Auction 91 Part 1 Jewish and Israeli History, Culture and Art
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The lid of the box is inlaid with a plaque depicting a group of exiles on a wooden raft, some standing and some sitting with their personal belongings. The composition is reminiscent of works illustrating the verse "On the rivers of Babylon there we sat and we wept when we remembered Zion", depicting the exiles of Babylon mourning Jerusalem. One of the most familiar of these works was created by E.M. Lilien (the artist may have been inspired by Lilien, or by other works in the same vein).
The side plaques are decorated with the characteristic barbed wire, reading "Cyprus" (Hebrew) and "5709" (1948/1949).
19.5X13.5X6 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes and stains to plates.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
An octagonal wooden box; inlaid with stone plaques decorated with a pattern of barbed wire. The hinged lid of the box is inlaid with an octagonal plaque with a relief of a sailboat and the Hebrew inscriptions "Cyprus" and "5708" (1947/1948).
Diameter: 16 cm. Height: 6 cm. Fractures, chipping and minor blemishes to the stone plaques and the wooden box. One of the plaques is broken and half of it is missing. Part of the inner lining of the box is missing. The box is affixed to a wooden base.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
Lot 39 "The State of Israel Has Been Established" – "BaAretz", Wall Newspaper Published by JNF, 1948
The main title reads "The State of Israel Has Been Established". Beneath it are a photograph of David Ben-Gurion reading Israel's Declaration of Independence, portrait pictures of Chaim Weizmann and members of the Provisional Government, and an abridged version of the Declaration of Independence.
Approx. 70X100 cm. Good-fair condition. Fold lines. Minor stains and creases. Tears and perforations to edges and fold lines (some mended with acid-free tape).
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
The heading reads: "We willed it – it is no longer a fairytale", flanked by portraits of Theodor Herzl and Ze'ev Jabotinsky.
A lengthy text below presents a vision for the creation of "Greater Israel" ("Eretz Yisrael Hashlema"), on the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants in the Covenant of the pieces.
Approx. 95X63 cm. Good condition. Minor creases and fold lines. Stains and minor tears to margins.
Approx. 18X18 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Piece of paper glued to corner of one sketch (not affecting illustration).
An additional sketch (for a postage stamp?) enclosed.
Provenance: The Dr. Haim Grossman Collection.
Collection includes:
• "Report on Fortification Efforts till May 15, 1948, Haifa": IDF report (mimeographed copy of typewritten document with several corrections and signatures), detailing efforts to fortify and defend Haifa during the War of Independence. Includes detailed diagrams of various types of fortifications, descriptions of hundreds of fortification works (listed according to neighborhoods), a financial report, and more. Housed in original folder.
• 4 documents for soldiers in the War of Independence: IDF draft document; document certifying temporary draft into the Golani Brigade (13th Battalion); new immigrant's draft document; service record document issued by the Haganah staff office in Tel Aviv.
• Handwritten postcard from a soldier held in a prisoner-of-war camp in Jordan, January 1949, and a postcard sent to him. Both bearing the inked stamp of the Red Cross. English.
• "To Residents of Jerusalem" – Poster announcing the end of the siege of Jerusalem and the beginning of the ceasefire, issued by Mayor Daniel Auster.
• "Notice to Residents of Safed" – Notice announcing the victory of Haganah forces in Safed, issued by "Governor of Safed, " Meir Meivar.
• 19 photographs: an armored ambulance, an improvised kitchen at the time of the siege of Jerusalem, a panoramic view of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Musrara (for internal IDF purposes, with instructions to soldiers), a series of photographs of a convoy en route to Jerusalem, and more. The inked stamp of photographer Alfred Bernheim appears on the back of one photo.
• The State of Israel's ceasefire agreements from the time of the War of Independence: Four original publications issued by the State of Israel (Issue nos. 1-4 in the series titled "Ketavei Amanah").
• Magazines and pamphlets ("Kol Yerushalayim, " "Turim, " "Yoman HaMa-arakhah, " "BaMahaneh, " "HaMa'as, " and others); internal circulars issued by the Provisional Government; five color maps of various battlefronts published by Yosef Shapira; personal pocket record book for a member of the Mishmar Ha-Am forces; two booklets issued to soldiers, denouncing the Etzel and Lehi movements; a kerosene rationing card issued to residents of Jerusalem's Rehovot HaBukharim neighborhood; and more.
Some 85 items. Size and condition vary.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.
1. Text of parliamentary question submitted to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion by Knesset Member Avraham-Haim Shag regarding soldiers of the Alexandroni Brigade who had fallen in battles over the enclave known as the "Faluja Pocket" and had not yet been brought to burial (copy; May 1, 1949).
2. Letter with David Ben-Gurion's response to the above, printed on official stationery and bearing his personal signature: " The Chief Rabbi of the IDF is dealing with the issue of the 'agunot' [wives of men who refuse to grant a divorce, or, as in the present cases, men whose death has yet to be formally ascertained] and is in the process of preparing the material so that a rabbinical court can release the wives of the fallen from the restraints of 'igun'… For reasons of health, it is still impossible to transfer the bodies of the soldiers who fell in Faluja. By order of the medical officers, the transfer will take place only in a few months, and will not be delayed for even a single day beyond what is necessary" (June 5, 1949).
3-4. Copies of two letters sent by the bereaved father Nehemiah Israelit to the Hevra Kadisha (burial society) of Jerusalem: A complaint regarding the condition, in the Kiryat Anavim cemetery, of graves of soldiers (including his own son) who fell in the battle for the Kastel, along with a request for the list that gives the order of burial of the fallen, in a mass grave (1948-49).
5. Copy of letter containing the response of the Hevra Kadisha burial society "We have no information on burials in Kiryat Anavim" (February 24, 1948).
6. Copy of a letter from the bereaved father Shlomo Wilner to Avraham-Haim Shag, containing detailed testimony concerning the search for his son's grave: "My wife and I visited Kiryat Anavim and we investigated… We also visited Ma'ale HaHamisha… We went to Abu Ghosh and met with the Palmach commander and he didn't know either… I stress, with great sorrow, that to this day, the Ministry of Defense has not seen fit to inform me of the falling of my dear son" (May 3,1950).
7. Copy of a letter from an employee of a Hevra Kadisha, detailing an argument between military personnel and religious figures at the funeral of fallen soldiers: "Just as the funeral service began, we tried to arrange for prayers and [the reciting of] the [Mourner's] Kaddish, but they would not allow it… even the burial ceremony itself was not conducted properly. There was one large grave where all were meant to be buried… We regarded this not just simply as disrespectful of the laws and customs of burial, but also as an inhumane attitude toward the bodies of brothers who gave their lives for the sake of the motherland" (May 5, 1950).
8. Copy of a letter from Avraham-Haim Shag to members of Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim, detailing the testimonies he had received regarding inappropriate burial practices witnessed at the kibbutz's cemetery (May 3, 1950).
9-10. Letter of protest from Avraham-Haim Shag to the Chairman of the Knesset Committee following the reading of a letter written in reference to him by a parents' committee (July 27, 1950; two copies with his personal signature).
All letters and copies are printed.
Size and condition vary. Overall good to good-fair condition. Punch holes. Few creases. Stains and tears, including open tears (small), to edges.
Enclosed: bond certificate (printed, not filled out) for the Jewish National Fund's "'Project of the Five' to Memorialize the Martyrs of Kiryat Anavim."
1-2. "Proclamations, Decrees, and Announcements [issued] by the Israel Defense Forces Administration in the Gaza Region, " Issue nos. 1 and 2 (presumably, no other issues were printed). Hebrew and Arabic.
3-4. Gasoline fill-up card and license/permit of free vehicular movement issued to the Palestinian politician Dr. Haidar Abd a-Shafi (printed and filled in by handwriting, with official inked stamps).
5-8. Four of the military administration's internal documents (printed, with several handwritten notations): • "The Civil Administration in Gaza" (outline of the structure of the new administration, printed November 19, 1956, roughly two weeks after the end of the campaign). • "List of Mukhtars" (list of town and village chieftains appointed by the Israeli military authorities in Gaza – Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Rimal Refugee Camp. • List of files of the "IDF Command for Gaza Region." • Outline for a report on the operations of the Israeli military administration in Gaza.
On October 29, 1956, the combined armed forces of Great Britain, France, and Israel entered the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula and captured these territories in eight days of fighting, in what became known internationally as the Sinai Campaign or Suez Crisis, and in Israel as Operation "Kadesh." Immediately after hostilities ceased, the State of Israel began consolidating its hold on the Gaza Strip, which Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion regarded as an historical part of the Land of Israel. Nevertheless, in March, 1957, in response to overwhelming international pressure, Israel was compelled to withdraw from the conquered territory.
Size and condition vary. Overall good-fair condition. Stains. Fold lines. Punch holes. Closed and open tears.
Enclosed: "Egyptian Postal Order” – not filled out – for the sum of One Egyptian Pound, bearing the inked stamp "فلسطين" ("Palestine").
"Ramat HaGolan – The Golan Heights, " by Paul Zev Hartal. Over 300 handwritten leaves, with nine maps, nine photographs, and dozens of illustrations. [Israel, 1967-68]. Hebrew.
Manuscript of a thesis on the subject of the Golan Heights, compiled and authored by Paul Zev Hartal, a student of geography and history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who saw action in the battles for the Golan Heights in the course of the Six-Day War. Shortly after the war, Hartal extensively toured and surveyed the Golan region, and documented the condition of dozens of sites and settlements, collecting anecdotal accounts, from the remaining residents, of life in the area. He also wrote down his personal recollections of the war, and added dozens of sketches and illustrations of the sites and people he encountered. In addition, he drew nine color maps, and inserted nine photographs (some with captions).
The work is divided into a number of chapters: The geography of the Golan Heights; Mt. Hermon; the population; and the history. One full chapter is devoted to documenting the sites, including abandoned towns, ruins, villages, Syrian and IDF army camps (some described in great detail, others in just a few lines). One chapter of particular significance – "The Campaign for the Liberation of the Golan Heights" – contains Hartal's own personal accounts of the war. Among other things, this chapter contains details of a number of important battles, along with two maps and an illustration.
322 pp (mispagination; text more than 322 pp. in length), 20 cm. Leaves filed in a binder. Good condition. Minor blemishes. Tears in vicinity of punch holes; several leaves detached. Manuscript housed in an elegant cloth-covered slipcase, with leather spine, gilt-lettered.
For additional information regarding the manuscript and its partial translation (into English), please refer to enclosed material.
Issue nos. 1-38 of "Kriah: Alon LeTarbut Meha'ah – Hagut; Shirah; Prozah; Omanut." ["A Call: Protest Culture Pamphlet – Thought; Poetry; Prose; Art."] July 25, 2020 – July 1, 2021. Hebrew, with some Arabic and English.
39 issues of the pamphlet "Kriah, " published in conjunction with what were known as the "Balfour Protests" aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (the final issue, no. 38, was printed twice, in two different versions). Among other things, the circulars include works of poetry, prose, philosophy, drawings, and illustrations – by both Israeli and non-Israeli authors and artists – connected to the themes of the protest movement, specifically the struggle for democracy; the battles against corruption, the degenerate political system and establishment, police brutality, and the treatment of refugees; demands for solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and other issues. These various protests were all waged under the restrictions imposed due to the Covid pandemic.
"'Kriah' is a pamphlet representing protest culture, published and circulated every Saturday night at the various sites of protest demonstrations across the country. The distributors are all volunteers who either receive or print the issues at home. The format is compatible with household printers – a single black-and-white sheet.
'Kriah' was established by a group of individuals from diverse backgrounds, all serving on a purely voluntary basis, seeking to provide a platform for protest culture, out of a belief in its immeasurable value in general, and at this juncture in time in particular. This protest [movement] is intuitive, spontaneous, and highly emotional. Our loss of confidence in the state and its institutions has motivated us to search for the particular path along which each individual among us can operate. The general feeling was that we lacked the platform we needed in order to express whatever is on our minds, and we thus created such a platform in the form of a circular…" (from the 'Kriah' Facebook page; Hebrew).
The present collection comprises the full set of issues of 'Kriah'. The final issue (no. 38, July 1, 2021) was originally published in English and Arabic, and was then translated and republished in Hebrew. It ends with the words: "The protests have ended, but for you, there are more struggles ahead, and more works to create."
39 issues, 30X10.5 cm (Issue no. 36: 21X29.5 cm.). Good condition.
1. "Mass'ei Yisrael…" ("wherein it is told of our brethren of the Children of Israel, dispersed to the lands of Asia and Africa…"), by J.J. Benjamin. Translated to Hebrew by David Gordon. Lyck (Elk, Poland): R. Zvi Hirsch Petzoll, 1859.
[1] f., [16], 134 pp., 20.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Inked library inked stamps. Tears, including open tears, mostly minor. Few repairs with adhesive tape. Title page mounted onto paper for reinforcement. Some handwritten notations. Fine. Later binding.
2. "Even Sapir…" ("Touring throughout the Land of Ham [Egypt], the Red Sea, Yemen, all of East India, the New Land of Australia…") by Jacob Saphir HaLevi. Part I. Lyck: M'kize Nirdamim, 1866. With: "Even Sapir, Part II… Eden, India Bombay, Bene Israel… Calcutta… Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, New Zealand…"), by Jacob Saphir. Mainz: Buchdruckerei vin J. Brill, 1874.
[10], 111 ff; [10], 237, [1] pp., 21.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor blemishes and tears. Scorch marks to one leaf. Inked library stamps. Fine, later binding.
224 forms (printed on 56 leaves), from the register of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, recreated after the great fire in 1917, with names, places of residence and photographs. Thessaloniki, 1924. Ladino.
56 printed leaves, each bearing four declaration forms: "We the undersigned declare that […] is a native of Thessaloniki". The forms are filled in by hand, bear portrait photographs of those registered, and are signed by witnesses, members of the local Jewish community.
In the 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. It had dozens of synagogues, Jewish and Hebrew schools, publishing houses, newspapers and even a modern, well-equipped Jewish hospital.
In 1917, an accidental fire that burned for 32 hours destroyed thousands of houses in the city, leaving some 70,000 people homeless. Along with the local houses, synagogues, schools, banks and offices, the fire destroyed the archives of the Jewish community which held records of centuries-long Jewish presence in Thessaloniki. In order to obtain compensation, the victims of the fire were required to prove residency, and so the Jewish community had to build a new community register. The present forms, part of the new register, state that the persons listed were indeed residents of the city.
56 ff., 33 cm. Condition varies (good to good-fair condition). Creases and stains (mostly minor). Closed and open tears to edges (some mended with tape).