice (after painting by Hans Bohrdt, Instructor in Painting to the Imperial Court of Wilhelm II); balconies decked with flags and wreaths along Jaffa Road in Jerusalem in honor of the Kaiser's arrival; the Kaiser and his entourage on the Temple Mount, ascending the steps leading up from the Golden Gate; a train adorned with both Ottoman and Prussian flags departing from a train station (most likely the departure of the Kaiser and his entourage from Jerusalem en route to Jaffa); and more.
The majority of slides in the collection present landscapes and sites from all across Palestine, including Jerusalem (the Western Wall, Mt. of Olives, Tower of David, Dome of the Rock), Bethlehem, Jaffa (the Flea Market), Haifa, and other cities; local inhabitants in traditional dress; and more.
A small number of the glass slides are unpainted. The majority are titled (mostly in German) and numbered in handwriting on stickers in the margins. Edges wrapped in black paper tape.
Approx. 65 slides. Approx. 8.5X8.5 – 8.5X10 cm. Condition varies. Overall good condition. Minor blemishes. Number of slides in fair condition, with fractures to glass or blemishes to print. One slide with corner broken off and missing. Collection housed in wooden case.
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $2,500
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Unsold
Three impressive black and white large-format photographs, showing Australian forces in the WWI Palestine Campaign. Taken by the Australian war photographer, Frank Hurley. [1917/1918].
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was formed in 1914 and fought alongside the Allied forces. Apart from taking part in combat throughout Europe, ANZAC is remembered for its major contribution to the British victory in the Sinai and Palestine campaign, and the many battles it took part in: the Battle of Romani over the Suez Canal, the Sinai campaign, the Battle of Gaza, the Battle of Beersheba, and others. In December 1917, the ANZAC mounted division was the first to enter the gates of Jerusalem.
The present lot comprises three large-format photographs, taken by Frank Hurley, Australian war photographer during WWI:
1. Photograph of Australian soldiers posing on a staircase at the foot of the Dome of the Rock. Approx. 38X29.5 cm.
2. Photograph of Australian infantry division in battle (in the Jerusalem area?), crouching behind rocks facing a smoking hill. Approx. 37X13 cm.
3. Photograph of the Australian mounted division crossing a wide plain. Approx. 37X28.5 cm.
Overall good condition. Minor blemishes (primarily to margins). Several minor stains.
James Francis "Frank" Hurley (1885-1962) was an Australian photographer and adventurer, of the first photographers to arrive in Antarctica and a renowned 20th century war photographer. He served as official photographer alongside the Australian forces during both world wars.
Hurley purchased his first camera at the age of 17, and earned a reputation of a fearless photographer, endangering himself in order to produce memorable pictures. Between 1911 and 1916, he participated in two expeditions to Antarctica (with Douglas Mawson and Ernest Schackleton), and produced some of the first color photographs of Antarctica. In 1917, he was made war photographer of the Australian forces, and in this position he created some of the most impressive photographs of battlefields and warfronts. In December 1917, Hurley was sent to Palestine where he carried out several important photographic projects (including aerial filming and color photography). Since most of the important battles were over before he arrived, he staged some of them (including the Battles of Jerusalem, Gaza and Beersheba).
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
![Women praying at the Western Wall, etching by Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874-1925). [1913].
Signed in the plate; signed in penc](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale78-public/105.jpg "Ephraim Moses Lilien – Etching – Women at the Western Wall")
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $1,200
Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $3,500
Including buyer's premium
Women praying at the Western Wall, etching by Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874-1925). [1913].
Signed in the plate; signed in pencil.
The name of the artist, "Efraim Moshe son of Yaakov HaKohen Lilien" (Hebrew) appears on one of the stones of the Wall.
Etching: Approx. 49X33 cm (sheet: approx. 69X50 cm). Good condition. Stains to margins. Placed in fine wooden frame; unexamined out of frame.
See: Painting with Light: The Photographic Aspect in the Work of E. M. Lilien, by Micha and Orna Bar-Am. Tel Aviv Museum of Art & Dvir Publishing, 1991, pp. 138-139 (photographed, alongside the photograph the etching is based upon).
Signed in the plate; signed in pencil.
The name of the artist, "Efraim Moshe son of Yaakov HaKohen Lilien" (Hebrew) appears on one of the stones of the Wall.
Etching: Approx. 49X33 cm (sheet: approx. 69X50 cm). Good condition. Stains to margins. Placed in fine wooden frame; unexamined out of frame.
See: Painting with Light: The Photographic Aspect in the Work of E. M. Lilien, by Micha and Orna Bar-Am. Tel Aviv Museum of Art & Dvir Publishing, 1991, pp. 138-139 (photographed, alongside the photograph the etching is based upon).
Category
Palestine
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Some 90 postcards related to the Dreyfus affair. Various publishers, France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere, late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most with undivided backs.
The collection includes postcards issued by Dreyfus's supporters and postcards by anti-Dreyfusards, featuring caricatures, illustrations and photographs. Including: portraits of Dreyfus, Emile Zola, Esterhazy and other figures related to the affair; antisemitic caricatures; a hand-colored postcard printed on high-quality paper (numbered: no. 66/100); a postcard printed in French Guinea, near Devil's Island, the French penal colony, with a drawing of Dreyfus's hut on the island (drawn by hand); and more.
Many Dreyfus-related postcards, featuring various photographs and illustrations, were printed during the duration of the Affair, some siding with Dreyfus, and others against him. The postcards gained popularity, served as an important propaganda tool and were instrumental in forming public opinion.
Approx. 90 postcards, including duplicates. Approx. 30 postcards were used. Condition varies.
Enclosed: a printed anti-Dreyfusard card. One side features four portraits – incriminators of Dreyfus in the affair; the other side features an advertisement for toothpaste.
The collection includes postcards issued by Dreyfus's supporters and postcards by anti-Dreyfusards, featuring caricatures, illustrations and photographs. Including: portraits of Dreyfus, Emile Zola, Esterhazy and other figures related to the affair; antisemitic caricatures; a hand-colored postcard printed on high-quality paper (numbered: no. 66/100); a postcard printed in French Guinea, near Devil's Island, the French penal colony, with a drawing of Dreyfus's hut on the island (drawn by hand); and more.
Many Dreyfus-related postcards, featuring various photographs and illustrations, were printed during the duration of the Affair, some siding with Dreyfus, and others against him. The postcards gained popularity, served as an important propaganda tool and were instrumental in forming public opinion.
Approx. 90 postcards, including duplicates. Approx. 30 postcards were used. Condition varies.
Enclosed: a printed anti-Dreyfusard card. One side features four portraits – incriminators of Dreyfus in the affair; the other side features an advertisement for toothpaste.
Category
Antisemitism, The Holocaust and She'erit Hapletah
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000
Unsold
Two postcards handwritten by Mala Zimetbaum. Sent from Auschwitz-Birkenau (one from the punishment barracks) to Antwerp, [1942-1944]; five photographs of Mala taken before her deportation to Auschwitz.
1-2. Two postcards written by Mala Zimetbaum in Auschwitz-Birkenau, addressed to a friend in Antwerp (written in German). One postcard was sent from Block 11 (the punishment barracks) in Auschwitz I, presumably in 1944, after Mala's escape from the camp, before her execution.
In her letters, Mala laconically reports on her situation and inquires about her family: "You are surely glad to receive a sign of life from me… I am healthy and think about you a lot, and hope to hear good news from you"; "I already wrote to your parents… but I did not receive a reply. Please write to me where my dear parents are". The postcards were clearly written under the constraints of censorship.
The postcards were written in pen and pencil, and bear various inked stamps. One bears a German postage stamp with a picture of Hitler.
3-7. Five group photographs featuring Mala Zimetbaum; taken before her deportation to Auschwitz.
Mala (Malka) Zimetbaum (1922-1944) was born in Poland. As a child, her family relocated to Antwerp. In 1942, some two years after Belgium was conquered by the Germans, she was deported to the Kazerne Dossin transit camp in Mechelen, from where she was transported to Auschwitz. After the initial selection, she was sent to the women's camp at Birkenau. Due to her proficiency in languages – German, Flemish, French, Italian and Polish – she was assigned work as a translator, a position which gave her a certain freedom of movement, and helped her earn the trust of both the S.S. guards and the inmates. Unlike other prisoners who held official positions in the camp, Mala did not abuse her privileged standing. Testimonies of her activities in the camp depict her as a courageous, generous woman, who attempted to help the camp inmates to the best of her ability, at great risk to her life. According to several reports, Mala was involved in underground activities in Auschwitz – smuggling arms and money from "Kanada" (the camp's warehouses, used to store the stolen belongings of prisoners) into the camp itself, accumulating documents providing proof of the extermination in order to reveal to the world the Nazi crimes (as two other inmates who escaped Auschwitz successfully – Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, likewise did).
On Saturday, 24th June 1944, Zimetbaum succeeded in escaping the camp together with her partner Edek Galinski, a Polish political prisoner. There are several different accounts of their escape, including a first-hand testimony delivered by Raya Kagan during the Eichmann trial, as well as a hearsay testimony recorded in the book The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi. The facts in both testimonies are similar: Mala and Edek escaped together, disguised as S.S. guards (it is uncertain whether they smuggled documents out of the camp attesting to the mass-murder taking place there). Two weeks later, they were caught by the Slovakian border control and were taken to Block 11 in Auschwitz I, the punishment barracks, where they were tortured. They were later returned to Birkenau and executed at the same time.
Raya Kagan reported in her testimony that she came close to Mala's barrack while she was awaiting interrogation, and inquired how she was, "serenely and heroically she said, somewhat ironically: 'I am always well'".
The prisoners were assembled to witness Mala's execution. Reputedly, Mala succeeded in disrupting the execution. She smuggled a razor, which she used to cut her veins while she was being brought to the gallows. When a S.S. guard tried to stop her, she slapped him in the face with her bloody hand, proclaiming "I will die like a hero, and you will die like a dog".
Two postcards, 10.5X15 cm. Fair-poor condition. Closed and open tears to margins, slightly affecting text. Tears across both postcards; one postcard torn into two. Wear. Text partially faded and difficult to read.
Three photographs – approx. 6X9 cm; two photographs – approx. 14X9 cm (with postcard backs). Good condition. Minor blemishes.
1-2. Two postcards written by Mala Zimetbaum in Auschwitz-Birkenau, addressed to a friend in Antwerp (written in German). One postcard was sent from Block 11 (the punishment barracks) in Auschwitz I, presumably in 1944, after Mala's escape from the camp, before her execution.
In her letters, Mala laconically reports on her situation and inquires about her family: "You are surely glad to receive a sign of life from me… I am healthy and think about you a lot, and hope to hear good news from you"; "I already wrote to your parents… but I did not receive a reply. Please write to me where my dear parents are". The postcards were clearly written under the constraints of censorship.
The postcards were written in pen and pencil, and bear various inked stamps. One bears a German postage stamp with a picture of Hitler.
3-7. Five group photographs featuring Mala Zimetbaum; taken before her deportation to Auschwitz.
Mala (Malka) Zimetbaum (1922-1944) was born in Poland. As a child, her family relocated to Antwerp. In 1942, some two years after Belgium was conquered by the Germans, she was deported to the Kazerne Dossin transit camp in Mechelen, from where she was transported to Auschwitz. After the initial selection, she was sent to the women's camp at Birkenau. Due to her proficiency in languages – German, Flemish, French, Italian and Polish – she was assigned work as a translator, a position which gave her a certain freedom of movement, and helped her earn the trust of both the S.S. guards and the inmates. Unlike other prisoners who held official positions in the camp, Mala did not abuse her privileged standing. Testimonies of her activities in the camp depict her as a courageous, generous woman, who attempted to help the camp inmates to the best of her ability, at great risk to her life. According to several reports, Mala was involved in underground activities in Auschwitz – smuggling arms and money from "Kanada" (the camp's warehouses, used to store the stolen belongings of prisoners) into the camp itself, accumulating documents providing proof of the extermination in order to reveal to the world the Nazi crimes (as two other inmates who escaped Auschwitz successfully – Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, likewise did).
On Saturday, 24th June 1944, Zimetbaum succeeded in escaping the camp together with her partner Edek Galinski, a Polish political prisoner. There are several different accounts of their escape, including a first-hand testimony delivered by Raya Kagan during the Eichmann trial, as well as a hearsay testimony recorded in the book The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi. The facts in both testimonies are similar: Mala and Edek escaped together, disguised as S.S. guards (it is uncertain whether they smuggled documents out of the camp attesting to the mass-murder taking place there). Two weeks later, they were caught by the Slovakian border control and were taken to Block 11 in Auschwitz I, the punishment barracks, where they were tortured. They were later returned to Birkenau and executed at the same time.
Raya Kagan reported in her testimony that she came close to Mala's barrack while she was awaiting interrogation, and inquired how she was, "serenely and heroically she said, somewhat ironically: 'I am always well'".
The prisoners were assembled to witness Mala's execution. Reputedly, Mala succeeded in disrupting the execution. She smuggled a razor, which she used to cut her veins while she was being brought to the gallows. When a S.S. guard tried to stop her, she slapped him in the face with her bloody hand, proclaiming "I will die like a hero, and you will die like a dog".
Two postcards, 10.5X15 cm. Fair-poor condition. Closed and open tears to margins, slightly affecting text. Tears across both postcards; one postcard torn into two. Wear. Text partially faded and difficult to read.
Three photographs – approx. 6X9 cm; two photographs – approx. 14X9 cm (with postcard backs). Good condition. Minor blemishes.
Category
Antisemitism, The Holocaust and She'erit Hapletah
Catalogue
Auction 78 - Rare and Important Items
May 25, 2021
Opening: $15,000
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000
Unsold
Collection of documents from the Holocaust, mostly travel papers, documenting The journey of Hersz Praszkier (Hersh Prashker) from occupied Poland to the Far East; including life-saving visas issued by the Righteous Among the Nations Chiune Sugihara and Jan Zwartendijk, rare visas from the Japanese authorities and documents issued by the Jewish community in the Far East. Europe, Japan and China, 1939-1942. Japanese, Polish, English and some German.
The collection includes:
Sugihara's visa: document issued to Praszkier, confirming his Polish citizenship (presumably issued by the British legation in Lithuania as a replacement for a passport), containing two visas: a transit visa via Japan issued by Chiune Sugihara, dated 5.8.1940, stamped with Sugihara's stamp and other stamps (with the addition of some Japanese script); entry visa to the Dutch colonies in South America issued by Jan Zwartendijk, with his hand signature, dated 1.8.1940.
Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986) was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for Japan in Kaunas during the Holocaust. Between July and September 1940, he issued over 2000 transit visas via Japan, which saved the lives of the recipients and their families (according to some estimates, some 10,000 people were saved thanks to these visas). Sugihara issued these visas during a period of three months, defying the orders of his superiors and ignoring the required criteria, until the closure of the embassy. Even after boarding the train to leave Kaunas, he continued issuing improvised visas and threw them through the window to the crowds waiting on the platform.
About half of the visas issued by Sugihara included another life-saving visa, issued by Jan Zwartendijk (1896-1976), Dutch consul in Kaunas. These visas were issued to Jews whose passports did not have an entry visa to a third country (the Japanese visas were only valid for transit via Japan, and an additional entry visa was required), and stated that the holder was allowed to enter Dutch colonies in South America. These Dutch visas allowed Sugihara to issue transit visas to Jews who did not have any other entry visas. With the closure of the Dutch consulate, Zwartendijk destroyed evidence of his activities. Sugihara and Zwartendijk were bestowed the title of Righteous Among the Nations for their WWII activities.
Already during the war, Sugihara handed his superiors a list of the recipients of the visas he issued, containing 2139 names ("Sugihara's list"). The present visa is listed 1048.
Ten documents from Praszkier's journey through the Far East, issued in Japan and China by the Japanese authorities, the Jewish community and the Polish embassy: • Permit for stay in Japan, printed on a bilingual form (English and Japanese), and filed-in by hand in Japanese, issued on 3.4.1941. Numbered 2703. • Official notification from the Jewish Community of Kobe (Ashkenazim): "Your permit to stay in this Country has been handed… to the Police Authorities here to arrange for the permit's further extension". Stamped and signed by the secretary of the community. 19.8.1941. (English). • Authorization with the rare stamp of the Jewish community: "The Jewish Community in Kobe (Ashkenazim), Kobe District" – presumably a ticket for a train journey, issued by the head of the Department for Foreign Affairs in the Hyogo district (Japan). • Polish consular passport issued to Praszkier in Tokyo, on 9.12.1941, with the stamp of the Polish embassy in Tokyo and Shanghai. • Transit visa or pass issued by the Japanese authorities in Shanghai, with a passport photograph of Praszkier. • Two receipts from the Committee for Assistance of Jewish Refugees from Eastern Europe (established in 1938 by the leaders of the community of Jewish refugees in Shanghai). June-July 1942. • And more.
Three documents documenting Praszkier's escape from Poland with the outbreak of the war: • Exit permit from Włocławek (Poland), signed by the region commander and dated 5.10.1939 (approximately one month after the town was captured by Nazi Germany). • Exit permit from Ciechanów (Poland), signed by the region commander and with a Nazi German inked-stamp, 14.10.1939. • Authorization issued by the Committee for Aid to Refugees in Vilna, confirming that Praszkier was listed as refugee 4474. With the inked stamp of the Jewish community in Vilna. 26.10.1939.
Six documents pertaining to the death and burial of Praszkier in Shanghai, 1944: • Form from the Kitchenfund Hospital, confirming Praszkier's admittance to the hospital and the diagnosis of typhus (1944). • Death certificate under Praszkier's name issued by the Chevra Kaddisha in Shanghai, confirming that Praszkier was buried on 15.5.1944 in the Baikal Road Jewish cemetery (1944). • Contract for the preparation of Praszkier's tombstone (1945). • Handwritten note, containing two versions of Praszkier's epitaph (Hebrew). • And more. Some documents mention the name of the Jewish refugee Hinda Milgrom (this surname also appears in Sugihara's list), Praszkier's wife in Shanghai, who took care of his burial arrangements.
Altogether 20 documents. Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: photograph and thirteen personal documents of Praszkier from before the war (mostly in Polish), and an identity card issued for Hinda Milgrom in Shanghai.
The collection includes:
Sugihara's visa: document issued to Praszkier, confirming his Polish citizenship (presumably issued by the British legation in Lithuania as a replacement for a passport), containing two visas: a transit visa via Japan issued by Chiune Sugihara, dated 5.8.1940, stamped with Sugihara's stamp and other stamps (with the addition of some Japanese script); entry visa to the Dutch colonies in South America issued by Jan Zwartendijk, with his hand signature, dated 1.8.1940.
Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986) was a Japanese diplomat who served as vice-consul for Japan in Kaunas during the Holocaust. Between July and September 1940, he issued over 2000 transit visas via Japan, which saved the lives of the recipients and their families (according to some estimates, some 10,000 people were saved thanks to these visas). Sugihara issued these visas during a period of three months, defying the orders of his superiors and ignoring the required criteria, until the closure of the embassy. Even after boarding the train to leave Kaunas, he continued issuing improvised visas and threw them through the window to the crowds waiting on the platform.
About half of the visas issued by Sugihara included another life-saving visa, issued by Jan Zwartendijk (1896-1976), Dutch consul in Kaunas. These visas were issued to Jews whose passports did not have an entry visa to a third country (the Japanese visas were only valid for transit via Japan, and an additional entry visa was required), and stated that the holder was allowed to enter Dutch colonies in South America. These Dutch visas allowed Sugihara to issue transit visas to Jews who did not have any other entry visas. With the closure of the Dutch consulate, Zwartendijk destroyed evidence of his activities. Sugihara and Zwartendijk were bestowed the title of Righteous Among the Nations for their WWII activities.
Already during the war, Sugihara handed his superiors a list of the recipients of the visas he issued, containing 2139 names ("Sugihara's list"). The present visa is listed 1048.
Ten documents from Praszkier's journey through the Far East, issued in Japan and China by the Japanese authorities, the Jewish community and the Polish embassy: • Permit for stay in Japan, printed on a bilingual form (English and Japanese), and filed-in by hand in Japanese, issued on 3.4.1941. Numbered 2703. • Official notification from the Jewish Community of Kobe (Ashkenazim): "Your permit to stay in this Country has been handed… to the Police Authorities here to arrange for the permit's further extension". Stamped and signed by the secretary of the community. 19.8.1941. (English). • Authorization with the rare stamp of the Jewish community: "The Jewish Community in Kobe (Ashkenazim), Kobe District" – presumably a ticket for a train journey, issued by the head of the Department for Foreign Affairs in the Hyogo district (Japan). • Polish consular passport issued to Praszkier in Tokyo, on 9.12.1941, with the stamp of the Polish embassy in Tokyo and Shanghai. • Transit visa or pass issued by the Japanese authorities in Shanghai, with a passport photograph of Praszkier. • Two receipts from the Committee for Assistance of Jewish Refugees from Eastern Europe (established in 1938 by the leaders of the community of Jewish refugees in Shanghai). June-July 1942. • And more.
Three documents documenting Praszkier's escape from Poland with the outbreak of the war: • Exit permit from Włocławek (Poland), signed by the region commander and dated 5.10.1939 (approximately one month after the town was captured by Nazi Germany). • Exit permit from Ciechanów (Poland), signed by the region commander and with a Nazi German inked-stamp, 14.10.1939. • Authorization issued by the Committee for Aid to Refugees in Vilna, confirming that Praszkier was listed as refugee 4474. With the inked stamp of the Jewish community in Vilna. 26.10.1939.
Six documents pertaining to the death and burial of Praszkier in Shanghai, 1944: • Form from the Kitchenfund Hospital, confirming Praszkier's admittance to the hospital and the diagnosis of typhus (1944). • Death certificate under Praszkier's name issued by the Chevra Kaddisha in Shanghai, confirming that Praszkier was buried on 15.5.1944 in the Baikal Road Jewish cemetery (1944). • Contract for the preparation of Praszkier's tombstone (1945). • Handwritten note, containing two versions of Praszkier's epitaph (Hebrew). • And more. Some documents mention the name of the Jewish refugee Hinda Milgrom (this surname also appears in Sugihara's list), Praszkier's wife in Shanghai, who took care of his burial arrangements.
Altogether 20 documents. Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: photograph and thirteen personal documents of Praszkier from before the war (mostly in Polish), and an identity card issued for Hinda Milgrom in Shanghai.
Category
Antisemitism, The Holocaust and She'erit Hapletah
Catalogue