Flauij Josephi, Dess Hochberühmpten Jüdischen
German edition of parts of historian Josephus Flavius’s writings, including Antiquities of the Jews about the history of the Jews until the Great Revolt (when Josephus operated as commander of the rebellion in the Galilee and then as a historian in Rome), and two other parts about Jerusalem and the Great Revolt from War of the Jews . There is an early handwritten dedication on the flyleaf.
343, [16], 77, [3] leaves. 31 cm.
Magnificent new binding with gilt writing on the spine. Very fine condition.
Handwritten letter by Shmuel David Luzzato to Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah HaCohen Rapoport (ShY”R). Elul/September 1849.
ShaDa”L writes at length in his letter about the “Spring of Nations” riots in his city, Padua “Pogroms have come upon us and upon all residents of Europe, dangers have come upon our heads … to the point that everything that preceded these upheavals should be forgotten, and this time our discussion should not be as two brothers fleeing from this revolution, meeting each other on our way, are you still alive, are you my brother? … My heart still trembles when I remember the day of February eighth, the day of the killing in our city. I left my home towards evening … and behold, the people were suddenly running, fleeing the sword towards us … moments after leaving, another disciple passed that way … and a man of war stabbed him at the gate post, killing him. From that day until March 24th when the Germans left our city, we were constantly afraid and anxious.”
ShaDa”L also writes about the birth of his son, Yosef: “On the night of the 25th of Tevet, a son was born to me, I called him Yosef …” as well as writing about a compilation he just published in Italian. At the end of the letter, ShaDa”L quotes from a letter sent to him in Italian.
ShaDa”L (1800-1865) – was one of the progenitors of the Chochmat Yisrael movement and one of the haskalah (“enlightenment”) personalities of Galicia, the head of the rabbinical study hall in Padua, Italy. In his role as head of the rabbinical study hall in Padua, he had a tremendous influence on the image of Italian Jewry, both in his lifetime and thereafter. His nationalist perspectives were also reflected in the activities of the generation of revival, after the decline of the haskalah movement.
Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah HaCohen Rapoport (1790-1867) was on of the founders of the “Chochmat Yisrael” movement and one of the haskalah personalities of Galicia, Av Beit Din of Tarnopol and Prague.
[1] leaf, written on both sides, 33 cm. A wide piece of paper is pasted to the top of the leaf which covers the beginning of the letter, on which ShaDa”L wrote information about the letter – the name of the addressee, the date, etc. Moderate-fine condition. Tears and creases in the margins. Minimal stains.
Seven important books by and about Moshe Montefiore.
* Yehudit , the story of Judith Montefiore’s first travels with her husband to the Land of Israel in 1839, first Hebrew edition, London 1879.
* Sippur Moshe V’Yerushalayim . Warsaw 1879, without the title page.
* Harpers Franklin Square Library, Sir Moses Montefiore New York 1884.
* Notes from a Private Journal of a Visit to Egypt and Palestine, by way of Italy and the Mediterranean , second edition, London 1885. Especially beautiful copy with gilt decoration on the binding very fine-excellent condition.
* Sefer HaZichronot L’Sir Moshe Montefiore. Edited by Eliezer HaLevi, Warsaw 1899. Second volume of two.
* Sir Moses Montefiore, Eugene Wolbe. Berlin 1909. German composition on Montefiore’s life, Berlin 1909.
* Booklet with a special prayer in honor of Moshe Montefiore, published by the Shaar HaShamayim synagogue in London in honor of 200 years since Montefiore’s birth, 1984.
* Rethinking Sir Moses Montefiore: Religion, Nationhood, and International Philanthropy in the Nineteenth Century by Abigail Green. Reprinted from The American Historical Review . June 2005.
Various sizes and conditions, overall fine condition.
Protocols from all the administrative meetings of the educational department of the Orthodox community in Kiskunfélegyháza, in Hungarian. Includes names of people present, signatures, documentation of decisions. Rare.
Kiskunfélegyháza is located 130 kilometers south of Budapest. The first Jews in the community arrived in the late 19th century, and most were merchants or independent artisans. In 1876, 26 members left the community (which had Neolog tendencies) and established a small orthodox one.
[2] 305 pages of written text, 33 cm.
Very fine condition. Neat Hungarian text divided into paragraphs. Brown paper.
Ktavim BaSefer . Pictures, articles and letters from the life of Jews in America, by Hillel Ben Zeev Malachowski. Philadelphia, 1902. Only edition.
Interesting work in sharp, sarcastic language describing the special character of the life of Jews in America, and its strange nature. At the end of the book, there is a sarcastic poem in rhyme against the Chassidim. Uncommon book.
[2] 98, [1] page, 20 cm. Quality paper. New binding. Very fine condition. Goldman 1123.
HaEmet – Die Wahrheit – monthly journal edited by Arthur Freeman, [Aharon Shmuel Leibermann]. Vienna, 1877.
Complete set of the first Hebrew Socialist newspaper’s issues, including a four-page leaflet and three booklets. No more were printed.
The first booklet was confiscated by the police in Vienna on May 15, 1877 and Leibermann had to print a second edition. Due to the great demand, he also printed a third edition of the first booklet. Before us is the first, rare edition which was rescued from police seizure as it was printed – sheets uncut at the press. Very rare.
Aharon Shmuel Leiberman (1845-1880): Jewish revolutionary, pioneer of Jewish socialism, the first to preach Socialism in Hebrew, founder of the first Hebrew Socialist journal, HaEmet , and the first Jewish Socialist Society, and author of a number of important Socialist leaflets and articles. He was known by the pseudonym, “Daniel Ish Chamudot,” and “Bar Drora.”
When he was in St. Petersburg, Leibermann was exposed to revolutionary Socialist ideas. Upon finishing his studies he returned to Vilna and joined Socialist circles in 1872. He began his underground political activities there. He tried to establish active Socialist circles in the rabbinic study hall. Because of an informer, the Czar’s police conducted a large search there, and Leibermann was rescued from detention and manged to escape, while many of his Socialist friends were arrested and imprisoned for long periods.
In 1879 he was arrested in Germany on charges of prohibited revolutionary activity, and imprisoned for a year. When he was released, he immigrated to the United States where he committed suicide following entanglements in his personal life.
4, 56 pages, 22 cm. Very fine condition except for light stains on the title page of the first issue.
סטאטיסטיק פון די קאאפעראטיוון פארן 1932 יאר – Detailed statistical list of the distribution of the numbers of Jews and their places of residence in Poland in 1932, published by בארבאנד פון די יידישע קאאפער אטיווע נעוע לשאפטן אין פולין [The Union of Jewish Cooperatives in Poland]. Warsaw 1932.
The booklet contains numerical tables and various demographic data according to region of residence and family name. Explanations in Yiddish and Polish at the end.
Rare publication, not found in the National Library.
Tears in the margins of the binding, fine condition.
Book of Jewish poems by the Austrian poet Josef Kiss. Parchment binding with bucklesIslamic, decorations on the binding and among the leaves of the book [illustrations of mosques and Islamic architecture] which the poet used for camouflage at a time the authorities prohibited distribution of Jewish compositions. Budapest 1888, Hungarian.
The book opens with apparently neutral poems: “A Mindennapi Kenyerert” (“The Daily Bread”), “Ima” (“Devotions”), “Harmatert.” Later on, there are Jewish poems about Zion with an illustration of the Western Wall, Chanukah, Purim and more. The design of the book as a whole is comparable to the look of a Islamic religious book.
127 pages. 16 cm. Metal buckles for closure (one is missing), overall very fine condition.
Ohalei Shem , including names of famous rabbis of the period with details of each one’s lineage, his works and his address [!], to facilitate exchanges of letters between rabbis and assist travelers on their way.
The editor, Rabbi Shmuel Gotleib attempted to include rabbis from Oriental countries in his book, but their representation in the book is naturally relatively smaller; the book includes just about every rabbi of the period.
The editor sent letters to all the rabbis in order to receive their details from them, when he sent his letter to the Chafetz Chaim ztz”l he received a response as follows: “After asking after his loftiness, I received his letter and I really wanted to fulfill the request of his Torah honor, but my friend, this matter is difficult for me, because my name has already been overly publicized against my will, and how can I myself cause more publicity by writing all my works [which I published only in the merit of the Jewish people] …” And yet, the editor adds that he suspects that publicizing this letter would also be against the wishes of the Chafetz Chaim, but he hopes he will forgive him.
45 560 pages, 26 cm.
Very fine condition, few stains.
D ie Juden und die Judengemeinde Bratislava In Vergangenheit Und Gegenwart [ The Jews and the Jewish Communities in Bratislava in the Past and in the Present ] by Hugo Gold. Brunnau, 1932.
Elegant edition of a book about the history of the Bratislava (Pressburg) community starting from its inception: The Jewish ghetto, synagogues, Torah leaders, the Jewish hospital, Zionism and more. Including many high-quality photographs, and a list of the Jewish soldiers native to the city who fell in WWI.
[10], 192 pages, 30 cm.
Fine-very fine condition. Tears in the spine.
Two humorous publications with various jokes for Purim referring to the Hebrew settlement, and the Hebrew society in the Land of Israel.
* HaMedagdeg – newspaper of lies and humor, onslaught, insolence, mockery, dire straits and deep troubles. 1910 – founded by Adam HaRishon and published by his descendants, issue 5670. Humorous newspaper which was published especially for Purim, Adar II, 1910.
* HaMetapeach – literary collection for Purim, Jerusalem, 1923 – Nichnas Yayin Yatzah Sod , literary collection for Purim, edited by: Those who walk on two.
Tears in the margins of the sheets. Moderate-fine condition.
