Bidspirit auction | AN ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPH OF

AN ORIGINAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPH OF RABBI BENZION HALBERSTAM, - Original Photograph (Press Photo) Featuring the Bobover Rebbe. Poland, 1931. This rare original photograph was taken in 1931 in Bobov, Poland, by the photographer Ze'ev (Wilhelm) Alexandrowicz. In it, we see the Bobover Rebbe accompanying his son-in-law, R' Moshe Stempel, on the day of his wedding; they are surrounded by a large crowd of Bobover Hassidim. The present photograph was used as a press photo 8 years later, in 1939, for a Sunday magazine newspaper article. A clipping from that newspaper is adhered to the photo's reverse, preserving the original caption that appeared beneath the photograph. The caption expresses concern over the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. The date that the photograph was featured, 25 June 1939, is stamped on the photo's reverse. On July 28, 1941, almost exactly two years after this press photo was used to bring attention to dangerous rise of antisemitism in Europe, the Bobover Rebbe was murdered by the Nazis alongside three of his sons-in-law. R' Moshe Stempel, the bridegroom in this photograph, was one of them. They are buried together, along with 20,000 Jews shot that day, in the Yanover Forest near Lvov. History of the photograph This rare historical photograph was taken in March 1931, on the wedding day of the Bobover Rebbe's daughter. The Bobover Rebbe, R' Ben Zion Halberstam, is seen standing directly next to the bridegroom, his soon-to-be son-in-law R' Moshe Stempel. The groom had just arrived by train from Tarnow and was welcomed by a crowd of Bobover Hassidim (some in costume) with much fanfare and festivity. The wedding of the daughter of the famous Bobover Rebbe to the son of another famous rabbi, Rabbi Feivel Stempel, was a high-profile social event, and was covered by several newspapers. A variation of the present photograph appeared in one of these newspapers. The photographer who captured the day's events was Ze'ev (Wilhelm) Aleksandrowicz. Born in 1905 in Cracow, Alexandrowicz was extremely active in Poland during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1935, he made Aliyah and eventually gained recognition as an Israeli photographer. R' Ben Zion Halberstam, the second Bobover Rebbe, was born in 1834 in the Galician town of Bokovsk. At the age of 31, after the death of his father R' Shlomo, he was crowned as Rebbe and became the leader of thousands of Bobover chassidim. Known for his wisdom and greatness both in Torah and other worldly affairs, R' Ben Zion Halberstam was a much beloved leader. Dimensions: 10 x 8 in