Edward (Ezra) J. Sperling – Jewish-Zionist author and journalist, native of Slutsk, Belarus (1889). Fear of pogroms led his family to immigrate to the USA when he was a child. In 1918 Sperling joined the Jewish Legion founded by Joseph Trumpeldor. When he was discharged he settled in Palestine where he married and had children (his first born son was named Joseph Trumpeldor Sperling). Worked for the British Mandate government as a writer and his office was in the King David Hotel. On July 22 1946, Sperling left his office and bumped into Etzel activists who were disguised as Sudanese waiters, shortly after hiding 350 Kg of explosives next to the supportive pillars of the building; Sperling was shot by one of the Etzel members, ran back into his office and was killed when the bomb exploded; was buried on the Mount of Olives.
Amongst the documents: folders with newspapers clippings with articles by Sperling; newspapers of the British Mandate period (in English) with articles by Sperling; about 30 personal documents and letters sent to Sperling (English and Yiddish) mainly from newspaper editors and from Jewish institutes, amongst them a letter from the High Commissioner Herbert Samuel (typewritten in Hebrew) with Samuel's signature. Lot of tens of items, sizes and conditions vary.