Manhig Hador [Leader of the Generation], a compilation in memory of Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Published by the cultural department of Betar, 1946.
The book has a dark blue cloth cover with the Tower of David and the flag of Israel embroidered on its front. On the inside lapel of the cover, a personal dedication is embroidered: "To Shula'leh, for your birthday, the eve of Rosh Hashanah 1946, from Peninah" (Hebrew). Facing it, on the first page, appears a handwritten dedication: "To little Shulamit! For your birthday my sincere and warm greeting is sent to you, Yehudit. Bethlehem, the eve of Rosh Hashanah 1946" (Hebrew).
The women's prison in Bethlehem, which was run by the Mandate government, was used for imprisoning Arab and Jewish women and during the 1930s and 1940s, imprisoned female fighters of the Irgun and the Lehi. The prison was occupied by a few dozen prisoners only, most of them Arab, and therefore, the embroidery before us is a unique example of a work done between the walls of the prison by a prisoner who was a member of one of the underground movements.
17.5 cm. The embroidered cover is in good condition, with a slightly faded spine. The book (soft binding) is in good condition, tears and blemishes to binding.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.