Bidspirit auction | Rare historical item: A luxurious

Rare historical item: A luxurious leather-bound Bible with a dedicated 800 silver plaque – New York, Tevet 1914 (December 1914-January 1915). An exciting historical collectible item of great documentary value for the history of the old Yishuv and American Jewry at the beginning of World War I. The book is bound in an original, high-quality brown leather binding, decorated with silver corners and featuring an impressive silver plaque in the center in the shape of an open parchment scroll (Cartouche) with dangling silver chains and tassels. In the center of the cover is a silver scroll with meticulous goldsmithing, on which is engraved a dedication in square and dotted letters: ”A sign of love and respect / To our dear friend / Moshe Ben Hillel Rivlin / Tevet 1915 / New York”. Condition: Very good, size: 15*22 cm Background and historical context The item was created at a dramatic turning point in Jewish history - a few months after the outbreak of World War I and the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the fighting. At that time, the Jewish community in Israel (and Jerusalem in particular) found itself completely cut off from European sources of funding and in existential danger of famine. The dedication testifies to the extensive public activity in New York of one of the members of the Rivlin family - one of the veteran and important leadership families of the old settlement in Jerusalem. It is reasonable to assume that the recipient of the dedication, Moshe Ben Hillel Rivlin, was active in those days of emergency in New York (which was neutral at the time) to raise rescue funds, aid refugees, or establish contact with with the American aid organizations that were established in those months (such as the Joint Development Committee - JDC). The book was awarded to him as a prestigious award by his colleagues for public activity.