Bidspirit auction | 3 Antique Financial Documents of

3 Antique Financial Documents of a Tampler Jakob Weiss, Jerusalem, Tempelgesellschaft 1931-1938 - 3 Antique Financial Documents of a Tampler Jakob Weiss, Jerusalem, Tempelgesellschaft 1931-1938, in German Size of documents ca. 16 x 22 cm. (6.2 x 8.6 inches) Translated onto English. 1. Jerusalem, 17 February 1937 Central Cashier’s Office of the Temple Society (The Temple Society Central Fund Ltd.) To Mr. Jakob Weiss, Jerusalem, German Colony We herewith confirm your transfer of LP 9000.– to the account of the Bank of the Temple Society Ltd., Jaffa, on 31 December 1936, recognized in the current account as of 31 December 1936. We grant you the same conditions under which the Bank of the Temple Society Ltd. holds the credit in debit. We undertake to repay you your deposit at any time upon demand at the Bank of the Temple Society Ltd., after covering your liability when requested, but at the latest after the expiry of the required three months’ notice. For your disinterested intervention in support of our endeavors, we express our thanks. With kind regards, Central Cashier’s Office of the Temple Society Ltd. (Signatures) 2. Jerusalem, September 1931 Central Cashier’s Office of the Temple Society Ltd. Invoice For Mr. J. Weiss Membership or Contribution Fee (Temple Tax) For “Die Warte des Tempels” (“The Watch of the Temple”) for the school year 1931/32 Amount: LP 1.050 (Signatures: cashier / accountant) 3. Jerusalem, 17 August 1938 Central Cashier’s Office of the Temple Society (The Temple Society Central Fund) Ltd. To Mr. Jacob Weiss, Accounting! Please take note that we have debited your current account on account of reimbursement to your postal check account No. 177.49 Stuttgart, according to your order of the 16th of this month, with Fr. RM 50 and LP 4.150, as of 17 August 1938. Respectfully, Central Cashier’s Office of the Temple Society Ltd. (Signatures) 1. The Temple Society (Tempelgesellschaft) The Temple Society was founded in 1861 in Württemberg, Germany by Christoph Hoffmann and others from the Pietist movement. Their aim was to create a ”Kingdom of God on Earth” through communal life. Beginning in 1868, they settled in Palestine (then Ottoman Empire) and established German colonies in Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem (German Colony), Sarona, and others. They introduced modern agriculture, urban planning, schools, and industries, and became respected pioneers in Palestine. The Central Fund of the Temple Society (Zentralkasse der Tempelgesellschaft Ltd., Jerusalem) acted as their internal bank, handling deposits, transfers (especially between Palestine and Stuttgart), and collecting contributions (e.g., for the journal Die Warte des Tempels). The Historical Documents (1931–1938): The three surviving documents concerning Jakob Weiss show his financial dealings with the Central Fund: 1931 Receipt – Membership/Temple tax (LP 1.050) for Die Warte des Tempels. 1937 Letter – Confirmation of a very large deposit (LP 9000), with a guarantee of repayment upon request, showing strong financial involvement. 1938 Letter – Transfer of LP 4150 (and RM 50) to Weiss’s postal-check account in Stuttgart, Germany. These illustrate the Temple Society’s system of financial contributions, deposits, and transnational transfers between Palestine and Germany. Jakob (Jacob) Weiss - A German Templer settler living in Jerusalem’s German Colony. Member of the Temple Society, regularly paying membership dues and contributing financially. From the size of his deposits (thousands of Palestinian pounds, when a worker earned ~10 per month), he was clearly wealthy, possibly active in trade, finance, or agriculture. Maintained strong financial links with Germany (accounts in Stuttgart). Likely shared the fate of many Templers during WWII: After 1939, the British (Mandate authorities) treated German settlers as enemy aliens. Many were interned in camps in Palestine and then deported to Australia or Germany. His name suggests he belonged to the wider Weiss family, known among German Templers in Palestine. Later Fate of the Temple Society: After WWII and the establishment of Israel (1948), Templers could not return to their former colonies. Their property was confiscated or purchased by the new state. Most resettled in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), where the Temple Society still exists today as Temple Society Australia. The former German Colonies in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv (Sarona) remain as architectural and cultural landmarks. The documents confirm that Jakob Weiss was a prominent and financially strong member of the Temple Society in Jerusalem in the 1930s. Through him, we see the economic life, transnational ties with Germany, and eventual historical trajectory of the German Templer community in Palestine, which left a lasting cultural and architectural imprint but was eventually dispersed during WWII.