Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
Displaying 85 - 96 of 165
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $4,000
Including buyer's premium
Long letter of condolence, handwritten and signed by the Lubavitch-Chabad Rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson (the Rayatz), to Ms. Rachel Schneerson [mother of the poet Zelda], upon the death of her husband Rabbi Shalom Shlomo Schneerson. Leningrad, 1926
The rebbe opens the letter with the words: "I was taken aback by the sad news of the death of your husband, the renowned Rabbi…", and afterward he consoles and blesses her and her daughter. At the end of the letter, the Rayatz writes that he has decided not to show the widow's letter to his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, wife of Rebbe Shalom Ber of Lubavitch lest her distress upon hearing of the tragedy cause her health to deteriorate in her old age.
R. Shalom Shlomo Schneerson, son of R. Baruch Shneuer Schneerson, related to the Lubavitch-Chabad Rebbes (father of R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the last Chabad Rebbe), son-in-law of R. David Zvi (Radatz) Chen, Rabbi of Chernihiv (Russia) and a prominent Chabad rabbi. First he served as Rabbi in a Jewish agricultural colony in the Kherson district (Russia). Following the Bolshevik revolution, he left the colony and in Sivan 1925 moved to Eretz Israel together with his son-in-law the Radatz Chen and with his wife and only daughter Zelda. Less than one year after their Aliya to Jerusalem, the Radatz Chen died and six weeks later his son-in-law, Rabbi Shalom Shlomo also suddenly died after contracting pneumonia. His daughter, mentioned in the letter by the Rayatz is the celebrated poet Zelda who was 11 years old at the time of her father's death. Zelda, the orphan, received special permission to recite Kaddish in the Georgian synagogue and during the year of mourning, she said Kaddish daily for her father and grandfather.
15 autograph lines signed by the Rebbe the Rayatz. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. Stains.
The rebbe opens the letter with the words: "I was taken aback by the sad news of the death of your husband, the renowned Rabbi…", and afterward he consoles and blesses her and her daughter. At the end of the letter, the Rayatz writes that he has decided not to show the widow's letter to his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, wife of Rebbe Shalom Ber of Lubavitch lest her distress upon hearing of the tragedy cause her health to deteriorate in her old age.
R. Shalom Shlomo Schneerson, son of R. Baruch Shneuer Schneerson, related to the Lubavitch-Chabad Rebbes (father of R. Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the last Chabad Rebbe), son-in-law of R. David Zvi (Radatz) Chen, Rabbi of Chernihiv (Russia) and a prominent Chabad rabbi. First he served as Rabbi in a Jewish agricultural colony in the Kherson district (Russia). Following the Bolshevik revolution, he left the colony and in Sivan 1925 moved to Eretz Israel together with his son-in-law the Radatz Chen and with his wife and only daughter Zelda. Less than one year after their Aliya to Jerusalem, the Radatz Chen died and six weeks later his son-in-law, Rabbi Shalom Shlomo also suddenly died after contracting pneumonia. His daughter, mentioned in the letter by the Rayatz is the celebrated poet Zelda who was 11 years old at the time of her father's death. Zelda, the orphan, received special permission to recite Kaddish in the Georgian synagogue and during the year of mourning, she said Kaddish daily for her father and grandfather.
15 autograph lines signed by the Rebbe the Rayatz. 21.5 cm. Good condition. Folding marks. Stains.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,500
Sold for: $2,750
Including buyer's premium
Two letters by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson of Lubavitch-Chabad, to his aunt Ms. Rachel Schneerson and to her daughter Zelda Schneerson-Mishkovsky [the poet Zelda]:
1. Autograph letter [aerogram] by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, written entirely in his handwriting and with his signature [including name of recipient, the address and sender in his own handwriting, on the verso], to Ms. Rachel Schneerson. Brooklyn, [1950].
The Rebbe writes to "My aunt, the modest and honored Rebbetzin Rachel", and sends his good wishes upon the marriage of her daughter Zelda. He concludes with his wishes for a kosher and happy Pesach. The letter was written a few months before R. Schneerson accepted the post of Rebbe (after the death of his father-in-law, the Rayatz on the 10th of Shevat 1950).
2. Letter by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to "my relative Ms. Zelda", typewritten and signed by the Rebbe. Brooklyn, 1957.
The Rebbe blesses his cousin Zelda, with a "Ketiva V'chatima tova for a good sweet year in materiality and spirituality".
Two letters. Good-fair condition. Dark stains on the Rebbe's letter to Zelda's mother, with a tear to the upper left corner (from removal of the postage stamp).
1. Autograph letter [aerogram] by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, written entirely in his handwriting and with his signature [including name of recipient, the address and sender in his own handwriting, on the verso], to Ms. Rachel Schneerson. Brooklyn, [1950].
The Rebbe writes to "My aunt, the modest and honored Rebbetzin Rachel", and sends his good wishes upon the marriage of her daughter Zelda. He concludes with his wishes for a kosher and happy Pesach. The letter was written a few months before R. Schneerson accepted the post of Rebbe (after the death of his father-in-law, the Rayatz on the 10th of Shevat 1950).
2. Letter by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to "my relative Ms. Zelda", typewritten and signed by the Rebbe. Brooklyn, 1957.
The Rebbe blesses his cousin Zelda, with a "Ketiva V'chatima tova for a good sweet year in materiality and spirituality".
Two letters. Good-fair condition. Dark stains on the Rebbe's letter to Zelda's mother, with a tear to the upper left corner (from removal of the postage stamp).
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $1,250
Including buyer's premium
Autograph letter signed by Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson. Brooklyn, 1951.
Letter to Tamar Gluskin from the Hadar Yosef neighborhood of Tel Aviv. The Rebbetzin mentions "my son" [in his first year as rebbe after the death of his father-in-law, the Rayatz], and she writes that she sent the medicine. She requests that the recipient write her details about life in Eretz Israel and tells of her acclimation to the US.
The pious Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1965), mother of R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe. "Eshet Haver" of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, who alongside her husband was active during the Communist rule, first in the city of Yekatrinoslav, of which he was rabbi (today Dnipropetrovsk), and later she exiled with him to Kazakhstan to which he was banished as a penalty for his religious activities. During this time, the rebbetzin produced ink from weeds to enable her husband to write his Torah novellae and later risked her life by taking his writings with her in her wanderings. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak died in Kazakhstan and the rebbetzin crossed the Russian border to Poland, eventually reaching Paris, the city in which her son, the Rebbe, was living at that time. In 1947, she traveled to the US together with the Rebbe and his wife. Approximately three years later, the Rebbe the Rayatz died and was succeeded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel. From then until her death, she was active alongside her son and was very involved in the lives of the Chassidim and in various Chabad activities. She also served as a member of the board of Neshei and B'not Chabad (women's organizations) in the US.
On the verso of the letter, in a draft of the recipient's reply.
Letter (aerogram), 30X21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks. Several small tears.
Letter to Tamar Gluskin from the Hadar Yosef neighborhood of Tel Aviv. The Rebbetzin mentions "my son" [in his first year as rebbe after the death of his father-in-law, the Rayatz], and she writes that she sent the medicine. She requests that the recipient write her details about life in Eretz Israel and tells of her acclimation to the US.
The pious Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1965), mother of R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe. "Eshet Haver" of the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, who alongside her husband was active during the Communist rule, first in the city of Yekatrinoslav, of which he was rabbi (today Dnipropetrovsk), and later she exiled with him to Kazakhstan to which he was banished as a penalty for his religious activities. During this time, the rebbetzin produced ink from weeds to enable her husband to write his Torah novellae and later risked her life by taking his writings with her in her wanderings. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak died in Kazakhstan and the rebbetzin crossed the Russian border to Poland, eventually reaching Paris, the city in which her son, the Rebbe, was living at that time. In 1947, she traveled to the US together with the Rebbe and his wife. Approximately three years later, the Rebbe the Rayatz died and was succeeded by Rebbe Menachem Mendel. From then until her death, she was active alongside her son and was very involved in the lives of the Chassidim and in various Chabad activities. She also served as a member of the board of Neshei and B'not Chabad (women's organizations) in the US.
On the verso of the letter, in a draft of the recipient's reply.
Letter (aerogram), 30X21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Folding marks. Several small tears.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $8,000
Sold for: $23,750
Including buyer's premium
Album with letters of good wishes, upon a wedding which took place in the family of Rebbe Avraham Stern, Rabbi in Nové Zámky (Neuhäusel) - blessings upon the marriage of his son R. Bezalel Stern [author of Betzel Chochma] with the daughter of R. Zvi Kinstlicher, Rabbi Sibiu (Nagyszeben, Hermannstadt). Elul 1932.
Letters of good wishes, calling cards and greeting cards, postcards and telegrams, "alternative" telegrams [telegram-like leaves printed especially for the wedding, with the names of the groom and the bride, and with the inscriptions "Alternative telegram on behalf of the Nové Zámky Yeshiva / or: "Alternative telegram on behalf of the Talmud Torah of Sibiu]. The album also contains the wedding invitation and the invitation to the previous wedding in R. Stern's family - the wedding of his son R. Mordechai Stern with the daughter of R. Shaul Broch, Rabbi of Košice.
A very impressive collection. An elegant neat album with dozens of autographs of leading Hungarian rabbis, including Chassidic rebbes. Many letters from notable rabbis and rebbes and dozens of letters by community figures, friends and relatives. These include: · a letter signed by the Vizhnitz Rebbe Yisrael Hager, author of Ahavat Yisrael. · Letter from Rebbe Yitzchak Isaac [Weiss] of Spinka. Vynohradiv. · Letter from the grandfather Rebbe Yosef Meir Tigerman Rabbi of Nové Zámky [who due to his state of health could not travel to Hermannstadt to participate in his grandson's wedding]. · Letter by R. Shaul Broch, Rabbi of Košice. · Letter by R. Shmuel David HaLevi Unger. · Letter by R. Meir Leib Frei, Rabbi of Šurany. · Many more letters by various rabbis from various cities [for a more comprehensive list, see Hebrew description].
R. Bezalel Stern (1911-1988) son of R. Avraham Stern (1884-perished in Holocaust 1944. Author of Melitzei Esh, Gapei Esh, Kitvei Esh, Mesader Chilikun V'Shitot, and other books). From his youth he was a renowned Torah scholar. Studied in the famous Galanta, Šurany, Trnava and Pressburg Yeshivot and was celebrated for his outstanding depth of study wherever he studied (his brother, Rabbi Moshe Stern the Debrecen Rabbi, author of Be'er Moshe, attested that R. Bezalel was famous for several renowned questions he asked). In 1932, he wed the daughter of R. Zvi Kinstlicher Rabbi of Hermannstadt (1871-1965, author of Be'er Zvi, a leading rabbi of Transylvania, close to the Belzer Rebbe) who guided his son-in-law on the way to becoming a posek. From 1942, R. Stern assisted his father-in-law in the Hermannstadt rabbinate. In 1955, he was appointed rabbi in Melbourne (Australia). He also served in the Vienna (Austria) rabbinate and in his senior years, he established his Beit Midrash in Jerusalem. He is particularly well known for his six-volume Betzel HaChochma series of responsa.
153 paper items pasted into an old album, 25X16 cm. Including: 21 regular letters, 27 postcards, 81 handwritten letters on telegram forms, 14 telegrams, 2 invitations and 8 printed cards. Overall good condition.
Letters of good wishes, calling cards and greeting cards, postcards and telegrams, "alternative" telegrams [telegram-like leaves printed especially for the wedding, with the names of the groom and the bride, and with the inscriptions "Alternative telegram on behalf of the Nové Zámky Yeshiva / or: "Alternative telegram on behalf of the Talmud Torah of Sibiu]. The album also contains the wedding invitation and the invitation to the previous wedding in R. Stern's family - the wedding of his son R. Mordechai Stern with the daughter of R. Shaul Broch, Rabbi of Košice.
A very impressive collection. An elegant neat album with dozens of autographs of leading Hungarian rabbis, including Chassidic rebbes. Many letters from notable rabbis and rebbes and dozens of letters by community figures, friends and relatives. These include: · a letter signed by the Vizhnitz Rebbe Yisrael Hager, author of Ahavat Yisrael. · Letter from Rebbe Yitzchak Isaac [Weiss] of Spinka. Vynohradiv. · Letter from the grandfather Rebbe Yosef Meir Tigerman Rabbi of Nové Zámky [who due to his state of health could not travel to Hermannstadt to participate in his grandson's wedding]. · Letter by R. Shaul Broch, Rabbi of Košice. · Letter by R. Shmuel David HaLevi Unger. · Letter by R. Meir Leib Frei, Rabbi of Šurany. · Many more letters by various rabbis from various cities [for a more comprehensive list, see Hebrew description].
R. Bezalel Stern (1911-1988) son of R. Avraham Stern (1884-perished in Holocaust 1944. Author of Melitzei Esh, Gapei Esh, Kitvei Esh, Mesader Chilikun V'Shitot, and other books). From his youth he was a renowned Torah scholar. Studied in the famous Galanta, Šurany, Trnava and Pressburg Yeshivot and was celebrated for his outstanding depth of study wherever he studied (his brother, Rabbi Moshe Stern the Debrecen Rabbi, author of Be'er Moshe, attested that R. Bezalel was famous for several renowned questions he asked). In 1932, he wed the daughter of R. Zvi Kinstlicher Rabbi of Hermannstadt (1871-1965, author of Be'er Zvi, a leading rabbi of Transylvania, close to the Belzer Rebbe) who guided his son-in-law on the way to becoming a posek. From 1942, R. Stern assisted his father-in-law in the Hermannstadt rabbinate. In 1955, he was appointed rabbi in Melbourne (Australia). He also served in the Vienna (Austria) rabbinate and in his senior years, he established his Beit Midrash in Jerusalem. He is particularly well known for his six-volume Betzel HaChochma series of responsa.
153 paper items pasted into an old album, 25X16 cm. Including: 21 regular letters, 27 postcards, 81 handwritten letters on telegram forms, 14 telegrams, 2 invitations and 8 printed cards. Overall good condition.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $3,000
Sold for: $15,000
Including buyer's premium
Large collection of letters and telegrams with good wishes upon the marriage of the groom R. Shmuel Weizel, son of R. David Weizel, Rabbi of Baranovich (Baranavichy, Poland), with the bride Hinda Segal daughter of R. Shalom Yitzchak Segal, Rabbi of Supraśl (Poland) and Trīškē (Lithuania). The wedding took place in Trīškē in the month of Adar 1933.
Letters, postcards and telegrams with good wishes, "alternative" telegrams [leaves which look like telegrams printed and sent by various charity institutes, on which people write their good wishes in their own handwriting and later are sent together by these institutes. This collection contains many telegrams of Tomchei Torah - a fund for assisting the young men studying at the Baranovich Yeshiva; of Ezrat Torah, the library of the Mir Yeshiva; the charity fund of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok; Keren Hayishuv affiliated with Agudat Yisrael; Or Torah Yeshiva in Tiberias; and telegrams with greetings, issued by the JNF, with Zionist postage stamps].
An impressive collection of dozens of autographs of great Lithuanian scholars, Torah leaders and heads of yeshivas and mussar figures. Among the telegrams from the Baranovich Yeshiva are letters of greetings and good wishes in the handwriting of the heads of the yeshiva: R. Elchanan Wasserman and R. David HaCohen Rappaport [author of Mikdash David], R. Simcha Wasserman, R. Zvi Guttman. Letters of greeting and good wishes from Rebbetzin Bluma Lubchansky, R. Asher Boirsky and many families in the community. Among the "telegrams" from the Mir Yeshiva is a letter of good wishes from "Naftali Beinish Wasserman" [son of R. Elchanan] and "Yisrael Mendel Kaplan". Among the "telegrams" from the Novardok Yeshiva [in which the groom studied] are letters from the mashgiach R. Yisrael Movshovitz, R. Nissan Patshinsky and R. Chaim Zeitchik
Letters from R. Yehuda Leib Fine, Rabbi of Slonim; R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of Shtotzin [author of Afikei Yam]; R. Meir Avovitz, Rabbi of Navahrudak; heads of yeshivas and spiritual heads of various Novardok branches; dozens of other letters by rabbis and head of yeshivas in Lithuania and Poland and dozens more from family members and friends. [For more details, see Hebrew description].
R. Shmuel Weizel (1905-1978) was a prominent student of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok and a childhood friend of the Steipler. He made aliya to Eretz Israel in 1935 and served as Rabbi of several Tel-Aviv neighborhoods (Ya'avetz-HaTavor, and from 1958, rabbi of the Brenner neighborhood). The father of the groom is R. David Weizel (1875-Tishrei 1958), son-in-law of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib Lubchansky (the first rabbi of the Jewish community in Baranovich). After the death of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib, R. Yisrael Ya'akov Lubchansky (mashgiach of the Baranovich Yeshiva) succeeded his father, but he resigned and passed on the rabbinate to his brother-in-law R. David Weizel who held the position of rabbi of the city for 35 years, from 1906 until he was banished to Siberia in 1941. He was celebrated for his humility and piety. R. Yerucham of Mir attested that the Rabbi of Baranovich is a shining example of someone who flees honor, yet honor pursues him (Hane'eman Year 10, Issue 8, p. 35). After World War II, Rabbi David served as member of the Ichud HaRabbanim (union of rabbis) in the Prague DP Camp, and later traveled to Paris in 1947 and from there made Aliya to Tel Aviv. He lived a long life and died in Tishrei 1957. The father of the bride, R. Shalom Yitzchak Segal (1884-1935) was a leading Lithuanian rabbi, famous for his erudite Torah knowledge and his piety. He served for 20 years in the city of Supraśl and from 1921 as Rabbi of Trīškē.
More than 140 letters and telegrams. Size and condition vary.Very good to fair condition. Overall good condition.
Letters, postcards and telegrams with good wishes, "alternative" telegrams [leaves which look like telegrams printed and sent by various charity institutes, on which people write their good wishes in their own handwriting and later are sent together by these institutes. This collection contains many telegrams of Tomchei Torah - a fund for assisting the young men studying at the Baranovich Yeshiva; of Ezrat Torah, the library of the Mir Yeshiva; the charity fund of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok; Keren Hayishuv affiliated with Agudat Yisrael; Or Torah Yeshiva in Tiberias; and telegrams with greetings, issued by the JNF, with Zionist postage stamps].
An impressive collection of dozens of autographs of great Lithuanian scholars, Torah leaders and heads of yeshivas and mussar figures. Among the telegrams from the Baranovich Yeshiva are letters of greetings and good wishes in the handwriting of the heads of the yeshiva: R. Elchanan Wasserman and R. David HaCohen Rappaport [author of Mikdash David], R. Simcha Wasserman, R. Zvi Guttman. Letters of greeting and good wishes from Rebbetzin Bluma Lubchansky, R. Asher Boirsky and many families in the community. Among the "telegrams" from the Mir Yeshiva is a letter of good wishes from "Naftali Beinish Wasserman" [son of R. Elchanan] and "Yisrael Mendel Kaplan". Among the "telegrams" from the Novardok Yeshiva [in which the groom studied] are letters from the mashgiach R. Yisrael Movshovitz, R. Nissan Patshinsky and R. Chaim Zeitchik
Letters from R. Yehuda Leib Fine, Rabbi of Slonim; R. Yechiel Michel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of Shtotzin [author of Afikei Yam]; R. Meir Avovitz, Rabbi of Navahrudak; heads of yeshivas and spiritual heads of various Novardok branches; dozens of other letters by rabbis and head of yeshivas in Lithuania and Poland and dozens more from family members and friends. [For more details, see Hebrew description].
R. Shmuel Weizel (1905-1978) was a prominent student of the Beit Yosef-Novardok Yeshiva in Białystok and a childhood friend of the Steipler. He made aliya to Eretz Israel in 1935 and served as Rabbi of several Tel-Aviv neighborhoods (Ya'avetz-HaTavor, and from 1958, rabbi of the Brenner neighborhood). The father of the groom is R. David Weizel (1875-Tishrei 1958), son-in-law of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib Lubchansky (the first rabbi of the Jewish community in Baranovich). After the death of R. Chaim Yehuda Leib, R. Yisrael Ya'akov Lubchansky (mashgiach of the Baranovich Yeshiva) succeeded his father, but he resigned and passed on the rabbinate to his brother-in-law R. David Weizel who held the position of rabbi of the city for 35 years, from 1906 until he was banished to Siberia in 1941. He was celebrated for his humility and piety. R. Yerucham of Mir attested that the Rabbi of Baranovich is a shining example of someone who flees honor, yet honor pursues him (Hane'eman Year 10, Issue 8, p. 35). After World War II, Rabbi David served as member of the Ichud HaRabbanim (union of rabbis) in the Prague DP Camp, and later traveled to Paris in 1947 and from there made Aliya to Tel Aviv. He lived a long life and died in Tishrei 1957. The father of the bride, R. Shalom Yitzchak Segal (1884-1935) was a leading Lithuanian rabbi, famous for his erudite Torah knowledge and his piety. He served for 20 years in the city of Supraśl and from 1921 as Rabbi of Trīškē.
More than 140 letters and telegrams. Size and condition vary.Very good to fair condition. Overall good condition.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $2,750
Including buyer's premium
Printed ketubah, filled by hand, recording the marriage of R. Amram, son of R. Yitzchak Shlomo Blau, with Ruth Ben-David (Madeleine Ferraille), in Bnei Brak, Elul 1965. Signatures of witnesses: "Eliezer David son of Chaim" and "Eliezer son of Yochanan". With stamp of the "Neturei Karta - Charedi Jewry". The form was printed earlier [Jerusalem, c. 1930], published by "Mendel Freidman & Co.- Jerusalem", Hatechiya printing press.
R. Amram Blau (1894-1974) was head of the extreme Charedi organization Niturei Karta and younger brother of R. Moshe Blau head of Agudat Yisrael in Jerusalem. He was the focus of an event that caused an upheaval in Jerusalem Charedi circles - the trenchant polemic surrounding his marriage to the proselyte Ruth Ben-David (1920-2000, whose former name, Madeleine Ferraille also appears in the ketubah). R. Amram, at the time of this polemic, was a widower close to 70 years old and Ruth Ben-David, a French proselyte, was more than 20 years his junior. Ben-David was born to Catholic parents and at the age of 19 wed a French soldier whom she divorced three years later. Her son Claude, born from that union, converted together with her and changed his name to Uriel. She had university degrees in history and geography, worked as a dancer and teacher and participated in the anti-Nazi underground in France during World War II. At the age of 31, she converted to Judaism in Paris and later made Aliya to Israel. Ben-David was involved in the concealment of Yossele Schumacher and smuggled him out of the country. During that time, she became acquainted with the population of the Yishuv HaYashan and wished to join their closed circle and marry Rabbi Amram Blau. The Niturei Karta community and the Eda HaCharedit vehemently opposed this union and Rabbi Blau's disciples and children thought this marriage as a blow to his honor diminishing his status. The rabbis of the Eda HaCharedit also opposed his marriage on the halachic grounds of wedding a young woman to an old man as well as fearing a desecration of G-d’s name. The Charedi circles seethed; notices and proclamations were posted in the streets of Jerusalem, and the city raged. Finally, after more than half a year of stormy controversy, the two married in Elul 1965. R. Amram was forced to leave his native city of Jerusalem and moved for a while to Bnei Brak. After many years, Ruth Ben-David Blau published her best-seller Shomrei Ha’Ir (Jerusalem 1979) in which she relates this painful story.
44 cm. Good-fair condition. Tears to folds and other damages.
R. Amram Blau (1894-1974) was head of the extreme Charedi organization Niturei Karta and younger brother of R. Moshe Blau head of Agudat Yisrael in Jerusalem. He was the focus of an event that caused an upheaval in Jerusalem Charedi circles - the trenchant polemic surrounding his marriage to the proselyte Ruth Ben-David (1920-2000, whose former name, Madeleine Ferraille also appears in the ketubah). R. Amram, at the time of this polemic, was a widower close to 70 years old and Ruth Ben-David, a French proselyte, was more than 20 years his junior. Ben-David was born to Catholic parents and at the age of 19 wed a French soldier whom she divorced three years later. Her son Claude, born from that union, converted together with her and changed his name to Uriel. She had university degrees in history and geography, worked as a dancer and teacher and participated in the anti-Nazi underground in France during World War II. At the age of 31, she converted to Judaism in Paris and later made Aliya to Israel. Ben-David was involved in the concealment of Yossele Schumacher and smuggled him out of the country. During that time, she became acquainted with the population of the Yishuv HaYashan and wished to join their closed circle and marry Rabbi Amram Blau. The Niturei Karta community and the Eda HaCharedit vehemently opposed this union and Rabbi Blau's disciples and children thought this marriage as a blow to his honor diminishing his status. The rabbis of the Eda HaCharedit also opposed his marriage on the halachic grounds of wedding a young woman to an old man as well as fearing a desecration of G-d’s name. The Charedi circles seethed; notices and proclamations were posted in the streets of Jerusalem, and the city raged. Finally, after more than half a year of stormy controversy, the two married in Elul 1965. R. Amram was forced to leave his native city of Jerusalem and moved for a while to Bnei Brak. After many years, Ruth Ben-David Blau published her best-seller Shomrei Ha’Ir (Jerusalem 1979) in which she relates this painful story.
44 cm. Good-fair condition. Tears to folds and other damages.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $5,000
Sold for: $6,250
Including buyer's premium
Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Eliyahu son of Yehuda son of Mordechai Ibn Atar, with the bride Miriam daughter of Shmuel HaLevi daughter of Menachem HaLevi Ben Shushan. Gibraltar, 1794.
Handwritten on vellum. The text of the ketubah is written in semi-cursive Sephardi script and is framed by an illustrated architectural frame topped with floral and vegetal patterns. Verses and blessings embellish the top of the ketubah and the inside of the frame. An additional outer frame with floral ornamentation.
The ketubah is written according to the custom of the "expelled" [Jews expelled from Spain who arrived in Gibraltar] as written at the end of the ketubah: "The custom and stipulations and regulations according to the tradition…of the holy communities expelled from the Kingdom of Castille…".
On the margins are the witnesses' signatures: "Shlomo Avraham" and "Yosef Konaki" with the groom's signature between them.
Aprox. 38X45 cm. Good condition, stains and folding marks. Framed. Unexamined outside of frame.
One of the earliest ketubot from Gibraltar (only three other ketubot from late 18th century are known).
Handwritten on vellum. The text of the ketubah is written in semi-cursive Sephardi script and is framed by an illustrated architectural frame topped with floral and vegetal patterns. Verses and blessings embellish the top of the ketubah and the inside of the frame. An additional outer frame with floral ornamentation.
The ketubah is written according to the custom of the "expelled" [Jews expelled from Spain who arrived in Gibraltar] as written at the end of the ketubah: "The custom and stipulations and regulations according to the tradition…of the holy communities expelled from the Kingdom of Castille…".
On the margins are the witnesses' signatures: "Shlomo Avraham" and "Yosef Konaki" with the groom's signature between them.
Aprox. 38X45 cm. Good condition, stains and folding marks. Framed. Unexamined outside of frame.
One of the earliest ketubot from Gibraltar (only three other ketubot from late 18th century are known).
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $4,500
Unsold
Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Eliezer son of R. Yehuda Ben Pele [Papo] with the bride Miriam (called Bolisa) daughter of R. Michael son of R. Refael known as Badhav. Jerusalem, Elul 1865.
The text of the ketubah in written in elegant Oriental script. With witnesses' signatures, two Jerusalem rabbis: R. Meir Refael Panizel [the Marpeh, Rishon LeZion of Jerusalem] and Rabbi Rachamim Shlomo HaLevi [Jerusalem rabbi, rabbi and sage at the kabbalist Beit El Yeshiva]. In the center is the signature of the groom R. Eliezer Papo.
Groom's father - "Rabbi Yehuda Ben Pele" - son of Rabbi Eliezer Papo, author of Pele Yo'etz and publisher of his books. His grandson, the groom In this ketubah, is his namesake. The father of the bride, R. Michael Bidhav, is the father of the Jerusalem sage R. Yitzchak Bidhav.
A family inscription appears in the margins, apparently in the handwriting of Rabbi Yitzchak Bidhav, with details of the date of the death of his sister [the bride mentioned in this ketubah] and of her husband [the groom] in 1910 and 1911, and more inscriptions deciphering the curly rabbinical signatures.
Illustrated ketubah, embellished with colored ink, in the style of Jerusalem Ketubot. Floral frames peaking at a round dome encompassing a stylized flower. The upper frame incorporates three vases with flora and flowers. The vases are flanked by illustrations of palms and cypress trees. Pillars compose the bottom borders of the frame with the text of the ketubah in the center.
47X61 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Open tears. Restored with pasted paper. 63.5X78.5 cm. frame. Unexamined out of frame.
Exhibited: A Local Wedding, Ketubbot from Eretz Israel 1800-1960 (Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, 2005), Item no. 4.
Provenance: Willy Lindwer collection.
The text of the ketubah in written in elegant Oriental script. With witnesses' signatures, two Jerusalem rabbis: R. Meir Refael Panizel [the Marpeh, Rishon LeZion of Jerusalem] and Rabbi Rachamim Shlomo HaLevi [Jerusalem rabbi, rabbi and sage at the kabbalist Beit El Yeshiva]. In the center is the signature of the groom R. Eliezer Papo.
Groom's father - "Rabbi Yehuda Ben Pele" - son of Rabbi Eliezer Papo, author of Pele Yo'etz and publisher of his books. His grandson, the groom In this ketubah, is his namesake. The father of the bride, R. Michael Bidhav, is the father of the Jerusalem sage R. Yitzchak Bidhav.
A family inscription appears in the margins, apparently in the handwriting of Rabbi Yitzchak Bidhav, with details of the date of the death of his sister [the bride mentioned in this ketubah] and of her husband [the groom] in 1910 and 1911, and more inscriptions deciphering the curly rabbinical signatures.
Illustrated ketubah, embellished with colored ink, in the style of Jerusalem Ketubot. Floral frames peaking at a round dome encompassing a stylized flower. The upper frame incorporates three vases with flora and flowers. The vases are flanked by illustrations of palms and cypress trees. Pillars compose the bottom borders of the frame with the text of the ketubah in the center.
47X61 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Open tears. Restored with pasted paper. 63.5X78.5 cm. frame. Unexamined out of frame.
Exhibited: A Local Wedding, Ketubbot from Eretz Israel 1800-1960 (Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, 2005), Item no. 4.
Provenance: Willy Lindwer collection.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Twenty three marriage contracts and Ketubot from Persia:
1-12. A dozen printed Ketubot, in pamphlet form, issued by the Bureau for Registration of Marriages, Ministry of Justice, Hamadan Province, Persia (Iran), 1942-1958.
All of the dozen Ketubot, record marriages of Jewish couples in the Province of Hamadan, in the 1940s and 1950s. Most of the Ketubot are from Hamadan, and others record marriages in the cities Sanadaj, Toyserkan, and Teheran.
13. A Handwritten Ketubah, in pamphlet form, recording the marriage of the groom Mordechai ben Shimon with the bride Zilpa bat Zecharia. Damavand, 5659 [1899].
14-16. Three Persian-Muslim marriage contracts in a large format, with illustrations. One from Shimran from 1861-1862; two are from other towns, from the years 1895-1896, 1889-1890.
17-23. seven illustrated Persian-Muslim marriage contracts, in pamphlet form, from the years 1871-1872, 1883-1884, 1920-1903, 1905-1906, 1921-1922, 1922-1923, 1925-1926. Two contracts are incomplete.
Enclosed: a handwritten pamphlet - a fine calligraphic copying of prayer chapters from the Quran. Persia, 1851-1852.
Size and condition vary. Some of the documents are in fair-poor condition.
1-12. A dozen printed Ketubot, in pamphlet form, issued by the Bureau for Registration of Marriages, Ministry of Justice, Hamadan Province, Persia (Iran), 1942-1958.
All of the dozen Ketubot, record marriages of Jewish couples in the Province of Hamadan, in the 1940s and 1950s. Most of the Ketubot are from Hamadan, and others record marriages in the cities Sanadaj, Toyserkan, and Teheran.
13. A Handwritten Ketubah, in pamphlet form, recording the marriage of the groom Mordechai ben Shimon with the bride Zilpa bat Zecharia. Damavand, 5659 [1899].
14-16. Three Persian-Muslim marriage contracts in a large format, with illustrations. One from Shimran from 1861-1862; two are from other towns, from the years 1895-1896, 1889-1890.
17-23. seven illustrated Persian-Muslim marriage contracts, in pamphlet form, from the years 1871-1872, 1883-1884, 1920-1903, 1905-1906, 1921-1922, 1922-1923, 1925-1926. Two contracts are incomplete.
Enclosed: a handwritten pamphlet - a fine calligraphic copying of prayer chapters from the Quran. Persia, 1851-1852.
Size and condition vary. Some of the documents are in fair-poor condition.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Unsold
Bill of sale and transfer of property ownership. Teheran, Adar 5688 [February 1928]. Judeo-Persian and some Hebrew.
Ink on cloth.
Bill of sale and transfer of ownership, including a declaration and appraisal details regarding a large, two-storey building in Teheran. As stated in the bill, the property rights, which were owned by Yosef ben Yair ben Yesha'aya and his spouse, are transferred to the buyer, Avraham ben Shimon ben Avraham.
The bill is written on a large sheet of cloth. Signatures of the above-mentioned appear on the lower part as well as signatures of witnesses. On the reverse appear additional inscriptions in Persian (in Arabic characters) from 1965, concerning the transfer of ownership of the above-mentioned property to new buyers (with signatures in Arabic, Hebrew and fingerprints).
Bills such as this one (and of other kinds) handwritten on cloth are scarce.
58X40 cm. Fair-good condition. Folding marks. Two dampstains widthwise, with slight damages to text.
Ink on cloth.
Bill of sale and transfer of ownership, including a declaration and appraisal details regarding a large, two-storey building in Teheran. As stated in the bill, the property rights, which were owned by Yosef ben Yair ben Yesha'aya and his spouse, are transferred to the buyer, Avraham ben Shimon ben Avraham.
The bill is written on a large sheet of cloth. Signatures of the above-mentioned appear on the lower part as well as signatures of witnesses. On the reverse appear additional inscriptions in Persian (in Arabic characters) from 1965, concerning the transfer of ownership of the above-mentioned property to new buyers (with signatures in Arabic, Hebrew and fingerprints).
Bills such as this one (and of other kinds) handwritten on cloth are scarce.
58X40 cm. Fair-good condition. Folding marks. Two dampstains widthwise, with slight damages to text.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $2,500
Sold for: $4,500
Including buyer's premium
Collection of printed posters and hand-illustrated leaves in honor of Emperor Franz Joseph I and his family. Most are from Jerusalem, late 19th-early 20th century:
· Two leaves hand-decorated by Solomon Rohald, scribe of the Jaffa Beit Din: Leaf in honor of the 80th birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I, August 1910. Another leaf in honor of his 81st birthday, August 1911. Calligraphic writing, partially in gold ink.
· Hand-decorated leaf, written by R. Yisrael Yudel Goldberg, in honor of the son of Emperor Franz Joseph, Crown Prince Rudolph, with mention of Rudolph's visit to Jerusalem [in 1881] and the gift he gave to Rudolph on that occasion: a grain of wheat with micrographic writing of the verse "Land of wheat and barley…". [See enclosed material]. [Jerusalem]. Hebrew, with decorated letters, some in gold ink, and a German letter.
· "Heavy mourning befell Jerusalem residents who bask in the shadow of our eminent Austria-Hungarian government" - a printed proclamation (20X28 cm.) regarding the death of the Crown Prince Rudolph [who committed suicide in January 1889]. The proclamation calls for prayers on the 4th-5th of Adar Rishon for peace to the kingdom, with the prayer text.
· "Heavy mourning befell Jerusalem residents who bask in the shadow of our mighty Austria-Hungarian government" - Printed proclamation (29X46 cm.) calling for prayer following the murder of Queen Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, wife of Franz Joseph I [murdered by an Italian anarchist in September 1898]. "The sun has suddenly set by a terrible awful tragedy… Heavy mourning and tribute by all the children of Austria-Hungary who reside in the Holy City in all their synagogues and in the Gates of Heaven, the Western Wall, to pour entreaties for her pure soul that it should rise to the source of its creation…", with a prayer for the ascent of her soul and for peace to the Emperor.
· "Jubilee for the members of our Austrian-Hungarian Kollel" - Large printed proclamation (47X60 cm), calling for prayers for the peace of the kingship on Thursday, August 18, 1910, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of "Our mighty gracious compassionate king" Franz Joseph I. Noted in the margins: "The Austrian flag should be raised upon the entrances of shops and homes". Printed by R. S. Zuckerman. Printed in red and green ink. The Emperor's name is printed in the center in large golden letters. Stamps of "Elazar Natan Kahaner Shapira" and the kollel's stamp.
· "Notice to the members of our Austria Galicia Kollel" - Large printed proclamation (46X58 cm), call to gather for prayer in the Zion HaMetzuyenet Beit Midrash on Thursday August 17, and Friday August 18, in honor of the birthday of "Our virtuous compassionate His Majesty King Franz Joseph I". Printed in purple ink, the Emperor's name printed in large golden letters in the center. Printed by Moriah - Sheinbaum-Weiss. Stamp of "Elazar Natan Shapira Manager of the Austrian Galicia Kollel Congregation…".
· "Notice to our Austrian Hungarian Kollel" - Printed proclamation (33X51 cm.). Call "In honor of the Kingdom", with the participation of the Austrian consul and his deputy, on Friday August 17, for prayer on behalf of the Emperor and King Karl - on "our King's birthday" and for a prayer "On behalf of His Majesty the Sultan in whose virtue we dwell in peace". Printed by Sheinbaum-Weiss. The kollel's stamp. Printed on Ottoman tax stamp.
· "Heavy mourning for all members of our Austrian Hungarian Kollel" - Printed proclamation (29X47 cm), on the death of Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife the Princess, following the "terrible and awful calamity which suddenly befell them yesterday on June 29 1914" [murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph in the city of Sarajevo which triggered the outbreak of WWI]. A call to gather at the Western Wall for "heavy mourning and tribute" and entreaty for mercy on behalf of the kingdom of Emperor Franz Joseph I. With the kollel's stamp.
· "In honor of the day" - Large printed proclamation (50X65), invitation to the celebrations of the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I, by the "Austrian Galician Congregation". August 18, 1916. "At 9:00 European time and at 2:00 Turkish time in the morning, all the members of our congregation will amass". Printed in golden ink, a number of words in green ink. Zuckerman printing. Stamps of R. Elazar Natan Kahane Shapira, Manager of the Kollel.
· "Seder HaHazkara" - Printed proclamation (23X30 cm.), prayer upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I (November 1916), and for the well-being of Emperor Karl I. Printed by Sheinbaum-Weiss.
11 items. Condition varies (overall good condition).
The printed leaves are not listed in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book and by S. HaLevi.
· Two leaves hand-decorated by Solomon Rohald, scribe of the Jaffa Beit Din: Leaf in honor of the 80th birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I, August 1910. Another leaf in honor of his 81st birthday, August 1911. Calligraphic writing, partially in gold ink.
· Hand-decorated leaf, written by R. Yisrael Yudel Goldberg, in honor of the son of Emperor Franz Joseph, Crown Prince Rudolph, with mention of Rudolph's visit to Jerusalem [in 1881] and the gift he gave to Rudolph on that occasion: a grain of wheat with micrographic writing of the verse "Land of wheat and barley…". [See enclosed material]. [Jerusalem]. Hebrew, with decorated letters, some in gold ink, and a German letter.
· "Heavy mourning befell Jerusalem residents who bask in the shadow of our eminent Austria-Hungarian government" - a printed proclamation (20X28 cm.) regarding the death of the Crown Prince Rudolph [who committed suicide in January 1889]. The proclamation calls for prayers on the 4th-5th of Adar Rishon for peace to the kingdom, with the prayer text.
· "Heavy mourning befell Jerusalem residents who bask in the shadow of our mighty Austria-Hungarian government" - Printed proclamation (29X46 cm.) calling for prayer following the murder of Queen Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie, wife of Franz Joseph I [murdered by an Italian anarchist in September 1898]. "The sun has suddenly set by a terrible awful tragedy… Heavy mourning and tribute by all the children of Austria-Hungary who reside in the Holy City in all their synagogues and in the Gates of Heaven, the Western Wall, to pour entreaties for her pure soul that it should rise to the source of its creation…", with a prayer for the ascent of her soul and for peace to the Emperor.
· "Jubilee for the members of our Austrian-Hungarian Kollel" - Large printed proclamation (47X60 cm), calling for prayers for the peace of the kingship on Thursday, August 18, 1910, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of "Our mighty gracious compassionate king" Franz Joseph I. Noted in the margins: "The Austrian flag should be raised upon the entrances of shops and homes". Printed by R. S. Zuckerman. Printed in red and green ink. The Emperor's name is printed in the center in large golden letters. Stamps of "Elazar Natan Kahaner Shapira" and the kollel's stamp.
· "Notice to the members of our Austria Galicia Kollel" - Large printed proclamation (46X58 cm), call to gather for prayer in the Zion HaMetzuyenet Beit Midrash on Thursday August 17, and Friday August 18, in honor of the birthday of "Our virtuous compassionate His Majesty King Franz Joseph I". Printed in purple ink, the Emperor's name printed in large golden letters in the center. Printed by Moriah - Sheinbaum-Weiss. Stamp of "Elazar Natan Shapira Manager of the Austrian Galicia Kollel Congregation…".
· "Notice to our Austrian Hungarian Kollel" - Printed proclamation (33X51 cm.). Call "In honor of the Kingdom", with the participation of the Austrian consul and his deputy, on Friday August 17, for prayer on behalf of the Emperor and King Karl - on "our King's birthday" and for a prayer "On behalf of His Majesty the Sultan in whose virtue we dwell in peace". Printed by Sheinbaum-Weiss. The kollel's stamp. Printed on Ottoman tax stamp.
· "Heavy mourning for all members of our Austrian Hungarian Kollel" - Printed proclamation (29X47 cm), on the death of Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife the Princess, following the "terrible and awful calamity which suddenly befell them yesterday on June 29 1914" [murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph in the city of Sarajevo which triggered the outbreak of WWI]. A call to gather at the Western Wall for "heavy mourning and tribute" and entreaty for mercy on behalf of the kingdom of Emperor Franz Joseph I. With the kollel's stamp.
· "In honor of the day" - Large printed proclamation (50X65), invitation to the celebrations of the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph I, by the "Austrian Galician Congregation". August 18, 1916. "At 9:00 European time and at 2:00 Turkish time in the morning, all the members of our congregation will amass". Printed in golden ink, a number of words in green ink. Zuckerman printing. Stamps of R. Elazar Natan Kahane Shapira, Manager of the Kollel.
· "Seder HaHazkara" - Printed proclamation (23X30 cm.), prayer upon the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I (November 1916), and for the well-being of Emperor Karl I. Printed by Sheinbaum-Weiss.
11 items. Condition varies (overall good condition).
The printed leaves are not listed in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book and by S. HaLevi.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 53 - Rare and Important Items
November 15, 2016
Opening: $1,000
Sold for: $6,250
Including buyer's premium
Architectural drawing of the Tiferet Israel (Nissan Beck) synagogue. Jerusalem, May 16, 1855.
Ink and watercolor on thick paper. Signed and dated.
The drawing portrays the building's facade, profile, and section views of the three floors.
"Tiferet Israel" synagogue (known as "Nise's shul" or "Nissan Beck Shul") was the great, central, synagogue of the Hassidic congregations in Jerusalem. Foundation of the synagogue started with the initiative of Rebbe Israel of Ruzhyn, and the synagogue was named after him. In "Igrot Harahak meRuzhyn uBanav", 27, a letter from Rabbi Israel of Ruzhyn from Tishre 5605 [1844] is mentioned; he writes in this letter to the Hassidim in Jerusalem that he got the ownership bill for a plot in Jerusalem to "build a synagogue…as this is my wish and will to have a special synagogue…".
Construction of the synagogue was delayed, and only in 1858 the permit to build the synagogue was granted, with the personal requests and efforts on the part of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. This followed requests by Nissan Beck who turned to the Austrian Consul Pizzamano, asking him to involve the Emperor in the matter.
This is a building plan, from 1855, three years prior to receiving the building permit, and it is possible that this plan was submitted to the consul or to Emperor Franz Joseph.
The outer beauty of "Tiferet Israel" synagogue was outstanding; both its inner holiness and its outer architecture were magnificent. This was the tallest building in the Jewish Quarter and its dome stood out in the view of the old city, together with the dome of "Beit Ya'akov" synagogue and "Churvat Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid" - by the famous rule that a synagogue has to be built "in the height of the city".
Construction lasted nearly 14 years. A well-known legend tells that when Emperor Franz Joseph visited Jerusalem in 1869, en route to the inauguration of the Suez Canal, he visited Jerusalem and saw that the construction of the synagogue is not completed - the walls were there but no roof or dome. The emperor asked his companion Rabbi Nissan Beck [who was the interpreter] where is the roof? - Rabbi Nissan Beck answered wittingly: "the synagogue took off its hat in honor of Your Majesty …". The Emperor smiled and replied that he hopes that the roof will be built soon.
The tale continues that the emperor asked: and who is the architect of the building? Nissan Beck replied: "I am the architect". The emperor asked: "Where did you study this profession?" and Nissan Beck replied: "In my private room". Finally the emperor handed the consul a donation of one thousand Florins for finishing the construction of the synagogue.
49.5X69 cm. Good-fair condition. Three missing corners. Some tears at margins. Stains and folding marks.
Ink and watercolor on thick paper. Signed and dated.
The drawing portrays the building's facade, profile, and section views of the three floors.
"Tiferet Israel" synagogue (known as "Nise's shul" or "Nissan Beck Shul") was the great, central, synagogue of the Hassidic congregations in Jerusalem. Foundation of the synagogue started with the initiative of Rebbe Israel of Ruzhyn, and the synagogue was named after him. In "Igrot Harahak meRuzhyn uBanav", 27, a letter from Rabbi Israel of Ruzhyn from Tishre 5605 [1844] is mentioned; he writes in this letter to the Hassidim in Jerusalem that he got the ownership bill for a plot in Jerusalem to "build a synagogue…as this is my wish and will to have a special synagogue…".
Construction of the synagogue was delayed, and only in 1858 the permit to build the synagogue was granted, with the personal requests and efforts on the part of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. This followed requests by Nissan Beck who turned to the Austrian Consul Pizzamano, asking him to involve the Emperor in the matter.
This is a building plan, from 1855, three years prior to receiving the building permit, and it is possible that this plan was submitted to the consul or to Emperor Franz Joseph.
The outer beauty of "Tiferet Israel" synagogue was outstanding; both its inner holiness and its outer architecture were magnificent. This was the tallest building in the Jewish Quarter and its dome stood out in the view of the old city, together with the dome of "Beit Ya'akov" synagogue and "Churvat Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid" - by the famous rule that a synagogue has to be built "in the height of the city".
Construction lasted nearly 14 years. A well-known legend tells that when Emperor Franz Joseph visited Jerusalem in 1869, en route to the inauguration of the Suez Canal, he visited Jerusalem and saw that the construction of the synagogue is not completed - the walls were there but no roof or dome. The emperor asked his companion Rabbi Nissan Beck [who was the interpreter] where is the roof? - Rabbi Nissan Beck answered wittingly: "the synagogue took off its hat in honor of Your Majesty …". The Emperor smiled and replied that he hopes that the roof will be built soon.
The tale continues that the emperor asked: and who is the architect of the building? Nissan Beck replied: "I am the architect". The emperor asked: "Where did you study this profession?" and Nissan Beck replied: "In my private room". Finally the emperor handed the consul a donation of one thousand Florins for finishing the construction of the synagogue.
49.5X69 cm. Good-fair condition. Three missing corners. Some tears at margins. Stains and folding marks.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue