Bidspirit auction | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – First Expense Ledger April 1925 – Early 1926 - An original and rare accounting ledger documenting the household and operational expenses of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, beginning with the very first month of the university’s opening in April 1925 and continuing through the final entries recorded in early 1926. This volume represents the first expense ledger of the institution. The ledger contains dozens of pages written in Hebrew handwriting, arranged in structured accounting tables. It records detailed day-to-day expenditures, salaries, supplies, services, and routine financial management during the formative period of the university. The entries explicitly name various units, institutes, and institutional bodies operating at the time, including a clear and unambiguous reference to National Library (stated explicitly as such, not merely as a generic “library”), as well as references to the Institute of Jewish Studies and additional academic and administrative frameworks active in the university’s early years. Notably, the ledger also includes infrastructure-related entries documenting excavation works for rainwater drainage channels, with details of labor days, payments, and in some cases the names of the workers themselves. These entries provide direct evidence of construction, site development, and the practical challenges faced on Mount Scopus during the establishment phase. The pages feature precise dates, monetary amounts, cumulative calculations, audit and control markings, handwritten corrections, marginal notes, and signatures, reflecting continuous and methodical administrative activity. As such, the ledger constitutes a primary historical source for understanding the economic, organizational, and day-to-day functioning of the Hebrew University at the moment of its foundation. An item of high archival, scholarly, and collectible importance. Condition: Good for its age. Age toning, stains, localized ink marks, and signs of period use. Original binding. Internally intact. No modern restoration. 20x16 cm.