Bidspirit auction | Official Life Insurance Policy of

Official Life Insurance Policy of Insurance Agent and Spy Alter Levin – One of the Key Figures Who Contributed to the Fall of the Ottoman Empire in the Land of Israel and Escaped a Death Sentence in Damascus - An official life insurance policy issued by the renowned German insurance company Friedrich Wilhelm – Société Anonyme d'Assurances sur la Vie during the First World War, bearing the handwritten signature and personal stamp of one of the most fascinating figures in early twentieth-century Jerusalem: Alter Levin, insurance agent, pioneer of the insurance industry in the Land of Israel, spy, poet (known by the pen name Asaf HaLevi), and distinguished Jerusalem art collector. The policy is written in French and bears policy number 522142. It was issued as a life insurance policy for Mr. Abraham Löbl (Monsieur Abraham Löbl), described in the document as a dealer in ”colonial goods” (an importer of foodstuffs, spices, and similar merchandise) in Jerusalem. The policy states that he was born on February 10, 1891, in Jerusalem. The policy provides life insurance coverage in the amount of 6,000 francs. It came into effect on August 1, 1916. The annual premium was fixed at 226.50 francs, payable each year until August 1, 1945. Among its provisions is a notable war-risk clause (Conditions Particulières). Issued in the midst of the First World War, the policy includes a special condition stating that if the insured were to participate in the ongoing war and be killed during the conflict (or within one year after its conclusion), the company would not pay the full insured amount but would instead refund only the accumulated premium reserve. To obtain full wartime coverage, an additional premium of 10% was required for combatants and 5% for non-combatants. The document bears the handwritten signature of the company's authorized insurance agent in Jerusalem, Alter Levin, together with his purple ink stamp reading: ALTER LEVIN – Jerusalem Palestine. Also affixed to the document is an official Ottoman revenue stamp, overprinted with the purple seal of the company's regional headquarters: Direction Particulière pour l'Orient – CONSTANTINOPLE. Alter Levin (1874–1933), whose signature appears on the policy, was one of the pioneers of the insurance industry in the Land of Israel, a man of letters, poet (known by the pen name Asaf HaLevi), and a distinguished Jerusalem art collector. Levin served as the Jerusalem representative of several German and American insurance companies. He was closely acquainted with the sons of Israel Dov Frumkin, editor of Havatzelet, and began working for the newspaper, where he published poems under the pen name ”Asaf HaLevi of Jerusalem.” As an adult, Levin entered the business world and became head of the Jerusalem branch of the Singer Sewing Machine Company as well as the Underwood Typewriter Company. He became best known as the ”first insurance agent in the Land of Israel, ” after opening an office for ”life insurance, ” as he described it in his advertisements, representing American, British, and French insurance companies, most notably La Nationale de Paris. His office was located in the Sansur Building on Jaffa Road, and newspaper reports from the 1920s described it as one of the most elegant business offices in the Middle East. Toward the end of the First World War, Levin came under suspicion by the Ottoman authorities of spying for the British after sheltering his friend, the Australian soldier Thomas Crosby, in his home. He was arrested, tortured, and transferred to Damascus, where he was tried and sentenced to death. His final request before the execution was for a cigarette, which was granted. However, only days before the sentence was to be carried out, his punishment was commuted after a substantial bribe was paid to the judge, sparing him at the last moment. He was instead sentenced to exile in Antalya. Upon reaching Aleppo, another bribe enabled him to remain there rather than continue into exile. Following the French conquest of Syria, Levin was released and returned to Jerusalem approximately one year after his imprisonment. Nearly sixty years after his death, Professor Eliezer Tauber discovered a forgotten manuscript that proved to be the diary of Aziz Bey, head of intelligence for the Ottoman Fourth Army. The diary revealed that Levin had been one of the most important spies operating against the Ottoman authorities, providing crucial assistance to the British during their conquest of the Land of Israel in the First World War. He directed an intelligence network spanning the country, and according to Aziz Bey was among the principal figures whose activities contributed to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the region. After returning to the Land of Israel, Levin resumed a highly successful business career, particularly in the insurance industry. With the establishment of the Romema neighborhood in Jerusalem, he built an elegant residence there.