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Aescoly, Aharon Ze'ev - 1948 Civil & Military Archive

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Aescoly, Aharon Ze'ev - 1948 Civil & Military Archive
<Our item number 109790><B>Aescoly, Aharon Ze&#39;ev.</B> &#40;1901-48&#41; Editor and translator; doctor of ancient languages; active as a writer, educator and historian who researches remote Jewish communities and mystical cults in Judaism. His books on Ethiopian Jewry, the Lodz Jewish community, Jewish false Messiah David Ha-Reuveni, and the Towianski movement are still considered thorough and important to this day. During World War II Aescoly served as a rabbi in the British army with a rank of captain, and as such served in Europe during the war and immediately afterwards. In 1948 he served as the commander of the NETSAH unit in Jerusalem during the War of Independence, which was responsible for dealing with the dead and missing soldiers and their families. During the War of Independence, the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem were cut off from the rest of the country due to a siege by Arab forces.<BR><BR>Aescoly&#39;s archive from 1948 consists of documents on the atmosphere and special activities which to ok place in the city in both civil and military aspects. The archive also expresses in a rare manner the process of change from a variety of underground military units &#40;Palmach, Etsel, Hehi…&#41; before the establishment of the State of Israel, to an organized national army &#40;IDF&#41; afterward. Since conditions prevented an organized documentation of the army and bureaucracy during this period, these records have major historical importance. This archive could contain details, as well as names, of fallen soldiers and civilians which are not in other records. The files contain over 200 letters, telegrams, typewritten forms, notes and copies of letters, all dated February to September 1948, and most from April to June &#40;Israel was establish on May 14th.&#41; The majority of documents were written in besieged Jerusalem; the others were sent there. This archive was acquired directly from Aescoly&#39;s private estate.<BR><BR>The archive is divided by subject:<BR>&#40;1&#41; Movem ent from underground units to army &#40;20 items all typewritten or stenciled&#41;: forms related to the organizing of the IDF - a first &#34;census,&#34; the &#34;swearing in,&#34; establishment of the Military Rabbinate, etc.<BR>&#40;2&#41; Correspondence within Jerusalem on subjects connected to NETSAH: over 80 items dealing with mass graves, identification of the deceased, informing the families, ordering coffins, post mortem operations, etc.<BR>&#40;3&#41; Items dealing directly with those killed and missing, including their names and details: 40 items - telegrams and notes which arrived from the various units, full identification forms, etc. Also in this lot are two reports of deceased soldiers, including location of the battle. A researcher who saw this group claims that not all the names are known in the official list of fallen soldiers. To the best of our knowledge, these lists do not exist in any other archive!<BR>&#40;4&#41; Two notebooks with copies of letters containing ab out 50 letters written by Aescoly in April to June 1948, all regarding NETSAH affairs.<BR>&#40;5&#41; Items regarding culture and public affairs in Jerusalem: about 40 items, sent to and from the chief rabbi, the city&#39;s governor, the community committee, etc. <BR>Estimated Value &#36;12,000-15,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 109790<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://64.60.141.195/photos/40jpegs/109790.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>