Archive of Abba Hillel Silver – 1948-1949 – Important Documentation of His Diplomatic Activity for the ...

Archive of Abba Hillel Silver – 1948-1949 – Important Documentation of His Diplomatic Activity for the Establishment of the State of Israel
Approx. 450 letters and documents documenting the activity of the Zionist-American diplomat Abba Hillel Silver during the establishment of the state of Israel and the War of Independence – protocols of Zionist conferences, correspondence with officials of the USA government, speeches, press releases and other documents. New-York, Washington and elsewhere in Israel and the USA, 1948-1949 (some of them from later or earlier years). English, several items in Hebrew.
Abba Hillel Silver (1893-1963), a reform rabbi and Zionist politician, was one of the leaders of the diplomatic front for the establishment of the state of Israel. Silver was known for his aggressive and decisive style, and by the 1930s became the undisputed leader of Zionism in the USA (he served as the chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, the United Jewish Appeal, the Zionist Emergency Council, the Jewish Agency in the USA and additional organizations). With his guidance, the Jewish community became an important and influential factor in American politics and Silver used it time and again to influence the opinion of the government in favor of Israel. His contribution and the importance of his activity were fully revealed a short while after the Israeli declaration of independence, when USA President Harry Truman was the first to recognize the newly-established State of Israel.
The archive before us includes a documentation of Silver's activity during the crucial years of 1948-1949, during which he formed relationships with American senators and officials, arranged countless meetings and Zionist conferences and delivered some of his most important speeches. Among other things, the documents in the collection address the question of recognition of the State of Israel, the Arms Embargo that was imposed on Israel during the war, the question of Arab refugees, secret offers made by Arab leaders to end the war, disputes between the Zionist leadership in America and the temporary government in Israel, relations with informers, and more.
Among the items:
• Dozens of press releases, announcements and speeches: a transcript of a joint press conference with Moshe Sharet on 6.2.1948, with a detailed report about Silver's visit to Palestine; press release from 25.3.1948, announcing USA President Harry Truman's support of the partition of Palestine (that is, the establishment of a Jewish state); a press release from 22.4.1948, announcing that the Yishuv, under no circumstances, will surrender even if the UN does – the state of Israel will be established; "The Declaration of Independence" – a speech from 14.5.1948, announcing the establishment of the state of Israel; and more.
• Dozens of documents: an interesting summary of a conversation between Eliyahu Epstein (Eilat) and General Dwight David Eisenhower (the future USA President), containing an analysis of Eisenhower's body language and facial expressions; a list of names of senators, governmental officials and heads of committees who assisted in the efforts to lead to recognition of Israel (with recommendations to send letters of appreciation); an interesting document with a "political profile" of American officials, reviewing their opinions and activity; and more.
• Dozens of letters: five letters sent to Silver by American senators (among them the senators Olin D. Johnston, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg, and others); a letter sent by Silver to the members of the Republican Party suggesting a new clause for the party's platform – policy regarding the issue of Israel (with the text of the clause); and more.
• Dozens of memoranda of the American Zionist Emergency Council, among them: a memorandum from 27.5.1948 with the first notice for the newly established State of Israel – greetings for its establishment and a promise that American Jewry will stand beside it (signed in print by all members of the Council); and more.
• Dozens of briefs and protocols of the meetings of the American branch of the Jewish Agency.
• And more.
These documents were presumably collected by the scholar and writer Noah Orian, for a dissertation he wrote on Abba Hillel Silver.
Enclosed: "The Status and Activity of Abba Hillel Silver in the Jewish American Arena, 1933-1944, Chapter B: The Years of Frustration in the Shadow of the Holocaust (1933-1943)" (Hebrew), by Noah Orian, 1971. A draft of a dissertation submitted to Tel-Aviv University (in two copies); dozens of newspaper clippings with articles and news items related to Abba Hillel Silver.
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.