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Hero of the Holocaust: Jacob Edelstein.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques Start Price:350.00 USD Estimated At:700.00 - 900.00 USD
Hero of the Holocaust: Jacob Edelstein.
Hero of the Holocaust: Jacob Edelstein. Czech Zionist Jewish leader, who chose to remain behind to negotiate with the Nazis on behalf of his group. By 1939, he realized that deportation of the Jews eastward meant death, and advanced establishment of a labor camp for them within the Nazi protectorate to employ Jews and further their economic interests. The Ghetto in Theresienstadt was thus established, and Edelstein became the "Jewish Elder." T.L.S. "Jacob" (in Hebrew), to Director, Palestine Office, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Department of Botany, regarding brother who was placed at top of the Palestine immigration list, being "registered as an agricultural holder of 500 Pounds Sterling...his place almost totally secured...yet final decisions are taken in Jerusalem. Contact them...." Letter typed in German, signature in Hebrew, letterhead in Czech, Hebrew, and English. By 1943, Edelstein had fallen out of favor with the Nazis, arrested for attempting to rescue Ghetto inmates, sent to Auschwitz, and later murdered. He was at first criticized as having misread a barbarous situation, but later seen as "a tragic martyr who fought the enemy until his defeat." Light original folds, else very fine. Extremely rare.