Handwritten letter by Jacob Israël de Haan, personally signed with his full signature, "Jacob Israël de Haan." Jerusalem, June 12, 1919. Dutch.
In this letter, addressed to a company dealing in diamonds, de Haan gives his personal recommendation to an individual named Simon Tal, and affirms that he is a dedicated Zionist.
Jacob Israël de Haan (1881-1924), Jewish jurist, journalist, and poet, born in the Netherlands. He immigrated to Palestine in 1919 with the hope of fulfilling a role in the Zionist movement. But after experiencing rejection at the hands of the circles and institutions he sought to associate with, he joined the ranks of the ultra-Orthodox (and anti-Zionist) "Edah Haredit" organization in Jerusalem, and began campaigning against the interests of the country's Zionist community. Among other things, he organized for an ultra-Orthodox delegation to meet with King Abdullah of Jordan. De Haan was consequently killed in what is thought to have been the first political assassination in modern Palestine.
[1] f. 25.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. Tear (approx. 3 cm) to left edge. Few creases.