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VA'AD HAKEHILA : 1947 SIGNIFICANT, ORIGINAL HEBREW MANUSCRIPT DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A LOCAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEMBER DETAILING THE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT AND VIOLENT MONTHS AND WEEKS IN JERUSALEM BEFORE THE NATION OF ISRAEL WAS REBORN

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is a unique historically significant journal handwritten during the final days of British Mandated Palestine, most entries made immediately prior to the Declaration of Independence. This is a one-year page a day journal for the Jewish year of 5708 (September 1947 to October 1948), has about 50 entries, with most entries made between September 1947 and December 1947, and few brief records scattered over the next few months - the last one is dated June 7. It measures 7' by 5', the hardcover is slightly soiled, but otherwise the journal is in very good condition. The text is in Hebrew, the handwriting is mostly legible. Author's name is not identified but there is a note on the front page: "Vaad Hakehilla. Hanala Klalit" (Local Community Council. General Management). It is clear from this note and from the context that the journal was kept by a member of the Hebrew Community Council in Jerusalem, the body that was established in 1917 and coordinated and represented different groups of Jerusalem Jews during the British Mandate. Vaad Hakehila was responsible for different aspects of Jewish life in the city, including economic and social assistance to the residents. It had a social services department and a society of assistance to kindergartens, issues related to them are mentioned in the journal several times. Most entries are the minutes of the Council meetings. Some entries deal with organizational and financial matters, taxes, elections, complaints, dispute settlement, work of social services, purchase of fire engines, but most meetings reflect increasingly tense situation in the city and concern food and fuel supply, food rationing, security and organizing Mishmar ha'am (National Guard) - unit of volunteers established in September 1947 in Jerusalem for maintenance of public order. The Council was constantly in contact with the state authorities, political and religious leaders, various Jewish organizations, trying to solve various problems facing Jewish community in the city. Among the names mentioned in the journal are Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, David-Zvi Pinkas, a Zionist activist, politician, a signatory of the Declaration of independence and a future minister, Mordechai Shatner, a signatory of the Declaration, activist and politician, one of the founders of Yad Va-Shem, who then was a member of the Jewish National Council, Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, the Sephardi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, who appeared before the Mandatory government as representatives of the Jewish community and on missions on its behalf, Itzhak HaLevi Herzog, the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, and then the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine and of Israel, Menashe Elassar, a noted Jerusalem businessman, and many other. The first entry is dated September 15, and mentions a meeting with Mr. Ben-Zvi, who had been the President and a member of the Vaad Haleumi (the National Council), a post in which he served as the chief representative of the Jewish community vis-a-vis the mandatory authorities. His name is mentioned several times throughout the journal in relation to various matters. A council meeting on September 17 dealt with several issues, including social work, and house confiscation order of the [Babayoff] family: "Military Commander refused a request to postpone confiscation order for the Babayoff's House till after the holidays….. Chief Rabbi Uziel was asked to speak with the commissioner about postponement of the confiscation order... Rabbi Herzog was also asked to speak with the Military Commander regarding the same matter". Many entries mention searches conducted by the British Army in Jewish neighbourhoods, one of such searches on Yom Kippur Eve finished with desecration of a synagogue: "Search in Nachlat Zvi [Jerusalem neighbourhood]. After we received information regarding the desecration of the synagogue by the army during their search, R' Nattan and I went to check if the information was correct. We reached the location after the search had finished and the army left the place. All the synagogue benches, the tables, chairs and pillows were upside down. All of the study books, Mishnayot, Zohar, Gemaras were scattered on the floor. The holy ark was open and the Torah scrolls were open ..." Some of the entries refer to property damage caused by bombings that the council members were assessing: "After the two nights that passed in Jerusalem, Shabbat night and Motzei Shabbat, when tens of thousands of bullets were shot towards the all the Jewish areas of the city, I got up early ... to visit the places that were the primary targets of the bullets of the police and soldiers. The primary target was again the homes near the police dormitory in the hospital of the English Mission. The view of the horrifying sight of the destruction caused to these homes and the miracle that nobody's life was taken ... testimonies were collected from dozens of people..."[Nov. 16]. One of the constant subjects was ensuring food and fuel supply in the city: "Meeting of the supply committee with bakery owners to ensure sufficient flour supply in case of emergency", "...To bring all wholesalers and demand from them to increase supplies in Jerusalem...", they meet with members of the Jewish National Council (JNC), and devote many meetings to this matter. As part of their activity they meet with mukhtars, heads of Arabic neighbourhoods. Va'ad had limited means to cope with the worsening situation, and in December the Jerusalem Emergency Committee was set up that took upon itself civil administration of Jewish Jerusalem which explains why there are almost no entries after November. Though it includes only about 50 entries of varying length, the journal provides a lot of details from the months preceding the Declaration of Independence and contains names of many people who played an important role in creation of the Israeli State. Overall, it's a fascinating document of the life of Jewish community in Jerusalem during the last months of the British Mandate and activity of the Jewish Community Council in Jerusalem.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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