Bidspirit auction | The Struggle Against the Mixed-Gender

The Struggle Against the Mixed-Gender Swimming Pool in Jerusalem – [1958] – Historic Archive - The Struggle Against the Mixed-Gender Swimming Pool in Jerusalem – [1958] – Historic Collection In 1958, a public mixed-gender swimming pool was constructed in the German Colony neighborhood of Jerusalem. This development sparked a prolonged and intense protest by the Haredi Jewish community, known historically as the ”Battle of the Pool” (Brichat HaMa'avak). The protests became a symbol of broader resistance to secular influences in the holy city and marked a turning point in Haredi political activism in the State of Israel. Presented here is a rare and historically significant collection of approximately 150 large printed pages (approx. 25 x 35 cm), each containing lists of signatories from across the Haredi world, including prominent rebbes, roshei yeshiva, and rabbis, as well as ordinary community members (Amcha). The total number of signatories reaches nearly 4,000 names. Among the signers: Moshe Aryeh Freund, Moshe Sternbuch, Yaakov Aryeh Alter, Yitzchak Kaduri, Ben Zion Abba Shaul, Yehuda Tzadkah, Chaim Shmuelevitz, Chaim Zev Finkel, Moshe Finkel, Yisrael Yitzchak Reisman (?), Shmuel Rozovsky, Aryeh Finkel, Chaim Uri Freund, Meshulam Zusha Twersky, Yisrael Mordechai Twersky, Yisrael Yaakov Fisher, Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Moshe Chadash, Dov Yaffe, Shmuel Aharon Yudelevitz, Yechezkel Abramsky, Ezra Attiya, Yechezkel Shraga Lipshitz Halberstam, Daniel Frisch, Meir Brandsdorfer, Shimon Baadani, Yehuda Moalem, Yochanan Sofer, Ben Zion Rabinowitz, Nissan Aharon Tikochinsky, Naftali Halberstam, Eliyahu Abba Shaul, Moshe Maya, Simcha Bunim Wosner (Waldinberg?), Yaakov Yosef Herman, Eliyahu David Slatky, Aharon Chadash, Elazar Breisel, Eliyahu Rafoul, Elchanan Sorotzkin, Mordechai Eliyahu (?), Ephraim Burdiansky, Yosef Panet of Dezh (USA), Shmuel Yehuda Panet of Dezh (USA), Yaakov Chaim Sarna, Aharon Aryeh Leifer, Avraham Erlanger, Avraham Nach Garboz, Mengil Atik, Yosef Chaim Kopshitz, Zevulun Zacksh, Nissim Yagen, Yehuda Rabinowitz, Nachum Twersky, Eliyahu Roth, and many others The sheets list names and addresses and reflect the wide geographic and ideological diversity of Haredi opposition – from Chassidic and Sephardic to Lithuanian yeshiva figures Background: In 1958, the cornerstone was laid for a public mixed-gender swimming pool in Jerusalem’s German Colony, planned to be open on Shabbat. Haredi leaders viewed this as a severe desecration of the sanctity of Jerusalem. Under the leadership of the Brisker Rav, mass demonstrations were organized, some attracting tens of thousands. The protests were met with police force, including mounted officers, water cannons, and arrests, inflaming tensions further. The Eda HaChareidis eventually imposed a full boycott (cherem) on the pool and anyone who supported it Condition: Overall very good. Some minor wear may appear. A rare historical archive, shedding light on religious activism, Haredi leadership, and community dynamics in Jerusalem during the formative years of the State of Israel.