Bidspirit auction | Document Concerning the Funeral of

Document Concerning the Funeral of Naftali Herz Imber, Author of “Hatikvah.” Jerusalem, 1953 - A moving historical document relating to the funeral of Naftali Herz Imber (1856–1909), the Hebrew poet best known as the author of “Tikvatenu” (“Our Hope”), whose shortened and slightly altered version became “Hatikvah” – the national anthem of the Zionist movement and the State of Israel. Imber was born in Galicia on Chanukah 1856. Gifted, witty, and restless, he became one of the most colorful figures of the early Zionist awakening. After years of wandering through Europe and the Middle East, he reached the Land of Israel, where he mingled with members of the “Hovevei Zion” movement and lived in Jerusalem and Haifa. Charismatic and fiery, he was both admired and notorious – a visionary poet and speaker, yet also a bohemian whose life alternated between brilliance and hardship. He spent his final years in poverty in New York, where he died on Simchat Torah 1909. In his last poem, “Ha-Shevu’ah” (“The Oath”), he addressed his people with prophetic fervor: “I have adjured you, my brothers and sisters… When God will remember you at the end of days, Bring up my bones from here, For they lie scattered in foreign soil.” These lines became his spiritual testament – a plea to be buried in the Land of Israel. Following the establishment of the State of Israel, a public committee headed by Prof. Joseph Klausner was formed to fulfill this wish. Working with a Zionist group in the United States led by Moshe Margolis, and with Jack (Isaac) Tseikel, Imber’s nephew, the committee secured the cooperation of President Chaim Weizmann, who assured them: “Rest assured – the day will come when his remains shall be brought home.” The promise was kept. Imber’s coffin was transported aboard the ship “Tel Aviv”, arriving at the Port of Haifa on April 16, 1953. On April 23, after Israel’s Independence Day celebrations, a solemn state funeral took place. The funeral procession traveled from Haifa, through Zichron Yaakov, to Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem, where Imber was laid to rest among the founders of Zionism and the writers of the Hebrew revival. Years later, Prof. Klausner himself was buried beside him. [1] leaf. 27 × 22 cm. Condition: good. Minor tears and filing holes.