Bidspirit auction | Kfar Atta (1937) – Rare

Kfar Atta (1937) – Rare Land Sale Document of “Avodat Israel” Warsaw, Signed by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson - An exceptionally rare and historically important document dated 1937 (Hebrew year 5697) concerning the sale of one hundred litrot of land in Kfar Atta by Avodat Israel of Warsaw, one of the Zionist organizations involved in acquiring, marketing, and selling land in Mandatory Palestine. The document contains a certified copy of the company’s General Assembly protocol relating to the transfer of land rights to Mr. Yitzhak Betzayg of Błonie, Poland. It further states that the text is: “A copy of the above protocol made by the American Zion Community…” and certifies that it was: ”…copied word for word from the original document that we examined.” The document bears the signatures of Aharon Levin and Mr. Kastner, while the final certification is personally signed by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson, confirming that the signatures of Levin and Kastner were executed in his presence. This document is an important piece of evidence relating to the activities of Zionist land companies operating from Poland during the British Mandate period and illustrates the legal procedures used to certify land transactions in the Jewish Yishuv. Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson (1904–1979) immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1934 and became Rabbi of Kfar Atta. He later served as Rabbi of Moshav Komemiyut, became a leading advocate of Sabbatical year observance through Keren HaShevi’it, and later gained national prominence during the Yossele Schumacher Affair, from which he was acquitted in 1962. Early documents from Rabbi Mendelson’s years in Kfar Atta—especially those concerning land ownership and bearing his original signature—are exceptionally scarce and highly desirable to collectors of Judaica, Zionist history, land settlement documents, and Mandatory Palestine memorabilia. Details * Date: 1937 (Hebrew year 5697) * Place: Kfar Atta (now Kiryat Ata), Mandatory Palestine * Historical land sale document * Avodat Israel Company, Warsaw * Certified copy of the company’s General Assembly protocol * Sale of “one hundred litrot of land” * Signed by Aharon Levin and Mr. Kastner * Personally certified and signed in ink by Rabbi Benjamin Mendelson * Historical document from the British Mandate period Condition: Good overall condition for its age, showing expected folds, handling wear, age toning, and light edge wear. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.