Bidspirit auction | Rare and important collection –

Rare and important collection – the handwritten signatures of all the signatories of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel - A rare and high-quality collection gathered over many years by a single collector – the handwritten signatures of all 37 signatories of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel, as signed at the official ceremony proclaiming the establishment of the State.  The signatures appear on various letters and documents, including early and important correspondence, some of which were signed years before the Declaration of Independence. For many of the signatories, more than one signature is included, and among the items are also complete early letters in their handwriting, in addition to their signatures. The thirty-seven signatories of the Declaration of Independence were members of the People’s Council. Twenty-five of them signed the Declaration at the official ceremony held on Friday, 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), eight hours before the end of the British Mandate over the Land of Israel. Eleven members, who were unable to travel from besieged Jerusalem to the ceremony, as well as a representative of Agudat Yisrael who was then in the United States, added their signatures at a later date. Presented here is a complete historical collection, assembled over many years, consisting of official letters and documents signed over the years by all members of the People’s Council who signed the Declaration of Independence – without exception. For most signatories, the collection includes more than one signature, and even entire handwritten letters bearing both their handwriting and signature. Here is the detailed breakdown: David Ben-Gurion – Signed letter regarding assistance to the Elikand family to leave the Soviet Union, November 1962. Daniel Auster – Six signatures: signature on an early power of attorney document from July 1927, signature on an early check from 1930, signature on a letter concerning the Women’s League for Israel (1960), and three additional signatures on letters of recommendation from the 1960s. Mordechai Bentov – Signature on official letterhead while serving as Minister of Housing, November 1969. Yitzhak Ben-Zvi – Two signatures: signature on an early letter from March 1937 concerning the publication of his book series Divrei Yemei Am Yisrael, handwritten letter with his signature regarding assistance to a Jewish woman in Poland. Eliyahu Berligne – Signature on an official document of the National Committee regarding support for the educational enterprise in Eretz Israel ”at this grave hour”, dated December 7, 1941, also includes a letter written by representatives of the National Committee to Eliyahu Berligne on Purim 5701 (1941). Peretz (Fritz) Bernstein – Five signatures: a printed letter with his handwritten signature from the time of the War of Independence concerning the appointment of a liaison officer in Haifa (April 1948), a congratulatory letter on the occasion of a friend’s wedding (August 1946), his signature on official letterhead of the ”General Zionists Union in Eretz Israel” in a letter dealing with the question of appointing a supervisor over the general schools in Eretz Israel – April 1946, and two early handwritten letters bearing his signature. Zev Wolf Gold – Two signatures: an early handwritten letter on official letterhead of the Jewish Agency, dated 21 Iyar 5713 (1953), regarding a scholarly Jew from the Mizrachi movement, and another signature on a Jewish Agency for Eretz Israel document concerning the ”Book of Volunteering” – ”toward the national defense of Israel’s independence in our state” – September 1949. Meir Grabovsky – Two signatures: an early handwritten letter concerning arranging work for a chalutz, and a printed letter with his handwritten signature on official letterhead of the National Committee – August 1946. Yitzhak Gruenbaum – Five signatures: an early letter with handwritten annotations and signature on official letterhead of the Hebrew State Party, dated April 12, 1934, concerning a humiliating incident involving a Jewish refugee from Germany who was told upon arriving at an immigrant absorption center, ”You have no right to be here, you’re a parasite” – Gruenbaum inquires whether the details are accurate and requests assistance for the immigrant, a signed letter on official letterhead of the Zionist Executive from May 1941 regarding support for a loan fund for veteran Zionists, a handwritten and signed letter to Kaplan Hospital, a handwritten and signed letter regarding his attendance at a friend’s wedding, and his signature on an official Jewish National Fund document – May 1952. Avraham Granovsky (Granot) – Three signatures: his signature on an early Jewish National Fund document in Czechoslovakia concerning an immigration permit for Mrs. Margit Cohen – June 1927, a handwritten and signed congratulatory letter – Tammuz 5710 (1950),