Five passports and certificates issued to Jewish refugees in Europe at the end of WWII and after it; several of them document trips to Palestine. Romania, Italy, France and Germany, 1945-1949. 1. Certificate issued by the Romanian Red Cross (Comité International de la Croix-Rouge Délégation en Roumanie) to Karl Heinz Leipziger, printed in French, Romanian and Russian. The certificate was issued in Bucharest on March 14, 1945, indicating that its owner is a Jewish refugee from Germany looking for refuge in Romania and is under the protection of the Red Cross. 2. Travel certificate issued by the representative of the State of Israel in Bucharest ("The Special Representative to Bucharest") to Karl Heinz Leipziger. Issued in December 1948; valid for a single trip to Israel. Signed by the "special representative of the Israeli government to Bucharest". 3. Passport issued by the Red Cross (printed in seven languages) to Hersch Tyk. Issued in Rome in February 1948, indicating that its owner is requesting to immigrate to Palestine. With a passport photo, fingerprint, and official Red Cross and "International Refugee Organization" stamps. 4. French Identity card and travel document (France Titre d'Identité et de Voyage) issued to Tauba Borensztajn. The certificate bears confirmations, postage stamps and visas documenting her trips to England and Israel (the visa to Israel is dated May 1949). 5. Temporary Travel Document in lieu of passport for stateless persons and persons of undetermined nationality, issued by the Military Government for Germany (after its conquest by the Allies at the end of World War II). Issued in Bad Salzuflen on April 14, 1949. With a passport photo, British visa to Israel and stamps indicating entrance to Israel. Size and condition vary. Good-fair overall condition. Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.

Pictorial Review, Vaad Hatzala, Germany, 1948. [Munich? New York?], 1948. English. Review of the work of the Orthodox organization "Vaad Hatzala" (Rescue Committee), directed by Rabbi Nathan Baruch, in the displaced persons camps in Germany shortly after the end of the Second World War, with photographs and documents. The photographs and documents deal with subjects including food distribution, kosher kitchens, Jewish education, and the printing and distribution of sacred texts. Also included are photographs of camp rabbis and prominent members of the Committee, and of ceremonies and gatherings, as well as documents pertaining to various organizations, and more. The "Vaad Hatzala" was established in November, 1939 by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, in order to help rabbis and Torah scholars escape the ravages of the Nazi occupation of Europe, to places of shelter, mostly in North America, central Asia, and China, and to provide for their material needs there. Later during the war, the "Vaad" began lending assistance to non-Orthodox Jews as well. Following the war, the organization provided assistance to Jewish refugees in the displaced persons camps. [2], 248, [14] pp., approx. 29 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears, including open tears, to edges of several leaves, some mended. Binding worn and slightly stained. Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.

"The Holocaust! In the Fields of Poligon near Nay-Sventzion [Švenčionėliai], Vilna County, District of Sventzion […]", by Ari Anat Pupisky. [Israel? mid-late 20th century]. Yiddish. Approx. 200 typewritten pages – chapters from a long work relating the story of a family during the Holocaust. The author's family resided in the Lithuanian town of Švenčionėliai (Nowo-Święciany). The town's Jews, including the author's parents, Ze'ev (Velvel) and Chasia, were murdered by the Nazis and their helpers in the nearby Poligon camp (see: "Svinzian Region; Memorial Book of 23 Jewish Communities (Švenčionys, Lithuania)", Edited by Shimon Kanc, Tel Aviv: 1965). Nonconsecutive pagination (presumably, the work is incomplete). Approx. 200 typewritten pages + [1] title page (handwritten), approx. 21 cm. Good condition. Stains and minor blemishes. Marginal tears to some leaves. Some pages with handwritten corrections. Carbon-paper copies attached to some of the pages. Enclosed : • Approx. 110 pages – drafts of shorter works by the same author (some typewritten and some handwritten; Hebrew and Yiddish). • Four pages from a magazine, with texts by Pupisky. • Some personal documents.

The Jewish Faith, by Grace Aguilar. London: Richard Groombridge, 1846. English. The book entitled "The Jewish Faith; Its Spiritual Consolation, Moral Guidance, and Immortal Hope" – an epistolary work, consisting of a series of letters written by an elderly Jewish woman, Inez Villena, to her young friend, Annie Montague, entreating her not to abandon her Judaism – was published shortly before the passing of the young English author, Grace Aguilar (1816-1847). This copy of the book was the property of the Etting family of Baltimore, Maryland – among the earliest Jewish immigrant families in the New World (arriving before the United States of America gained its independence) – for three generations; Solomon Etting gave this copy as a gift to his daughter Richa, and Richa in turn bequeathed it to her niece. Solomon Etting (1764-1847) was a merchant, politician, and activist on behalf of the American Jewish community. At the age of 18, he became the first native-born American Jewish ritual slaughterer in the history of the United States. For many years, he campaigned for the enactment of a bill that would enable the Jews of Maryland to hold public office. Known as the "Jew Bill, " it finally became law in 1826. With its passing, Etting became a member of Baltimore's city council. Solomon Etting's first wife was the daughter of Joseph Simon, and his second wife was the daughter of Barnard Gratz. Solomon's son, Samuel, took part in the historic battle of Fort McHenry (1814). Two handwritten dedicatory inscriptions – documenting the transfer of the book from one owner to the next – appear on the front endpaper. At the top of the page – presentation inscription handwritten by Solomon Etting's, to his daughter, Richa: "To my dear Richa, from her Affectionate father" (dated June 15, 1847). This is followed by another presentation inscription (undated and faintly handwritten) from Richa to her niece: "To Georgie Cohen from her Loving Aunt Richa." In all likelihood, the "Georgie" mentioned here is Georgiana Cohen, daughter of Richa's sister. The book is leatherbound. Front and back boards with a decorative gilt border. Front board gilt-stamped with the name "Richa G. Etting." Ownership autograph on title page: "Richa Gratz Etting. xvi, 448 pp., 18.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Minor blemishes and few stains (mostly to first leaves and to edges). Embossed stamp to title page and on following leaf. Spine missing. Blemishes and wear to binding. Front board detached; back board partly detached.

Hymns Written for the Use of Hebrew Congregations, [by Penina Moise]. Charleston, South Carolina (United States): Congregation Beth Elohim, 1856. English. Second edition. Second edition of the hymn book published by the congregation Beth Elohim, the first reform congregation in the United States. It includes original hymns in English composed by the poet Penina Moise (1797-1880), member of the congregation, inspired by Psalms, Jewish tradition, the Bible and her own life experiences. The hymns are in English – the language of the prayers and sermons in the Beth Elohim synagogue; the book thus reflects the liberal tendency of the large Charleston congregation, and the influence of the surrounding American society. Penina Moise, born in Charleston, South Carolina, was a prolific poet and prominent figure in the Charleston literary community. Her poems deal with a variety of topics, with emphasis on Jewish issues. Her book Fancy's Sketch Book is considered the first poetry book a Jewish author published by in the United States. Moise was an educator, and served as superintendent of the congregation Beth Elohim's Sunday school. She composed numerous hymns for the congregation; some of which are still in use in Reform communities. After her passing, Moise was eulogized as "…a Jewish poetess, whose life most admirably illustrates the literary idea of the old South... for many years, [she] was the literary pivot of Hebrew Charleston, and whose influence extended far beyond the circle of her co-religionists…" (The Hebrew Standard, 20 May 1910). XV pp., [1] ff., 212 pp., 16.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Many stains. Minor blemishes. Inked stamps to several pages. Some pages slightly loose. Signature to front endpaper. Ornate binding (by Welch & Harris Binders), damaged and slightly loose. Abrasions and tears to boards and spine. Inscription to lower spine. Singerman 1424.