Bidspirit auction | Rare booklet: The Shlomo Ben

Rare booklet: The Shlomo Ben Yosef Incident from the Mandate Period 1930's - The Shlomo Ben-Yosef affair revolves around the arrest and execution of Shlomo Ben-Yosef, a Betar fighter and illegal immigrant, who became the first of the 12 ”Gallows Climbers” during the British Mandate after attempting to carry out an act of retaliation. On April 21, 1938, following the events of the Arab Revolt and the murder of Jews in the area, Ben-Yosef, along with two of his friends (Avraham Shein and Shalom Zhorbin) from the Labor Division, set out for Rosh Pina with the aim of throwing a grenade at an Arab bus. The grenade did not explode, no one was injured, and the three were arrested by the British. During the trial: The verdict: Although there were no casualties, the British court sentenced Shlomo Ben-Yosef to death by hanging. His two friends were sentenced to life imprisonment (which was later commuted) because they were younger. The execution: On June 29, 1938, Ben-Yosef was taken to the gallows in Acre prison, where he awaited his death in peace. Nefesh wrote final letters that became symbols of the struggle. The consequences: The affair caused a stir in the Jewish community and was a turning point that led to an escalation in the underground activities (Irgun) against the British government.