The Committee of the Hebrew Community in Jerusalem – Collection of Issues Published in the Midst of the War of ...

The Committee of the Hebrew Community in Jerusalem – Collection of Issues Published in the Midst of the War of Independence

Collection of 38 “Yediot” Issues – “The Committee of the Hebrew Community in Jerusalem, ” published in the city in the midst of the War of Independence during the siege and the battles in the Old City – typewritten and mimeographed. Rare.

Issues No.: 1–8, 10–13, 15, 17–18, 25–48. January–March 1948.

The issues provide ongoing reports on decisions made by the Committee of the Community regarding how to address the challenges of the time, particularly the organization of the Jewish community in Jerusalem in the defense of the Jewish Quarter in the city: “The Old City is our primary concern. It also demands extensive and continuous attention, and its condition compels us not to let go of the demand to rescue it from our besieged brethren... the cruel siege separates families, destroys lives, and cuts us off from the most sacred place.” Regular reports appear on living conditions in the Old City under siege, updates on general mobilization orders due to the mounting tension, ongoing notices about shipments of essential food supplies into the Old City, information about wounded individuals injured in various streets across the city, the operations of the municipal police, and decisions made during community meetings. Issue No. 18 is a special edition reporting the establishment of the “Jerusalem City Police.” There are also reports on the bombing of the Community Committee building itself – “Hebrew Jerusalem is a target of deadly bullets... the walls of the Community Committee were pierced by numerous bullets, clearly originating from the roof of the Generali Building...” (Issue No. 25), concern for the Jewish residents of the Katamon neighborhood who lived beyond the fence, expedited burial arrangements for fighters fallen in battle, reports from the Jerusalem train station where railway workers were afraid to report to duty due to Arab workers attacking Jews “when the opportunity presented itself, ” documentation of the Kimcha DePischa campaign to assist in providing matzot and kosher food ahead of Passover, and more.

Also included is, a special proclamation issued by the Community under the title “To the Residents of Jerusalem” on March 4, 1948, following the intensification of attacks by the Arab enemy. It states: “To the Residents of Jerusalem! The enemy’s aim is to annihilate us and our hope alike. Our response to the murderous attacks will be: full mobilization of a large Jewish force, trained and equipped, with complete fortification of every outpost in the Yishuv and in besieged Jerusalem with all its neighborhoods...”. The proclamation called upon the city’s residents to urgently contribute to “the War Fund – the war of the Jewish people for its land, the Land of Israel.”

The Committee of the Hebrew Community in Jerusalem (Va’ad Ha’ir for the Jews of Jerusalem) operated from 1917 to 1948. It was an important central body that included both Ashkenazim and Sephardim and united under its framework most of the Jewish communities and factions in Jerusalem during the British Mandate in the Land of Israel. It was continuously engaged in addressing the essential needs of the Jewish community in the city. Elections for committee members were held every four years, and voting rights were granted to every Jew aged 20 and above who had resided in Jerusalem for at least six months. To be elected as a committee member, a candidate had to be at least 25 years old and have lived in Jerusalem for no less than 12 months. In the 1940s, the Committee’s offices were located on HaHabashim Street, where the city’s Haganah headquarters would later be established. The Va’ad Ha’ir coordinated between various entities in Jerusalem in order to advance Jewish interests in the city. The Committee played a central role in Jewish affairs in Jerusalem: liaising with the British authorities and in municipal elections, organizing the Mahane Yehuda market, establishing a social bureau and welfare institutions, aiding refugees during the riots, organizing neighborhood security, founding a unified religious council, instituting comprehensive burial reforms and founding cemeteries on the Mount of Olives and in Sanhedria, as well as overseeing a naming committee for the city’s streets. During the War of Independence, most of its activities focused on “first aid” and assistance to Jews under relentless attacks by the Arabs. Its operations concluded with the establishment of the State of Israel and the founding of the Jerusalem Municipality.

Each issue consists of one page, typically (some are two pages). Overall very good condition.