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LOT 49:
A Letter from Taleb the Yemenite to the Heads of the Jewish Agency. 1940's
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A Letter from Taleb the Yemenite to the Heads of the Jewish Agency. 1940's
An interesting letter in which a man named 'Taleb the Yemenite' turns to the heads of the Jewish Agency with a request for a loan to build a house. The letter is replete with complementary expressions from Taleb toward the Zionist leadership and constitutes historical testimony of the relationship between the Yemenite immigrants and the leadership of the Yishuv.
At the beginning of the letter Taleb approaches the leadership in respectful language: "Sirs, the leaders of the Zionists and most honored heads of the Jewish people". He describes all that happened to him since he immigrated to Israel in 1943, how he collected money penny by penny honestly: "From the day I arrived in this country in 1943, which is also due to the kindness of the Zionists may Almighty God exalt them, I said to myself, Taleb ya Taleb, do not hang around with girls and don't drink arak or beer, and don't go to the cinema, just collect penny after penny and save up...". After he collected the money he converted it into paper: "And I exchanged the new coins with paper, because I, Taleb, am not afraid of paper money, especially when letters of the holy language are printed on it and when it is secretly told the foremost Jews are on the committee of this money". Taleb then describes how he managed to buy a plot and how he found his wife and married her, and turns to "Honorable Zionists, sirs, I heard that licenses are now being given out for building houses and all this is in your hands and the government is yours and the money is in your possession and I ask of you, give me a license to build only one room and the conveniences as done in Yemen... I need at least 150 lira and if you tell me where to go to receive the money, I will go and take it....". At the end of the letter Taleb promises that: "If the Zionists will do everything I need I agree for my children to be named after the leaders" and signed Taleb the Yemenite.
[1] leaf, 31x21 cm. Stencil print. Folding marks. Stains.
Fine condition.
