Preces ac piae functiones a comunitate Judaeorum Posonii [...]. Pressburg: Francisci Augustini Patzko, 1790. Latin.
Prayer composed by the Jewish community of Pressburg for the coronation of Leopold II in 1790 as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Hungary and Bohemia, in place of his brother Joseph II.
16 pp, 15.5 cm. No wrappers. Good condition. Horizontal fold line. Some stains. Detached spreads. Glue traces to spine.
Not recorded in OCLC.
From the estate of Prof. Shlomo Simonsohn.

w Imieniu Nayiaśnieyszego Alexandra I Cesarza Wszech Rossyi Króla Polskiego… [In the name of Alexander I, Tzar of Russia, King of Poland…]. [Poland, 1821]. Polish.
Official decree issued by Tsar Alexander I on March 27, 1821, requiring all Jews of Congress Poland (the Kingdom of Poland) to adopt permanent surnames. The first clause determines that any Jewish resident of Congress Poland shall in 6 months from the date of this announcement declare before a public agency and confirm by census his first name and surname, which he used so far and shall use henceforth (whoever was so far without a surname or cannot prove it, shall declare a name he takes and uses henceforth).
[6] pp, approx. 14.5 cm. Good condition. Trimmed margins (not affecting text). New binding.
Not recorded in OCLC.

Printed statutes booklet and a handwritten memorial book, documenting the activity of the "Agudas Achim" society in Vienna. Vienna, 1910 and 1923. German.
1. Statuten des Israelitischen Bethausvereines "Agudas Achim" in Wien [Statutes of the Jewish synagogue society of "Agudas Achim" in Vienna]. Published by the society, Vienna, 1910 (printed by Adolph Alkalai & Sohn, Pressburg).
Fifteen statutes regulating the activity of the "Agudas Achim" society. Printed notes with corrections or additions to the statutes mounted on three leaves.
15, [1] pp, approx. 16 cm. Good condition. Creases. Several pencil inscriptions. Wrappers split in two and detached.
Not recorded in OCLC.
2. Gedenkbuch des Israel. Bethhaus-Vereins, Agudas Achim [Memorial Book of the Jewish Synagogue Society Agudas Achim]. Vienna, 1923.
Handwritten memorial book of the "Agudas Achim" society. The book contains a detailed review on the establishment of the society's synagogue on Hammer-Purgstallgasse street, as well as eulogies and information about the lives of the founders and position-holders of the society – the founder of the synagogue Tobias Spiegel, Rabbi Michael Leopold Goldstein and others. The book opens with a short introduction, dated 1923. Most of the leaves of the book remained blank.
[23] written pages, 34 cm. Good condition. Several stains. Front endpaper partly detached. Elegant gilt-tooled leather binding. Gilt edges.

Eleven forms from the registry of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, reconstructed after the great fire in 1917, stating names and places of residence alongside photographs. Thessaloniki, 1924. Ladino.
Eleven printed leaves, each bearing four forms declaring that the persons indicated indeed belong to the Jewish community of Thessaloniki: "We the undersigned declare that […] are natives of Thessaloniki". Each form bears a small portrait picture of those listed on it and is signed by witnesses, members of the local Jewish community. Except for the heading, the entire text is printed in the Rashi typeface. The forms are numbered 784 to 825.
In early 20th century, the Jewish community of Thessaloniki was one of the largest and most thriving Jewish communities in the Balkan. The Jewish community constituted nearly half of the population of the city. Jewish life in the city was spiritually and materially rich, and so firmly established that it was known as "Jerusalem of the Balkan". The community had dozens of synagogues, Jewish and Hebrew schools, Jewish publishing houses, Jewish newspapers in a number of languages and even a modern, well-equipped Jewish hospital; the Jews of Thessaloniki practiced a variety professions – there were intellectuals, merchants, industrialists, craftsmen, fishermen and dockworkers. During those years, a large Zionist movement and a Jewish labor movement were active in the town, indicative of a lively, multi-class, diverse society.
In 1917, a fire ravaged the city, which constituted a veritable turning point in the history of the community. World war I was still raging, and thousands refugees were staying in the town; a spark from a kitchen fire ignited a refugee's house, quickly spreading through the clustered buildings of ancient Thessaloniki. The fire burned for thirty-two hours, destroying almost one-third of the city. The Jewish community in particular suffered a heavy blow. Out of 70,000 people that were left homeless, 52,000 were Jews. The archive of the Jewish community, which recorded generations of Jewish history in the city was also lost in the fire. In order to be eligible for damages, the victims of the fire were required to prove residency, and so the Jewish community began newly registering Jewish residents. These forms, originating in the reconstructed registry of the Jewish community, indicate that the persons listed were indeed residents of the city.
[11] leaves, 33 cm. Good to good-fair condition. Stains. Blemishes and small tears. Long tears to several leaves. Tape repairs.

Classic Kerman-style floral rug, made at the Bezalel workshop. Jerusalem, [1920s].
Wool knot-pile; cotton foundation.
Large rug inspired by traditional Persian Kerman rugs. Motif of dense flowering vines strewn with large flowers and minuscule Stars of David. At both ends the vine branches intertwine to create the figure of a seven-armed menorah. Signed "Bezalel Jerusalem" in the border.
190X337 cm. Good-fair condition. Overall fading. Some damage. One edge is re-woven in four sections.
Provenance: The Anton Felton Collection.
Literature: Jewish Carpets, by Anton Felton. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1997, p. 124.