Bidspirit auction | Tanach bound in ornate silver

Tanach bound in ornate silver cover in Bezalel style, with dedication to Avraham and Tama Shochat on the anniversary of their wedding, from Simcha Even-Zohar* and his wife, Edis de Philippe**. Tanach, in Hebrew with English translation.   Edited by M. Friedlander. Jerusalem Bible Publishing Co. Ltd.,   Liphshitz Press, Jerusalem. 1953. Elaborate Bezalel-style cover. Marked 925 Made in Israel. 14.5cm x 12cm. In good condition. *Simcha Even-Zohar was the director general of the Israel Opera, the secretary of the executive committee and the central committee of the Histadrutץ  He founded and headed the Hagana's liaison service - the Gideonim and was the operator of the Halutz movement. Even-Zohar organized the first broadcast stations of the underground radio station ”Voice of Israel”, which began broadcasting in March 1940. In 1942, Even-Zohar joined the ”Friends of the Israel Folk Opera”. He then served as the treasurer of the club. In November 1945, the Jewish-American soprano Edis De Philippe arrived in Israel to collect donations for the establishment of an opera house in the Land of Israel. Even-Zohar was asked by the circle to accompany De Philippe on her visit. The two fell in love and their love story made waves in Tel Aviv due to Even-Zohar being married and having a family. **Edis de Philippe was a famous opera singer and founder-director of the Israel National Opera Company. Edis De Philippe was born in New York, and studied singing in the U.S., Italy, and France.  She performed across Europe and starred at the Paris Opera through the late 1930s. She planned to move to Palestine and establish an opera there but instead fled the Nazis and returned to the United States in 1941.  She went to Palestine in 1945 and set about founding an opera company backed by her own funds. She performed for the Zionist Congress in Basel in December 1946 and presented her plan to launch an opera company, which won approval. She opened the Israel National Opera Company in 1947, performing a recital Nov. 29, the day the United Nations approved its Palestine partition plan, and soon after starring in a full production of “Thais.”