Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
Displaying 85 - 96 of 112
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $4,500
Unsold
A letter, handwritten by Herzl, signed and dated – Hamburg, October 24, 1890. German.
Addressed to a "Dear Friend". Written on "Hamburger Hof" Hotel stationery. The letter opens with Herzl explaining that he writes from Hamburg where he stays for "irritating rehearsals" (probably for the play "The Lady in Black"). Herzl continues and writes that he is trying to clear a matter with his friend Hasemann and that he will continue writing poetry. Herzl says that "presently too many matters turn in his head”. Herzl asks his friend to send letters to the address “4 Jahrezeiten” and eight days later to his address in Vienna, and finally signs “T. Herzl”.
The play “The Lady in Black” [Die Dame in Schwarz], composed in cooperation with Hugo Wittmann, was performed in 1890 in the Burgtheater in Vienna and was not positively received by theater critics.
Leaf, 22 cm. Good condition. A horizontal folding mark in the center (with minor tears at the edges, restored). Tears at all four corners, some restored (slight damage to the end of Herzl’s signature).
Addressed to a "Dear Friend". Written on "Hamburger Hof" Hotel stationery. The letter opens with Herzl explaining that he writes from Hamburg where he stays for "irritating rehearsals" (probably for the play "The Lady in Black"). Herzl continues and writes that he is trying to clear a matter with his friend Hasemann and that he will continue writing poetry. Herzl says that "presently too many matters turn in his head”. Herzl asks his friend to send letters to the address “4 Jahrezeiten” and eight days later to his address in Vienna, and finally signs “T. Herzl”.
The play “The Lady in Black” [Die Dame in Schwarz], composed in cooperation with Hugo Wittmann, was performed in 1890 in the Burgtheater in Vienna and was not positively received by theater critics.
Leaf, 22 cm. Good condition. A horizontal folding mark in the center (with minor tears at the edges, restored). Tears at all four corners, some restored (slight damage to the end of Herzl’s signature).
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $6,000
Sold for: $10,625
Including buyer's premium
A letter in the handwriting of Joseph Trumpeldor. London, April 23rd, 1917, Russian.
The letter was written during Trumpeldor's stay in London, where he came to assist Ze'ev Jabotinsky in his efforts for establishing a Jewish fighting legion. The addressee is, as it seems, a friend of Trumpeldor, who fought with him in the Gallipoli campaign. Trumpeldor mentions in his letters the fighting in Gallipoli (where he participated as part of the "Mule Corps"), issues regarding the enlisting to the army and the Jewish Legion.
"I think you are taking all this too personally. Remember our dark days in Gallipoli. And still they are now gone; and in any case, Gallipoli – good memories which we can be proud of. Soon, as it turns out, they will take all the 'Russians' here by orders from Petrograd. Then the E-company will also calm down, especially after punishing one or two. Now the thought that 31 thousand of them are wandering around while they should be serving, is still tormenting them. It would be a shame if you would go alone and not come back with the legion… The legion-affair is clearing up now and I hope that soon it will all be clear enough. Yesterday I read an article in the Jewish Chronicle, "Why not have a Jewish Legion?"… People are talking again of the legion, but with a different kind of tone, a positive tone…"
Joseph Trumpeldor (1880-1920) – one of the founders of the Jewish Legion, the "Halutz", and the commander of the defense of Tel-Chai-court in 1920. Trumpeldor was born in Russia, was the first Jewish officer to serve in the Russian army, serving also in the Russo-Japanese war, where he was hurt in battle – his left arm amputated, and he was captured by the Japanese. He came to Israel in 1912 and worked as a day-worker. During WWI he founded together with Ze'ev Jabotinsky the Jewish Legion and fought at the Gallipoli Campaign as deputy commander of the Zion Mule Corps. After the war Trumpeldor headed back to Russia, where he was among the founders of the "Halutz". In 1919 he came again to Israel and was called to help with the protection of the settlements in the area of the Galilee Panhandle. He was killed in the battle of Tel Chai, on the 11th of Adar, 1920;
page of 25 cm. Good condition, Folding marks, wrinkles and spotting.
Provenance: The estate of Simcha Holtzberg, "Father of the Wounded Soldiers".
The letter was written during Trumpeldor's stay in London, where he came to assist Ze'ev Jabotinsky in his efforts for establishing a Jewish fighting legion. The addressee is, as it seems, a friend of Trumpeldor, who fought with him in the Gallipoli campaign. Trumpeldor mentions in his letters the fighting in Gallipoli (where he participated as part of the "Mule Corps"), issues regarding the enlisting to the army and the Jewish Legion.
"I think you are taking all this too personally. Remember our dark days in Gallipoli. And still they are now gone; and in any case, Gallipoli – good memories which we can be proud of. Soon, as it turns out, they will take all the 'Russians' here by orders from Petrograd. Then the E-company will also calm down, especially after punishing one or two. Now the thought that 31 thousand of them are wandering around while they should be serving, is still tormenting them. It would be a shame if you would go alone and not come back with the legion… The legion-affair is clearing up now and I hope that soon it will all be clear enough. Yesterday I read an article in the Jewish Chronicle, "Why not have a Jewish Legion?"… People are talking again of the legion, but with a different kind of tone, a positive tone…"
Joseph Trumpeldor (1880-1920) – one of the founders of the Jewish Legion, the "Halutz", and the commander of the defense of Tel-Chai-court in 1920. Trumpeldor was born in Russia, was the first Jewish officer to serve in the Russian army, serving also in the Russo-Japanese war, where he was hurt in battle – his left arm amputated, and he was captured by the Japanese. He came to Israel in 1912 and worked as a day-worker. During WWI he founded together with Ze'ev Jabotinsky the Jewish Legion and fought at the Gallipoli Campaign as deputy commander of the Zion Mule Corps. After the war Trumpeldor headed back to Russia, where he was among the founders of the "Halutz". In 1919 he came again to Israel and was called to help with the protection of the settlements in the area of the Galilee Panhandle. He was killed in the battle of Tel Chai, on the 11th of Adar, 1920;
page of 25 cm. Good condition, Folding marks, wrinkles and spotting.
Provenance: The estate of Simcha Holtzberg, "Father of the Wounded Soldiers".
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $3,000
Sold for: $3,750
Including buyer's premium
20 letters sent by Shmuel Yosef Agnon from his home in the neighborhood of Talpiot, Jerusalem, to the poet Tuvya Ruebner, living in Merhavia, and during his stay in Zurich, Switzerland. The 1960s.
This collection of letters reflects the relationship and close friendship Agnon and his wife shared with Ruebner (who was forty years younger than Agnon) as well as the deep esteem Agnon felt towards Ruebner, both as a poet and as a translator.
In the letters Agnon asks about Ruebner's health, thanks him for his translation, sometimes makes slight remark concerning the style of the translation ("If you find the translations worthy then keep them, and if you don't dismiss them") and especially entreating Ruebner to come and visit his home in Jerusalem, where they could sit and converse at length.
In between the lines Agnon's particular character emerges, through his own personal statements of himself ("you know what an egoistic person I am"), and through his telling about his day-to-day inconveniences and thoughts which occupy him in different affairs.
Following are a few segments from the letters:
• "Dear Mr. Ruebner, I was tired on that night when I first met you and I didn’t even manage to get to our own business. I hope that what we couldn't do then we will make up another time soon. However, already now I can tell you that I was glad to meet you… You have conducted your lecture about Leah Goldberg very nicely indeed. It is fitting for a poet to be talked about by a poet".
• "I do not know if I mentioned to you when we talked, how hard it is for me to write letters. If you come to visit me I am quite happy to sit with you days and nights. And if I do in fact write back to you, I do this only for the sake of your honor".
• "To Tuvya Ruebner, Hallo dear poet, Eleven days have passed already and I still haven't thanked you for the pleasure you gave me with your translation for the story Two Tales ["Shevuat Emunim"]… Are you in good health? I fear that a day's reading might have caused you some harm, G-d forbid. You are a wonderful reader. I have never yet heard such wonderful reading in Hebrew. The Hebrew readers either read like Hazanim or they have this 'sticky style', or they are so sentimental that the spirit is sick and tired of them".
• "I had so many guests coming by that I was detained from returning the proofreading-pages for my new book and from doing my work. And these guests carry another fault with them, that they drive my thoughts to their own business, against my will". And in another letter: "Tuvya, I am wasting my time. All kinds of people bother me, not sparing me or my time. And if I do finally find an opportunity to sit down and work, or – as people rudely say - when the holy spirit rests on me, I must stop what I do because of these bothering folks".
• “I fear, for example, that readers in foreign languages will not accept the novel “A Guest for the Night” [“Oreach Nata Lalun”] favorably. For this book fits more the Jews who read Hebrew or Yiddish, who know their own people and its ways. It is not meant for the other nations, for whom most of these things are foreign, and no explanation will do”.
At the back of one of the letters Dr. Moshe Spitzer has added some lines of his own.
15 letters written by hand, 5 letters typed in a type-machine and signed (occasionally with some additional lines written by hand). Enclosed also is a letter from Hemdat Agnon and a letter from Agnon, which was written down by somebody else. Some of the original envelopes are included in the collection.
Size and condition vary. Overall good condition. Folding marks and spotting. Archive stamping marks and a serial number written with pen.
This collection of letters reflects the relationship and close friendship Agnon and his wife shared with Ruebner (who was forty years younger than Agnon) as well as the deep esteem Agnon felt towards Ruebner, both as a poet and as a translator.
In the letters Agnon asks about Ruebner's health, thanks him for his translation, sometimes makes slight remark concerning the style of the translation ("If you find the translations worthy then keep them, and if you don't dismiss them") and especially entreating Ruebner to come and visit his home in Jerusalem, where they could sit and converse at length.
In between the lines Agnon's particular character emerges, through his own personal statements of himself ("you know what an egoistic person I am"), and through his telling about his day-to-day inconveniences and thoughts which occupy him in different affairs.
Following are a few segments from the letters:
• "Dear Mr. Ruebner, I was tired on that night when I first met you and I didn’t even manage to get to our own business. I hope that what we couldn't do then we will make up another time soon. However, already now I can tell you that I was glad to meet you… You have conducted your lecture about Leah Goldberg very nicely indeed. It is fitting for a poet to be talked about by a poet".
• "I do not know if I mentioned to you when we talked, how hard it is for me to write letters. If you come to visit me I am quite happy to sit with you days and nights. And if I do in fact write back to you, I do this only for the sake of your honor".
• "To Tuvya Ruebner, Hallo dear poet, Eleven days have passed already and I still haven't thanked you for the pleasure you gave me with your translation for the story Two Tales ["Shevuat Emunim"]… Are you in good health? I fear that a day's reading might have caused you some harm, G-d forbid. You are a wonderful reader. I have never yet heard such wonderful reading in Hebrew. The Hebrew readers either read like Hazanim or they have this 'sticky style', or they are so sentimental that the spirit is sick and tired of them".
• "I had so many guests coming by that I was detained from returning the proofreading-pages for my new book and from doing my work. And these guests carry another fault with them, that they drive my thoughts to their own business, against my will". And in another letter: "Tuvya, I am wasting my time. All kinds of people bother me, not sparing me or my time. And if I do finally find an opportunity to sit down and work, or – as people rudely say - when the holy spirit rests on me, I must stop what I do because of these bothering folks".
• “I fear, for example, that readers in foreign languages will not accept the novel “A Guest for the Night” [“Oreach Nata Lalun”] favorably. For this book fits more the Jews who read Hebrew or Yiddish, who know their own people and its ways. It is not meant for the other nations, for whom most of these things are foreign, and no explanation will do”.
At the back of one of the letters Dr. Moshe Spitzer has added some lines of his own.
15 letters written by hand, 5 letters typed in a type-machine and signed (occasionally with some additional lines written by hand). Enclosed also is a letter from Hemdat Agnon and a letter from Agnon, which was written down by somebody else. Some of the original envelopes are included in the collection.
Size and condition vary. Overall good condition. Folding marks and spotting. Archive stamping marks and a serial number written with pen.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $3,000
Unsold
Die Naechte der Tino von Baghdad / von Else Lasker-Schüler, mit einer Einbandzeichnung der Verfasserin. Berlin: Paul Cassirer (edition of all her writings), 1919. Second edition. German.
Anthology which contains short prose passages, composed by Else Lasker-Schüler (Alberfeld 1869-Jerusalem, 1945), a poet, author, playwright and painter, one of the leading expressionist poets of the 20th century.
Presented is a copy owned by Lasker-Schüler, to which she added handwritten corrections and comments, in pencil. On Page 1, page 29, page 67 and page 69 appear corrections and comments the most significant of which are on page 69, beings the corrections to the prose passage "Der Dichter von Israhab".
For example: On the title page Lasker-Schüler added: "Meine Tasche liegt hier, Stückä immerdar" ("my bag is lying here, now and forever"); on the last page she corrected the word "Affen" (monkeys) to "Kameels" (Camels) and then added a verse from a German folk-song from the 18th century, and the note "Bass" in brackets.
72 pp, 24 cm. Fair condition. Detached cover and leaves. Spotting. Wear to edges of leaves and cover.
Anthology which contains short prose passages, composed by Else Lasker-Schüler (Alberfeld 1869-Jerusalem, 1945), a poet, author, playwright and painter, one of the leading expressionist poets of the 20th century.
Presented is a copy owned by Lasker-Schüler, to which she added handwritten corrections and comments, in pencil. On Page 1, page 29, page 67 and page 69 appear corrections and comments the most significant of which are on page 69, beings the corrections to the prose passage "Der Dichter von Israhab".
For example: On the title page Lasker-Schüler added: "Meine Tasche liegt hier, Stückä immerdar" ("my bag is lying here, now and forever"); on the last page she corrected the word "Affen" (monkeys) to "Kameels" (Camels) and then added a verse from a German folk-song from the 18th century, and the note "Bass" in brackets.
72 pp, 24 cm. Fair condition. Detached cover and leaves. Spotting. Wear to edges of leaves and cover.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $4,000
Sold for: $5,250
Including buyer's premium
23 letters written by Gershom (Gerhard) Scholem and sent to some of his women friends, whom he met while studying in the universities of Berlin and Jena. Berlin, Allenstein and Jena, 1916-1922. German. This collection of letters depicts an interesting time in the life of Gershom Scholem (born in Berlin 1897, came to Jerusalem in 1923, where he died in 1982), one of the greatest and most prominent Kabbalah scholars in the 20th century, a bibliographer and a collector of compositions in the fields of Kabbalah, Hassidim and mysticism. Scholem devoted his life to the study of Jewish mysticism and was one of the first to conduct academic research in the field. He discovered and published many manuscripts in the field of Kabbalah and studied every aspect of the Jewish traditions of mysticism. By the time he turned 80, he has published ca. 600 essays and studies in the field of Kabbalah. In the earliest letter in this collection Scholem has not yet turned 19. In 1915 Scholem was accepted to the University of Berlin, where he studied for five semesters, and where he first met the addressees of the letters, Grete Lissauer and Käthe Holländer. At that time he also made his first acquaintance with Walter Benjamin, purchased a copy of the Zohar, and began writing essays on the subject of Kabbalah. During this period Scholem lived with his parents, until February 1917, when, following a harsh argument between him and his father, his father stated that Scholem must leave the house and that he intends to stop the financial support Scholem was enjoying by his parents all together (later, as the two made up again, his father continued to pay for his son's tuition and for all of his expenses until he moved to Israel, even though he persisted in his refusal to have Scholem back in the house). In June 1917 Scholem was enlisted to the army, but three months later he was dismissed after being diagnosed as mentally ill. After his release he went on to study in the University of Jena, where he studied math and philosophy. One year later, in May 1918, following also Walter Benjamin's influence, Scholem went on to the University of Bern in Switzerland, where he began studying Semitic languages and philosophy. His first book was published that year (a translation of the second and revised edition of the book of Yizkor, written in memory of members of the Zionist Proletariat Movement, who were killed on duty, in Palestine). It was in this period that Scholem has decided to continue with the field of Jewish Studies instead of mathematics. Thus, he decided to return to Germany and continue his studies in the University of Munich. In Munich he studied philosophy from September 1919 until March 1922. It was there where he wrote his dissertation on the Sefer Ha'Bahir, which he translated to German, and published together with his commentary. In 1922 he received his doctorate degree in Munich summa cum laude. A year later, his book Das Buch Bahir, which was based on his dissertation, was published. • Eighteen letters in this collection were sent to Käthe Hlländer (six of which written on postcards). The letters were sent from Berlin, Allenstein and Jena, between November 1916 and 1922. Some of the letters are not dated. In his letters to Hlländer, Scholem writes frankly of his relations with his family (telling, among other things, about the fight he had with his father, about how he was left with no money, and about moving to a hostel in Berlin- Wilmersdorf). He asks to hear about common acquaintances – Grete Lissauer, Toni Halle, and Grete Krämer; he tells Holländer of his thoughts regarding math and philosophy and even tells her of medical examinations he underwent while preparing for his army service. Four of these letters were sent in June-August 1917, when Scholem was enlisted in the army. In the letter from July 30th 1917, written in a psychiatric hospital where he stayed for a recovery period of six weeks, Scholem writes about the anti-Semitism he encounters in the army, about the fact that the doctors in the hospital are all Jewish and about the headaches he suffers from, which make it difficult for him to think. • Five letters in this collection are addressed to Grete Lissauer. Berlin, April – December 1916. It is possible these were sent to Holländer to be handed to Lissauer. In his letters to Lissauer Scholem writes frequently of subjects related to his studies and the philosophy of mathematics, of papers he is working on (some of which were published in Der Jude), on recommended books (in the letter from April 21st 1917 Scholem tells of his purchase of Dostoevsky’s “Idiot”) and of his opinions on books he had read (he writes frequently of mathematics, Kant; mentions the protestant theologist Franz Molitor, and writes of his intention to go to the lecture of the philosopher Ernst Cassirer). In one of his letters Scholem apologizes for his style, explaining that he is only 19 years old. The addressees, Holländer and Lissauer, are mentioned in Scholem’s diaries from the years 1913-1919, where the reader finds an ambivalent attitude towards them; see: Lamentations of youth, the diaries of Gershom Scholem, 1913-1919, edited and translated by Anthony David Skinner, Cambridge: Massachusetts, 2007, pp. 104-105, 184. A total of 23 letters. Size and condition vary. Mostly good condition. Some letters have several tears, some affecting the text. Folding marks and some spots.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $1,200
Sold for: $1,500
Including buyer's premium
"Out of a Jewish Doctor's Curriculum Vitae". Passages from Shaul Tchernichovsky's Curriculum Vitae, in his handwriting. [early 1940s].
Tchernichovsky's curriculum vitae refers to the years 1917-1919, a period during which he served as a physician in WW I, and later to his work in the clinic which he opened in St. Petersburg.
In his writings he depicts his hardships until his move to Odessa in 1919. The composition ends with the following lines: "Behind the screen they disclosed that when they mentioned the candidate's name the other party asked: who? Ah, the one who writes poems! – tell them, my friend that I got my degree not for my sonnets, and my decorations are for hard work and risks I had to take as a physician and not for the idylls. For three weeks we waited in Karatas until the boat sailed to Odessa. This time, again, I did not get a position in a Jewish hospital".
On the last page appears a comment handwritten by Tchernichovsky – "please copy on a typewriter as soon as possible…” and the address of the periodical to where the curriculum vitae were sent, “The Hebrew Monthly Bitzaron”, which was published in New-York in the 1940s.
Shaul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) – physician, poet and translator; one of the greatest Jewish poets. Tchernichovsky studied medicine in the University of Heidelberg in 1899-1906 and completed his studies in Lausanne, Switzerland. During all of his life he combined his work as a doctor with his work as a poet. After he graduated from medical school he worked as a physician in Ukraine – in Kharkov and in Kiev. In 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg and opened a clinic. In 1919 he moved to Odessa. Immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1931 and settled there. Tchernichovsky is buried in “Trumpeldor” cemetery, Tel-Aviv.
[11] lined leaves, 20.5 cm. Good condition. Minor tears on left margins. Minor spots.
Tchernichovsky's curriculum vitae refers to the years 1917-1919, a period during which he served as a physician in WW I, and later to his work in the clinic which he opened in St. Petersburg.
In his writings he depicts his hardships until his move to Odessa in 1919. The composition ends with the following lines: "Behind the screen they disclosed that when they mentioned the candidate's name the other party asked: who? Ah, the one who writes poems! – tell them, my friend that I got my degree not for my sonnets, and my decorations are for hard work and risks I had to take as a physician and not for the idylls. For three weeks we waited in Karatas until the boat sailed to Odessa. This time, again, I did not get a position in a Jewish hospital".
On the last page appears a comment handwritten by Tchernichovsky – "please copy on a typewriter as soon as possible…” and the address of the periodical to where the curriculum vitae were sent, “The Hebrew Monthly Bitzaron”, which was published in New-York in the 1940s.
Shaul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) – physician, poet and translator; one of the greatest Jewish poets. Tchernichovsky studied medicine in the University of Heidelberg in 1899-1906 and completed his studies in Lausanne, Switzerland. During all of his life he combined his work as a doctor with his work as a poet. After he graduated from medical school he worked as a physician in Ukraine – in Kharkov and in Kiev. In 1910 he moved to St. Petersburg and opened a clinic. In 1919 he moved to Odessa. Immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1931 and settled there. Tchernichovsky is buried in “Trumpeldor” cemetery, Tel-Aviv.
[11] lined leaves, 20.5 cm. Good condition. Minor tears on left margins. Minor spots.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $1,500
Sold for: $1,875
Including buyer's premium
1. David Raziel's handwritten signature on both sides of a check drawn on "Bank Kedem for Credit Ltd. Jerusalem". The check is on the amount of three Eretz Israel Pounds and 480 mils. November 5, 1937. An additional signature by H.S. Halevi. 16X8.5 cm, good condition. Ink stamps. Yellowing paper.
2. A personal details form of David Raziel, signed by him, when he was sixteen and a half years old, [1926]. "I the undersigned…request to accept me as a member of the "World Society of Young Jews". The personal details are written in pencil. In the paragraph stating "friends that know him" Raziel mentioned the names of Shimon Meisel and M. Halevi. 22.5X19 cm. Good condition. Minor spots. Tear to lower end.
3. David Raziel's signature on a list of names written by hand. A list of names on grid paper, of people invited to a "general meeting" which was held on July 9, 1927 in the "Tourism Club" (Allenby 113). Raziel's signature appears with signatures of other people invited. 21X27 cm, fair condition. Folding marks, creases, spots and ink stains.
4-8. Five letters proving the authenticity of David Raziel's signature on the above mentioned check (see item no. 1). Letters from: Esther Raziel (David Raziel's sister), Shlomo Halevi (David Raziel's son), Mordechai Zipori (Chairman of Brit Chayalei Etzel), Yosef Achimeir (Director of Prime Minister Shamir's Office) and Menachem Begin (typewritten letter, hand signed by Raziel).
David Raziel (Vilnius 1910 – Iraq 1941), known as "Aluf Ben-Anat", was the fourth commander in chief of Etzel. Raziel immigrated to Eretz Israel with his family when he was three years of age, but because of its Russian citizenship the family was deported and wandered for eight years before returning to Eretz Israel. Raziel graduated from “Tachkemoni” evening school, where his father worked as a teacher, and continued his studies in the Merkaz HaRav Yeshivah in Jerusalem. He also studied at the Hebrew University.
The 1929 riots left a significant impression and led him to believe that in order to redeem Israel one has to struggle and fight. He joined the founders of Etzel who quit the Hagana. Raziel opposed the principle of “Havlaga” (restraint) and led his fighters to organized assaults on Arabs and British. In view of the events in Europe when WW II started, Raziel announced a remission in the negative attitudes toward the British in order to fight the Nazis.
In 1941 Raziel was sent by the British to Iraq to suppress an anti-British rebellion. He led a commando unit of four people. Raziel was killed during an attempt to occupy the town of Faluja, by a German aircraft bomb. Raziel was buried in Iraq in a British military cemetery. He was reinterred in 1955 in Mount Herzl. His memorial day was declared by Menachem Begin as a memorial day for all of Etzel victims. After his death Raziel was granted the degree of IDF Major-General. Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, his friend, and later head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshivah, addressed a eulogy and compared Raziel to King David as a person combining between spiritual delicacy and military insistence. The settlement Ramat Raziel near Jerusalem, established by retired Beitar and Etzel members, is named after him.
2. A personal details form of David Raziel, signed by him, when he was sixteen and a half years old, [1926]. "I the undersigned…request to accept me as a member of the "World Society of Young Jews". The personal details are written in pencil. In the paragraph stating "friends that know him" Raziel mentioned the names of Shimon Meisel and M. Halevi. 22.5X19 cm. Good condition. Minor spots. Tear to lower end.
3. David Raziel's signature on a list of names written by hand. A list of names on grid paper, of people invited to a "general meeting" which was held on July 9, 1927 in the "Tourism Club" (Allenby 113). Raziel's signature appears with signatures of other people invited. 21X27 cm, fair condition. Folding marks, creases, spots and ink stains.
4-8. Five letters proving the authenticity of David Raziel's signature on the above mentioned check (see item no. 1). Letters from: Esther Raziel (David Raziel's sister), Shlomo Halevi (David Raziel's son), Mordechai Zipori (Chairman of Brit Chayalei Etzel), Yosef Achimeir (Director of Prime Minister Shamir's Office) and Menachem Begin (typewritten letter, hand signed by Raziel).
David Raziel (Vilnius 1910 – Iraq 1941), known as "Aluf Ben-Anat", was the fourth commander in chief of Etzel. Raziel immigrated to Eretz Israel with his family when he was three years of age, but because of its Russian citizenship the family was deported and wandered for eight years before returning to Eretz Israel. Raziel graduated from “Tachkemoni” evening school, where his father worked as a teacher, and continued his studies in the Merkaz HaRav Yeshivah in Jerusalem. He also studied at the Hebrew University.
The 1929 riots left a significant impression and led him to believe that in order to redeem Israel one has to struggle and fight. He joined the founders of Etzel who quit the Hagana. Raziel opposed the principle of “Havlaga” (restraint) and led his fighters to organized assaults on Arabs and British. In view of the events in Europe when WW II started, Raziel announced a remission in the negative attitudes toward the British in order to fight the Nazis.
In 1941 Raziel was sent by the British to Iraq to suppress an anti-British rebellion. He led a commando unit of four people. Raziel was killed during an attempt to occupy the town of Faluja, by a German aircraft bomb. Raziel was buried in Iraq in a British military cemetery. He was reinterred in 1955 in Mount Herzl. His memorial day was declared by Menachem Begin as a memorial day for all of Etzel victims. After his death Raziel was granted the degree of IDF Major-General. Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, his friend, and later head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshivah, addressed a eulogy and compared Raziel to King David as a person combining between spiritual delicacy and military insistence. The settlement Ramat Raziel near Jerusalem, established by retired Beitar and Etzel members, is named after him.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $10,000
Unsold
A note handwritten by Shlomo Ben-Yosef. [It is believed that the note was written in the Acre Prison on June 28,1938, a day prior to his execution].
Ben-Yosef wrote on the note, in pencil, the sentence: "Mavet, Neged Moledet, Ze Efes" (Hebrew: "Death is nothing compared to [fighting for] the Homeland") and signed his name "Shlomo Ben-Yosef".
Shlomo Ben-Yosef (Tabachnik) was born in 1913 in Lutsk, Poland. When still a child he expressed Zionist views and at the age of 15 joined Beitar. His father died in 1930 and he was obliged to support his family. In spite of being unable to achieve a "certificate" he managed to immigrate to Eretz Israel together with a group of other Beitar members in the framework of "Af Al Pi" Aliya, and joined an enlistment company in Rosh Pina. When he arrived in Rosh Pina he burnt his foreign passport and changed his name from Shalom Tabachnik to Shlomo Ben-Yosef, after his father.
During the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939, following atrocious terror attacks by Arabs [on March 29, 1938, five Jews who rode in a taxi on the Acre-Safed road were murdered, a Jewish woman was raped and her body dissected; on April 16, 1938 a car was shot at, five of its passengers were "Hagana" members three of whom were killed, amongst them David Ben Gaon, who earlier fought with the Beitar Company in Rosh Pina and was a close friend of Shlomo Ben-Yosef]. When it became clear that Etzel commander and Ze'ev Jabotinsky do not approve of starting attacks, Ben-Yosef, and two other members, decided to plan a retaliation attack. The three ambushed an Arab bus, shot at it and threw a grenade. The grenade did not explode, Ben-Yosef and his friends were captured, brought to court by the British and Shlomo Ben-Yosef was sentenced to death.
On June 29, 1938 Ben-Yosef marched to the gallows while singing Beitar songs. When a sack was put over his head he cried out "Long live Jabotinsky".
One day prior to the execution, Ben-Yosef wrote several letters and several notes. In a letter to Ze'ev Jabotinsky he wrote "it is a great honor to let you know that tomorrow I go to fulfill my last sacred duty, as a soldier of Beitar in Eretz Israel…" on other notes he wrote various slogans and ideas: "I was a Beitar servant until my last day", "What is a homeland? It is worth living for, fight for, and die for", "Tel-Hai friends! Do not be scared, I shall die like a Beitarist with the name of Ze'ev Jabotinsky on my lips.." and more. The note presented here is one of this group of notes and letters which were, most probably, written the night prior to his execution.
Note, 5.5X8 cm. Mounted on a black Bristol sheet and attached to cardboard. Good condition. Folding marks. Miniature tear in the center. Minor spots. Tear with omission on lower left corner.
Provenance: The estate of Simcha Holtzberg, "Father of the Wounded Soldiers".
Ben-Yosef wrote on the note, in pencil, the sentence: "Mavet, Neged Moledet, Ze Efes" (Hebrew: "Death is nothing compared to [fighting for] the Homeland") and signed his name "Shlomo Ben-Yosef".
Shlomo Ben-Yosef (Tabachnik) was born in 1913 in Lutsk, Poland. When still a child he expressed Zionist views and at the age of 15 joined Beitar. His father died in 1930 and he was obliged to support his family. In spite of being unable to achieve a "certificate" he managed to immigrate to Eretz Israel together with a group of other Beitar members in the framework of "Af Al Pi" Aliya, and joined an enlistment company in Rosh Pina. When he arrived in Rosh Pina he burnt his foreign passport and changed his name from Shalom Tabachnik to Shlomo Ben-Yosef, after his father.
During the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939, following atrocious terror attacks by Arabs [on March 29, 1938, five Jews who rode in a taxi on the Acre-Safed road were murdered, a Jewish woman was raped and her body dissected; on April 16, 1938 a car was shot at, five of its passengers were "Hagana" members three of whom were killed, amongst them David Ben Gaon, who earlier fought with the Beitar Company in Rosh Pina and was a close friend of Shlomo Ben-Yosef]. When it became clear that Etzel commander and Ze'ev Jabotinsky do not approve of starting attacks, Ben-Yosef, and two other members, decided to plan a retaliation attack. The three ambushed an Arab bus, shot at it and threw a grenade. The grenade did not explode, Ben-Yosef and his friends were captured, brought to court by the British and Shlomo Ben-Yosef was sentenced to death.
On June 29, 1938 Ben-Yosef marched to the gallows while singing Beitar songs. When a sack was put over his head he cried out "Long live Jabotinsky".
One day prior to the execution, Ben-Yosef wrote several letters and several notes. In a letter to Ze'ev Jabotinsky he wrote "it is a great honor to let you know that tomorrow I go to fulfill my last sacred duty, as a soldier of Beitar in Eretz Israel…" on other notes he wrote various slogans and ideas: "I was a Beitar servant until my last day", "What is a homeland? It is worth living for, fight for, and die for", "Tel-Hai friends! Do not be scared, I shall die like a Beitarist with the name of Ze'ev Jabotinsky on my lips.." and more. The note presented here is one of this group of notes and letters which were, most probably, written the night prior to his execution.
Note, 5.5X8 cm. Mounted on a black Bristol sheet and attached to cardboard. Good condition. Folding marks. Miniature tear in the center. Minor spots. Tear with omission on lower left corner.
Provenance: The estate of Simcha Holtzberg, "Father of the Wounded Soldiers".
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $3,000
Sold for: $8,125
Including buyer's premium
A collection of paper-items regarding the announcement of the establishment of the state of Israel, the establishing assembly and the first Knesset, 1947-1949. 1. The provisional government of Israel; a printed invitation for the ceremony of announcing the state of Israel's independence. Iyar 4th, 1948 (13.5.48), sent to M. Danziger-Caron, a member of the journalist association. Including the original envelope. This is the original invitation sent only to the members of the People's Assembly, to journalists and friends. It is stated at the bottom of the invitation: "This invitation is personal - dress: dark festive garments." A page of 21.5 cm. Good condition. Filing piercing on the envelope. 2. The People's Assembly, a guest-card for the ceremony of declaring the independence of the state of Israel. Tel Aviv, Iyar 5th 1948 (14.5.1948). Given to M. Danziger-Caron (his name was added by hand). To its back a small note is attached stating his seat. Bristol-board; was used as an envelope for the invitation (see item no. 1), 21X14 cm, folded in two. Good condition. 3. An issue of the daily paper "Haaretz", from Sunday, 30th November 1947. The headline reads: "it was decided to establish the state of Israel". [4] pages, 57 cm. Good condition. Folding marks, spotting, slight tears around the edges. 4. Issue no. 1 of the paper "Iton Rishmi ". Tel Aviv, Iyar 5th 1948 (14.5.48). Including the text of the "Declaration of Independence" as well as a pamphlet on behalf of the Temporary State Assembly. At the top of the page the headline reads: "Israel, The Provisional Government". 4 pages. 33 cm. Good condition. Slight spotting, folding marks and creases. 5. "The Proclamation of the People's Assembly" – a printed text of the Declaration of Independence. Iyar 5th 1948 (14.5.48). [4] pages, 26 cm. Filing holes, rust-spotting. Slight tears. 6. "The first Knesset, the Herut movement, suggestion for a fundamental constitution for the State of Israel". A printed leaflet – suggestion for a constitution for the State of Israel, by Menachem Begin of the Herut movement. 38 pages. 32.5 pages. Slight spotting, tears and creases. Filing holes. 7. An entrance ticket to the opening seat of the Establishing Assembly. Shvat the 15th 1949 (February 14th, 49). Given to M. Danziger-Caron. 11.5X8.5 cm. Good condition. Filing holes. At the back of the ticket appears the stamp of "The Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and the Press".
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $25,000
Including buyer's premium
A "specimen" banknote - 500 Fils – IDF Headquarters in the West Bank area, 1967. Design: the Shamir brothers.
Obverse: the value of the bill, on decorative backdrop, signed by general Uzi Narkis. Reverse: illustration of the Tower of David.
This banknote is part of a series of "emergency" banknotes, which were printed for the territories occupied during the Six Day War. These bills were eventually left out of circulation.
The decision of printing the banknotes was made by the governor of the Bank of Israel, David Horowitz and the substitute-finance-minister, Ze'ev Sharf, with the intention to avoid the deficiency in local money and to provide temporary economic stability, until the future of the occupied territories shall be decided. The production of the banknotes – Israeli editions of the Egyptian pound, the Jordanian dinar and the Syrian pound – was kept secret. For this purpose the Bank of Israel recruited the governmental printer in Jerusalem as well as some of the best graphic designers - the Shamir brothers and the partners Gad Rothschild and David Lipman (Studio "Roli"). The bills were printed in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The Bank of Israel was not mentioned on the banknotes, and its place took the "IDF headquarters" of each area, as the one issuing the bills. The suretyship was given with signatures of the generals Moshe Goren, Uzi Narkis and David Elazar.
The printing of the banknotes, had started towards the end of 1967. The legal issues of covering the emergency-money were completed during the process of the printing. Decrees by the command's general declared that this banknote will be legal alongside the Jordanian dinar and the Egyptian pound; the security minister was to be in charge of fixing the amounts to be distributed in his name; the person in charge de-facto was a clerk from either the finance ministry or the Bank of Israel.
The predictions of Horowitz and Sharf were eventually not realized. The Israelis quickly found their way to the occupied territories and it was soon clear that there is no need in military banknotes to protect the economy in the area. The banknotes were withdrawn (a decision which managed to surprise the prime-minister Levi Eshkol, who didn't even know of the banknotes in the first place). All banknotes were confiscated (including the ones kept as souvenirs by the graphic-designers and the generals). In 1978 it was decided that the stock of banknotes kept in the Bank if Israel is to be destroyed. The banknotes were all burned, except for a very few number, which were deposited at the museum of the Bank of Israel.
No other banknotes of this type are known, except for those in the museum of the Bank of Israel.
See: "The Secreted Banknotes of Gaza and the West Bank", by Zvi Lavie (Hebrew).
7x14 cm. VF-XF.
Obverse: the value of the bill, on decorative backdrop, signed by general Uzi Narkis. Reverse: illustration of the Tower of David.
This banknote is part of a series of "emergency" banknotes, which were printed for the territories occupied during the Six Day War. These bills were eventually left out of circulation.
The decision of printing the banknotes was made by the governor of the Bank of Israel, David Horowitz and the substitute-finance-minister, Ze'ev Sharf, with the intention to avoid the deficiency in local money and to provide temporary economic stability, until the future of the occupied territories shall be decided. The production of the banknotes – Israeli editions of the Egyptian pound, the Jordanian dinar and the Syrian pound – was kept secret. For this purpose the Bank of Israel recruited the governmental printer in Jerusalem as well as some of the best graphic designers - the Shamir brothers and the partners Gad Rothschild and David Lipman (Studio "Roli"). The bills were printed in Hebrew, English and Arabic. The Bank of Israel was not mentioned on the banknotes, and its place took the "IDF headquarters" of each area, as the one issuing the bills. The suretyship was given with signatures of the generals Moshe Goren, Uzi Narkis and David Elazar.
The printing of the banknotes, had started towards the end of 1967. The legal issues of covering the emergency-money were completed during the process of the printing. Decrees by the command's general declared that this banknote will be legal alongside the Jordanian dinar and the Egyptian pound; the security minister was to be in charge of fixing the amounts to be distributed in his name; the person in charge de-facto was a clerk from either the finance ministry or the Bank of Israel.
The predictions of Horowitz and Sharf were eventually not realized. The Israelis quickly found their way to the occupied territories and it was soon clear that there is no need in military banknotes to protect the economy in the area. The banknotes were withdrawn (a decision which managed to surprise the prime-minister Levi Eshkol, who didn't even know of the banknotes in the first place). All banknotes were confiscated (including the ones kept as souvenirs by the graphic-designers and the generals). In 1978 it was decided that the stock of banknotes kept in the Bank if Israel is to be destroyed. The banknotes were all burned, except for a very few number, which were deposited at the museum of the Bank of Israel.
No other banknotes of this type are known, except for those in the museum of the Bank of Israel.
See: "The Secreted Banknotes of Gaza and the West Bank", by Zvi Lavie (Hebrew).
7x14 cm. VF-XF.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $5,000
Sold for: $8,750
Including buyer's premium
Fifteen letters from David Ben-Gurion. Various addressees. One letter from 1929, one from 1947, one letter is not dated [1940s] and all the other letters are from the 1950s and 1960s.
Amongst the letters: a letter to Knesset Member Elimelech Rimalt, a letter to Knesset Member Peretz Bernstein, a letter to the secretary of the Histadrut Mordechai Namir, a letter to the secretary of the Government Ze'ev Sherf, a letter to the deputy Minister of Agriculture Yossef Efrat, a letter to the author and poet Avraham Shlonsky, a letter to Knesset Member Beba Idelson, and more.
One letter is not complete but on the two remaining leaves appear some interesting ideas: "horrible dangers are foreseen – from terror in the country, from the deviant … against the British Mandate, rising anti-Semitism in the world, Nazism – but I do not know any danger which is more bitter and horrible and risking our movement – the moral failure of the Israeli worker, destroying unity and inner tranquility…"
In a letter to the Minister of Welfare and Religions, dated March 1954: "it is unacceptable that people of Nahalal will sit in Nahalal and that people of Tirat Zvi will sit in Tirat Zvi. They all have to leave their settlements, which are full of memories, and merge with the new immigrants and settle with them. All this in order to pass on to them the cultural, professional and social richness which they inherited from their parents. This knowledge should become now public domain. What we are obliged to do now – is to develop and settle our barren land”.
In a letter to Knesset Member Elimelech Rimalt: ”No prime minister in the country learned it at his parents’ home, and can be substituted by another. But a nation you cannot substitute, and unfortunately our nation is a multi-party nation…”
In a letter to the secretary of the government Ben-Gurion writes: “When I immigrated to Eretz Israel about fifty years ago I had a modest goal: to do physical work and build our homeland. Unfortunately some public roles were imposed on me”.
Six of the letters are in Ben-Gurion’s handwriting; all the others are typewritten and signed by Ben-Gurion (a handwritten addition on one letter).
Size and condition varies. Overall good condition. Filing holes, folding marks and spotting. Ink stamps and short, handwritten, comments.
Amongst the letters: a letter to Knesset Member Elimelech Rimalt, a letter to Knesset Member Peretz Bernstein, a letter to the secretary of the Histadrut Mordechai Namir, a letter to the secretary of the Government Ze'ev Sherf, a letter to the deputy Minister of Agriculture Yossef Efrat, a letter to the author and poet Avraham Shlonsky, a letter to Knesset Member Beba Idelson, and more.
One letter is not complete but on the two remaining leaves appear some interesting ideas: "horrible dangers are foreseen – from terror in the country, from the deviant … against the British Mandate, rising anti-Semitism in the world, Nazism – but I do not know any danger which is more bitter and horrible and risking our movement – the moral failure of the Israeli worker, destroying unity and inner tranquility…"
In a letter to the Minister of Welfare and Religions, dated March 1954: "it is unacceptable that people of Nahalal will sit in Nahalal and that people of Tirat Zvi will sit in Tirat Zvi. They all have to leave their settlements, which are full of memories, and merge with the new immigrants and settle with them. All this in order to pass on to them the cultural, professional and social richness which they inherited from their parents. This knowledge should become now public domain. What we are obliged to do now – is to develop and settle our barren land”.
In a letter to Knesset Member Elimelech Rimalt: ”No prime minister in the country learned it at his parents’ home, and can be substituted by another. But a nation you cannot substitute, and unfortunately our nation is a multi-party nation…”
In a letter to the secretary of the government Ben-Gurion writes: “When I immigrated to Eretz Israel about fifty years ago I had a modest goal: to do physical work and build our homeland. Unfortunately some public roles were imposed on me”.
Six of the letters are in Ben-Gurion’s handwriting; all the others are typewritten and signed by Ben-Gurion (a handwritten addition on one letter).
Size and condition varies. Overall good condition. Filing holes, folding marks and spotting. Ink stamps and short, handwritten, comments.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue
Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items
November 25, 2014
Opening: $2,000
Sold for: $2,750
Including buyer's premium
A letter handwritten by Shimon Peres, addressed to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Written on Peres's official stationery. Classified: "Personal/Secret". [1980/90s].
In this letter, sent in response to questions addressed to Shimon Peres by Ovadia Yosef, Peres outlines how he will proceed if he is responsible for the constitution of a government. Peres refers to the Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the state of Shas party in the government and his future actions concerning matters on the Shas Party agenda.
First and foremost, Peres states that "baselines of the government will explicitly state that the existing Jewish settlements will not be evacuated and will remain where they are". Further Peres emphasizes that if he constitutes the government he will start immediately negotiations with Shas and continues by stating several actions to be carried out by a government headed by him: “We are aware of the aspiration of His Honor to spread the Torah and the Legacy of Spanish Jews and we are committed to establish a radio station which will help achieve this goal…absolute equality concerning education will apply to all of Israel’s students”. Peres adds in the end of the letter: “We shall negotiate all other topics to guarantee that Shas Party gains a respectable status …in each and every area”.
[3] pages, 21 cm. Good condition. Folding marks.
In this letter, sent in response to questions addressed to Shimon Peres by Ovadia Yosef, Peres outlines how he will proceed if he is responsible for the constitution of a government. Peres refers to the Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the state of Shas party in the government and his future actions concerning matters on the Shas Party agenda.
First and foremost, Peres states that "baselines of the government will explicitly state that the existing Jewish settlements will not be evacuated and will remain where they are". Further Peres emphasizes that if he constitutes the government he will start immediately negotiations with Shas and continues by stating several actions to be carried out by a government headed by him: “We are aware of the aspiration of His Honor to spread the Torah and the Legacy of Spanish Jews and we are committed to establish a radio station which will help achieve this goal…absolute equality concerning education will apply to all of Israel’s students”. Peres adds in the end of the letter: “We shall negotiate all other topics to guarantee that Shas Party gains a respectable status …in each and every area”.
[3] pages, 21 cm. Good condition. Folding marks.
Category
Rare and Important Items
Catalogue