Bidspirit auction | Kfar Atta (1937) – Rare

Kfar Atta (1937) – Rare Official Letter Signed by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson Ordering Attachment of Funds - An original and scarce official letter dated 1937 (Hebrew year 5697), written on the official letterhead of the Rabbinate of Kfar Atta and personally signed in ink by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson, Rabbi of Kfar Atta (now Kiryat Ata, Mandatory Palestine). Addressed to Mr. Pinzolber, the letter instructs him to withhold the sum of fifteen Palestine Pounds from funds belonging to “Kvutzat Etrog, T. Tavchnik and Berur” for the benefit of Mr. Aharon Zabilevsky, as part of an arbitration or rabbinical court proceeding. The letter states, in part: ”…the above-mentioned attached amount is not to be released to the group without the consent of Mr. Zabilevsky or by order of the Rabbinical Court.” The document is an authentic example of the legal and administrative authority exercised by local rabbinical courts during the British Mandate period, when rabbis frequently handled commercial disputes, debt claims, arbitration proceedings, and financial attachments within the Jewish community. Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson (1904–1979) immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1934 and became Rabbi of Kfar Atta. In 1952 he accepted the position of Rabbi of Moshav Komemiyut, where he became a leading advocate of Sabbatical year observance without relying on the Heter Mechirah and an important figure in Keren HaShevi’it. He later became widely known through the Yossele Schumacher Affair, from which he was acquitted in 1962. Official letters from Rabbi Mendelson’s early years in Kfar Atta—particularly those bearing his original signature and dealing with legal and financial matters—are exceptionally scarce and highly desirable to collectors of Judaica, Mandatory Palestine documents, and historical legal manuscripts. Details * Date: 1937 (Hebrew year 5697) * Place: Kfar Atta (now Kiryat Ata), Mandatory Palestine * Official Rabbinate letterhead * Subject: Order for attachment of funds in a legal proceeding * Amount attached: 15 Palestine Pounds * Personally signed in ink by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson * Historical document from the British Mandate period Condition: Good overall condition for its age, with expected signs of handling, folds, and light edge wear. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.