Auction 80 - Part I - Jewish and Israeli History, Art and Culture
- (-) Remove palestin filter palestin
- british (46) Apply british filter
- israel (46) Apply israel filter
- mandat (46) Apply mandat filter
- state (46) Apply state filter
- camp (39) Apply camp filter
- camps, (39) Apply camps, filter
- detent (39) Apply detent filter
- illig (39) Apply illig filter
- immigr (39) Apply immigr filter
- immigration, (39) Apply immigration, filter
- independ (39) Apply independ filter
- independence, (39) Apply independence, filter
- isra (39) Apply isra filter
- palestine, (39) Apply palestine, filter
- war (39) Apply war filter
- arab (7) Apply arab filter
- palestinian (7) Apply palestinian filter
- from (5) Apply from filter
- souvenir (5) Apply souvenir filter
- ii (4) Apply ii filter
- kaiser (4) Apply kaiser filter
- visit (4) Apply visit filter
- wilhelm (4) Apply wilhelm filter
The Buchenwald Kibbutz was the first name of the kibbutz Netzer Sereni. It was established in 1948 by a handful of survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp and was built during the Israeli War of Independence and the establishment of the State. The sixteen founders of the Kibbutz documented their story in a special journal titled "Yoman" (Diary).
This is a collection of issues and drafts – mimeographed, typewritten or handwritten (some containing corrections and erasures), documenting the early days of the Kibbutz: "In the yard we set up tents. We chose a guard for the night. Today was the first of our independence… we bought dishes for the kitchen, a gas oven and a pair of bicycles… this small household is the beginning of our Kibbutz" (from the first issue, 30.1.1948).
The issues and drafts are numbered 1-5, 7-16, 73, and 75-78 (two of the 1948 drafts are not numbered). Some of the drafts in the collection are of the same issue.
Size and condition vary.
Enclosed: a list of kibbutz members from 1969 (9 leaves, more than 300 names); an invitation to an evening of lectures at the kibbutz; several additional handwritten and typewritten leaves.
The invitations and cards were sent to the journalist Moshe Ron (Danzigerkron), the Secretary General of the Tel-Aviv Journalists Association. Including: • An invitation to the first session of the People's Administration (May 4, 1948). • Permanent entry card to the sessions of the Provisional State council (November 3, 1948). • Invitation to a reception for the President of the Provisional State council Chaim Weizmann (invited by "The Prime Minister and Mrs. Ben Gurion"; October 19, 1948). • Invitation and two tickets to the first IDF parade (May 4, 1949). • Invitation and ticket to the first train ride from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem (August 7, 1949). • And more.
Enclosed is the original envelope in which one of the invitations was sent.
Size varies. Good condition. Stains, minor blemishes and filing holes to margins.
• Nine theater set drawings and sketches (on large sheets) made by Pomrock during the years 1955-1956 for various plays: "The 56th Kilometer" by Moshe Shamir; "The Plow" by Yaakov Uri; "The Man who Married a Dumb Wife" by Anatole France; and more. Hand-signed by Pomrock and stamped. Two handwritten booklets are enclosed with two of the illustrations, containing a detailed list of props, installation instructions, instructions for the actors and small illustrations.
• Nine pen sketches (on small sheets) of costumes and sets for a historical play.
• Three souvenir items from the play "The 56th Kilometer" at the Aviv movie theater (Tiberias, 1956): an advertising poster for the play; photographs and a play review that was published in a local newspaper, mounted on two paper sheets.
• Thirteen prints of views, towns, figures and costumes, taken from various books (presumably used by Pomrock in designing costumes and sets). Handwritten comments on margins (English).
• Approx. 40 drafts, notes, letters and various paper items related to Pomrock's work as a writer and translator and to his personal life: translation of the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe; two drafts of translations for the Christianity chapter of the book "Yalkut Hadatot" (published by Chachik publishing house, 1964); a file with dozens of drafts and notes – in preparation for a book about the Zionist activist David Landau; and more.
Enclosed: Several dozens of newspaper clippings with articles about radio shows presented by Pomrock (mounted on two sheets of paper).
A total of 70 illustrations and paper items. Size and condition vary. One of the drawings is framed.
A guide for visitors to the Temple Mount (Al-Haram Al-Sharif) – description of its structures, their history and significance. Accompanied by seven photographs: a view of the Temple Mount, Sabil Qaitbay, The Summer Pulpit, the Dome of the Rock, the Foundation Stone and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. At its beginning, the guide notes that since the entire compound is a sacred Muslim site, visitors are forbidden to smoke and bring dogs to the compound.
The guide was published by the Supreme Muslim Council, a body that represented the religious interests of the Arabs of Mandatory Palestine under British rule. The council was founded in 1922 and was in charge of managing the holdings of the Waqf, including the Temple Mount, and managing the Muslim justice system; the Mufti Hajj Amīn al-Husseini was elected its president.
It is interesting to note that although the guide was written from a Muslim perspective, it defines the Temple Mount as the place where the Temple was located. Printed on p. 4: "This site is one of the oldest in the world. Its sanctity dates from the earliest (perhaps from pre-historic) times. Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which 'David built there an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings' [2 Samuel, 24:25]".
16 pp. 24.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Open tear to corner of front cover. A stub with a stamp of the Supreme Muslim Council has been torn off the upper left corner of the back cover (as in all copies).
1. Two memoranda submitted to the Council & Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations… by the Executive Committee, Palestine Arab Congress, 12 April, 1925. Jerusalem, April 1925.
Two memoranda submitted to the League of Nations: a memorandum on the British Mandate for Palestine (which does not, according to the petitioners, keep the British promises to the Arabs in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence); a memorandum regarding the discriminatory British policy towards Palestinian Arabs
32 pp. 23 cm.
2. Report on the state of Palestine submitted to His Excellency the High Commissioner for Palestine by the Executive Committee, Palestine Arab Congress on the 13th of October, 1925. Jerusalem, October 1925.
A report submitted to High Commissioner Herbert Plumer with an interesting review of the state of Palestine during the first years of the British mandate: the pro-Jewish activities of the previous High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel; mass Jewish immigration; the failure to develop industry in Jewish cities; governmental monopolies granted to the Jews (such as the Palestine Salt Company in Atlit and Rutenberg's power station); and more. The report states the demand of the Arab Executive from the Mandate authorities: the establishment of a Jewish-Arab state, with government representatives of both nations, the number of which will be based on their relative population percentage in Palestine before the World War.
30 pp. 23 cm.
Good overall condition. Original covers, stained.
The Arab Executive was the central political institution of the Palestinian national movement from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s. It was established in December 1920 and operated under the leadership of Musa Kazim Pasha al-Husayni (1853-1934) throughout its existence.
The Arab Executive strived for the establishment of an independent Arab state with an elected legislative body, espousing non-violent methods – writing petitions, meeting with representatives of the British governments, sending delegations to London, publishing newspaper articles, and more. In 1934, with Husayni's death, the Arab Executive fell apart (and was replaced by the Arab Higher Committee, which supported a violent struggle).
An official guide issued by the Arab Exhibition Company, with a list of participants, sketches and pictures of the showrooms, an advertisements section and an introduction to the history of the Arab world. Illustrated cover (signed in the plate: "M.J. Badran").
The First Arab Exhibition opened in July 1933 at the Palace Hotel in Jerusalem (now the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Agron Street). The initiative developed on the background of the increasing tension between the Palestinian Arabs and the Mandate Government, France's and Britain's colonial activity in the Middle East and the success of the Levant Fair exhibitions in Tel-Aviv. The intent was to showcase the agricultural, industrial and cultural advancements taking place in the Arab World in an exhibition just as grand as the Levant Fair exhibitions, and strengthen the economic and cultural ties between Arab countries.
The exhibition took place in the Palace luxury hotel, one of the most beautiful buildings in Jerusalem. Invitations and advertisements were published throughout the Arab World and on the opening night, fireworks lit up the skies of Jerusalem. The halls of the hotel displayed a variety of agricultural and industrial developments, handicrafts and works of art from Palestine and from all over the Arab World – Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The exhibition also featured works by Palestinian painter Zulfa al- Sa'di; the artist and art scholar Kamal Boullata refers to al-Sa'di's exhibit at the Arab Exhibition as the "first ever solo exhibition by a Palestinian painter".
The exhibition was widely reported in the Arab Press, attracted many visitors and was considered a success. The Hebrew press barely mentioned the exhibition and the few papers that did reported it noted that the entrance of Jewish journalists was forbidden. In an extraordinary review that was published in the "Doar Hayom" newspaper, Yehuda Karniel mocked the exhibition and its participants: "A 'treasurer' sat inside the palace and handed over the tickets through the grate, sticking out his hand to receive the cash and hand out the tickets, like a monkey being given food […] I saw there products of… Syria, Baghdad and Egypt but of Palestine … almost nothing!" (in the article, Karniel claimed that he infiltrated the hall in disguise).
44 ff., 22 cm. Good condition. Creases and minor blemishes. Tears and stains to gutters of first and last leaves. Stains and minor wear to cover.
Literature:
1. Self-Portrait of a Nation, The Arab Exhibition in Mandate Jerusalem, 1931-34, by Nadi Abusaada. In Jerusalem Quarterly, issue 77, Jerusalem: The Institute for Palestinian Studies, 2019, pp. 122-135.
2. The Storyteller of Jerusalem: The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948, editors: Salim Tamari, Issam Nassar (Northampton, USA, 2014), chapter: The First Arab Exhibition.
The leaflet sharply threatens the residents of the village: "To the Arabs of al-Tira, the next few hours are crucial: your destiny is in your own hands… we call upon you to turn in the foreign gang members and the weapons in your possession to the Israeli army… be advised that the sword will be held to your throat mercilessly and without compassion… be advised that our airplanes, tanks and mortars will crush your village to dust, shell your houses, break your backs, rip you out by the root… If you want to prevent a Nakba, to avoid disaster and to be saved from certain doom, surrender". [Presumably, this is one of the first texts to use the word "Nakba" to describe the events of 1948. See: Omar Ghobari (عم الغباري), "Remembering al-Tira/Haifa" (Hebrew), June 2012, pp. 39-42]. The broadside is signed in print: "The Headquarters of the Israeli Army".
The village of al-Tira, also known as Tirat al-Carmel or Tirat al-Lawz was the largest Arab village in the district of Haifa until the Israeli War of Independence. In July 1948, during the Battles of the Ten Days, the village was conquered by IDF forces and its Arab residents were expelled to nearby settlements.
Approx. 23.5X31 cm. Good-fair condition. Fold lines and minor blemishes. Some tears and open tears to edges (one of the tears, slightly affecting text, is reinforced with tape). Numbered by hand on the margins. Handwriting on verso (Hebrew).
The booklet was presumably printed during late December 1956, approx. two months after the massacre in Kafr Qassem. It opens with a review of the events and eyewitness testimonies, followed by a series of articles by Dan Ben Amotz, Amos Kenan, Avraham Shlonsky, Gershom Schoken and others, condemning the massacre. The last page features a petition calling for a public trial, with a blank space for signing and instructions for the reader: "sign it […] cut the page, fold it and send it by mail to the address: Speaker of the Knesset, Jerusalem".
During the Kafr Qassem Massacre, 49 residents of the village, including women and children, were shot to death by the Israel border police after violating a curfew imposed on the village, of which they were unaware, while working outside the village. Initially, the authorities tried to hide the events from the public and the military censor imposed a gag order on written and broadcasted media. This booklet was printed illegally under the gag order and was distributed secretly. Its first copies were printed at the expense of the Mapam party (the paper was donated by Uri Avneri and Shalom Cohen, the owners of the weekly "Haolam Hazeh") and were distributed by members of "Hashomer Hatza'ir" movement. During distribution, some members of "Hashomer Hatza'ir" ran into members of the Security Services, who confiscated the booklets and burnt them. Shortly thereafter, an additional edition of the booklet was printed, funded by the Maki party.
7, [1] pp. 34.5 cm. Sheets unopened in their upper edges. Good condition. Minor blemishes.
In 1987, a group of Israeli and Palestinian artists held an exhibition to mark the 20th anniversary of the Six-Day-War, titled "Down with the Occupation". The exhibition held 67 works, including works by Asad Azi, Asim Abu Shakra, Tayseer Barakat, Suleiman Mansour, Aviva Uri, Nabil Anani, Yehezkel Streichman, Ruth Schloss, Avishai Eyal, Simcha Shirman, Deganit Berest and others. The original works were exhibited at the Artifact Gallery in Tel-Aviv and their prints were exhibited at the El-Hakawati Theatre in Jerusalem and the Neveh-Tzeddek theatrical center in Tel-Aviv. Alongside the exhibition, a portfolio of all 67 works was published.
This portfolio includes:
• 29 prints signed and numbered by hand (out of 100), including prints by Gershon Knispel, Yair Garbuz, Rafi Lavi, Igael Tumarkin, Asad Azi and others. One of them is marked "A.P.".
• 2 prints signed and marked "A.P.".
• 16 signed prints, not numbered.
• 20 prints which are neither signed nor numbered.
The prints are accompanied by a title page signed by some of the artists and numbered 135/200.
[1] title page + [67] prints, approx. 69X48.5 cm. Placed in a paper cover and cardboard portfolio. Good overall condition. Tears to the cover and portfolio.
The posters deal with the rights of the Palestinian people, the release of prisoners, the crimes of the State of Israel, the Land Day and the desire for peace.
Size and condition vary. Some duplicate posters.
Official decoration that was awarded to members of the delegation of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine and two items that were printed for the inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. Germany, 1898.
1. Jerusalemkreuz ("Jerusalem Cross") decoration, made of silver inlaid with red enamel (with a red ribbon). At its center, the Imperial Crown of the Prussian German Emperor and the legend "IR [Imperator Rex – "Emperor King"], WII". On verso, the date of the inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer – 31.10.1898 (in Roman characters).
The decoration was awarded to those who traveled with Kaiser Wilhelm II on his 1898 visit to Jerusalem – courtiers, guards and escorts. According to the memoirs of one of the members of the delegation, Mathilde von Keller (1853-1945), on the night of the inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer, the Kaiser visited the tents of the delegation members and personally gave them the decoration. This decoration was one of three decorations in Prussian Germany that were to be worn obligatory with ordinary dress uniform.
2. A print depicting the inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer, by painter and lithographer Ismael Gentz – a member of the Imperial delegation. Published by Gustav Schauer, Berlin. Mounted on card; inscribed by the artist: "With gratitude, Ismael Gentz" (German).
3. Urkunde über die Einweihung der evangelischen Erlöserkirche in Jerusalem und Ansprache Sr. Majestät des Kaisers und Königs, 31. Oktober 1898. Berlin: der Evangelischen Jerusalemstiftung, [ca. 1898]. German.
A booklet with a facsimile of the illuminated manuscript which was signed by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife, Augusta Victoria, on the day of the inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer, and with the text of the Kaiser's speech.
The inauguration of the Church of the Redeemer was the stated purpose of the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine. The church was built during the years 1893-1898, on land that was given as a gift by the Turkish Sultan to Wilhelm's father, Friedrich III, on the ruins of a crusader church from the 12th century. The bell tower of the church, then one of the tallest structures in the city, was planned according to sketches made by the Kaiser himself. On 31.10.1898, the inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of the Kaiser and his entourage and was commemorated on countless postcards, medals, souvenirs and photographs.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
Enclosed: [Das Neue Testament nach der deutschen Uebersetzung D. Martin Luthers], The New Testament Translated by Martin Luther, German edition published as a souvenir from the Kaiser's visit to Palestine. Missing title page and several additional leaves. [Presumably, Berlin: Heinrich Grund, 1899]. The book includes dozens of plates with pictures of Holy sites in Palestine and a map of Palestine.
Through the months of October-November 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany toured some of the major cities of the Ottoman Empire, including Beirut, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Jaffa. The visit to Palestine, in particular, was regarded as one of the most salient events in the annals of the Land of Israel in the 19th century.
Preparations for the Kaiser's visit to Palestine had already begun in the summer of 1898. These included a massive municipal clean-up, the improvement and overhaul of infrastructure, the laying of a telegraph line, and other operations. In time for the Kaiser's arrival in Jerusalem, a number of municipal roads were widened. The authorities went as far as breaching a gap in Jerusalem's Old City Wall, adjacent to Jaffa Gate, to enable the smooth passage of the Kaiser's opulent carriage. In addition, the city streets – most notably HaNevi'im Street, where a special tent camp for the Kaiser and his entourage was to be temporarily constructed – were adorned with the flags of Germany and the Ottoman Empire, and with makeshift gates of honor.
The highlight of the Kaiser's visit to Jerusalem was the opening ceremony of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. But he also visited the German Colony, the Mt. of Olives, the Christian Quarter of the Old City, City Hall, and other sites. From a Jewish standpoint, perhaps the most historically important event in the Kaiser's itinerary was his meeting with Theodor Herzl.
Throughout his visit, Wilhelm was accompanied by his wife, the Empress Augusta Victoria, and a small entourage. The Kaiser rode either on horseback or in the imperial carriage. Following in the footsteps of his immediate entourage in Jerusalem was a parade of lesser-ranked officials, accompanied by cavalry regiments and "kawas" officials – ceremonial Ottoman-Empire bodyguards. Large crowds of people thronged to Jerusalem to witness the occasion. Many were willing to pay money for the privilege of occupying vantage points on rooftops and balconies overlooking the planned route of the procession.
Collection of postcards, cards and medals issued for the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Palestine and a copy of the book "Die Kaiserfahrt durchs Heilige Land" [The Kaiser's Journey through the Holy Land] by Ludwig Schneller, the delegation's guide in Jerusalem. Jerusalem and various places in Germany, 1898 to early 20th century. German.
• Approx. 55 postcards. Printed by various publishers in Germany and Jerusalem: H. Vogel (Leipzig), Knackstedt & Nather (Hamburg), Silberman & co. (Jerusalem) and others. Most of them bear portraits of the Kaiser, illustrations, pictures and gilt ornaments. Undivided. Some were mailed.
• Six small cards with pictures from the Kaiser's visit, which were enclosed with Stollwerck Chokolate chocolate bars (the company published card series depicting various themes – birds, soldiers, scientists – to be collected and arranged in albums; after the Kaiser's visit to Palestine, it published a special series of photographic cards with silver frames and captions on verso).
• Four medals. Three silver medals with the Kaiser's portrait (two depict the Church of the Redeemer on reverse; the third medal depicts the imperial ship) and a medal with a German legend: " From Jerusalem shall emanate the light [that brightens] the world, by the glow of the light did our German nation gain its strength. Neither power, nor acclaim, nor honor, nor worldly material benefits do we seek here…" (presumably circulated to allay concerns that Germany was aiming to take control of the Port of Haifa), 1898.
• Die Kaiserfahrt durchs Heilige Land [The Imperial Journey through the Holy Land] by Ludwig Schneller (director of the Schneller orphanage, who was the Imperial delegation's guide in Jerusalem). Leipzig: H.G. Wallmann, 1899. German. Accompanied by numerous pictures and illustrations. Color lithographic illustration mounted on cover. One leaf missing.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition. The postcards and cards are placed in two albums with illustrated olive-wood bindings.
Through the months of October-November 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany toured some of the major cities of the Ottoman Empire, including Beirut, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Jaffa. The visit to Palestine, in particular, was regarded as one of the most salient events in the annals of the Land of Israel in the 19th century.
Preparations for the Kaiser's visit to Palestine had already begun in the summer of 1898. These included a massive municipal clean-up, the improvement and overhaul of infrastructure, the laying of a telegraph line, and other operations. In time for the Kaiser's arrival in Jerusalem, a number of municipal roads were widened. The authorities went as far as breaching a gap in Jerusalem's Old City Wall, adjacent to Jaffa Gate, to enable the smooth passage of the Kaiser's opulent carriage. In addition, the city streets – most notably HaNevi'im Street, where a special tent camp for the Kaiser and his entourage was to be temporarily constructed – were adorned with the flags of Germany and the Ottoman Empire, and with makeshift gates of honor.
The highlight of the Kaiser's visit to Jerusalem was the opening ceremony of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. But he also visited the German Colony, the Mt. of Olives, the Christian Quarter of the Old City, City Hall, and other sites. From a Jewish standpoint, perhaps the most historically important event in the Kaiser's itinerary was his meeting with Theodor Herzl.
Throughout his visit, Wilhelm was accompanied by his wife, the Empress Augusta Victoria, and a small entourage. The Kaiser rode either on horseback or in the imperial carriage. Following in the footsteps of his immediate entourage in Jerusalem was a parade of lesser-ranked officials, accompanied by cavalry regiments and "kawas" officials – ceremonial Ottoman-Empire bodyguards. Large crowds of people thronged to Jerusalem to witness the occasion. Many were willing to pay money for the privilege of occupying vantage points on rooftops and balconies overlooking the planned route of the procession.