Letter handwritten on official letterhead of the Vaad Klali Knesset Yisrael of Jerusalem. From 21st of Av, 1919.
Addressed to: “Rahag Members of the Vaad HaIr Ashkenazi”. The letter announces historic news: “It has already been learned that the heads and directors of the united kollels in the General Committee and the public institutions talmudei torah and Yeshivat Etz Chaim and the Bikkur Cholim hospital saw that it was necessary to bring to the Holy City Rabbeinu Tzaddik Moharar Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook shlita, and in our joy we found out that our request was answered and he has already begun his journey to Jerusalem, and we found it necessary to share this good news and we hope you will be happy and that you will participate in welcoming the rabbi with the honor he deserves…”
In practice, the letter bears with it a stinging component, since it is addressed to the Vaad Ashkenazi—the Eida Charedit in its prior name—which did not see eye-to-eye with the Vaad Klali in their appointment of Rav Kook. The letter notifies them of the news and hint at the background:
“We hope you will be happy and that you will participate in welcoming the rabbi…”.
Signed by hand are 12 rabbis, including:
Zalman HaKohen Rubin (Head of the Vaad Klali Knesset Yisrael);
Nachum Zvi Yafeh (a Boyan chassid in Israel);
Yehoshua Moshe Schlank (famous public figure);
Yehiel Michal Tikochinsky;
David Tiktin (a head of the Etz Chaim yeshiva);
Chaim Salamon (son of the famous printer Rabbi Yoel Moshe Salamon);
Yehoshua Meir Reichman (grandson of the Admor Rabbi Shlomo of Warsaw, a member of the Bikkur Cholim administration)
22x29cm. Filing holes, lone stains in the margins. Overall good condition.
