This collection of documents portrays the establishment of the State of Israel, the founding of Israeli democracy and the onset of its legislation. It includes rare documents dated April and May 1948, owned Meir David Loewenstein, a member of Moetzet HaAm, the early legislative entity of Eretz Israel (later: the Provisional State Council), a signatory of the Israel's Declaration of Independence, and a member of Israel's First Knesset.
The archive includes about 350 paper documents, including official letters of the three provisional institutions active prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and during its first year of existence: The People's Council – Moetzet HaAm; The People's Administration – Minhelet HaAm; and The Provisional State Council – Moetzet HaMedina HaZmanit, later named The Constituent Assembly and eventually named: The First Knesset.
The archive includes documents sent and distributed solely to members of the above-mentioned administrations, including formal ordinances, protocols and booklets, some issued prior to the establishment of the state and some shortly after its establishment, documenting the onset of legislation in the young State of Israel.
Loewenstein was born in Copenhagen. He studied at a business school in Zurich and at the Rabbinical Seminary in Amsterdam (Nederlandsch IsraeĢlietisch Seminarium). During his youth he became involved in the European Agudat Yisrael youth movement, of which he later became chairman. He immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1934.
In 1948 became member of Moetzet HaAm, representing Agudat Yisrael, and signed Israel's Declaration of Independence. He was a member of the Provisional State Council (The Constituent Assembly), the Constitution Committee and a minister in the First Knesset, elected as a member of the United Religious Front.
Pre May 14 + May 14, 1948 Documents
28.04.1948: Printed, typewritten letter (letterhead: "Minhelet HaAm") dated 28 April 1948, with invitation to the first session of Moetzet HaAm scheduled for May 4th 1948. #1
04.05.1948: Printed, typewritten letter (letterhead: "Minhelet HaAm"), from the first session of Moetzet HaAm, with Call for the orders of the day of the first session. #2
13.05.1948: Printed, typewritten letter (printed letterhead: "Minhelet HaAm"), including invitation to Moetzet HaAm session scheduled for 1:30, PM May 14th 1948, 2.5 hours prior to Ben-Gurion's Declaration of Independence. The meeting content included discussion on the Declaration of Independence. #3
13.05.1948: Printed, typewritten letter (letterhead: "Minhelet HaAm"), official invitation to the Declaration of Independence ceremony to be held on Friday, May 14 at 4 pm. This invitation was sent exclusively to Minhelet HaAm members, journalists and persons of note. The receivers were asked "to keep the contents of this invitation and the date secret..." and conclude with instructions: "personal invitation – Dress: dark festive clothes". #4
14.05.1948: Small folding white-bristol card printed in blue with headlines "Moetzet HaAm, Moshav Hachrazat HaAtzmaut, Tel Aviv, 14.5.1948" (Hebrew: declaration of Independence session, Tel-Aviv, 14.5.1948). RARE and never seen in auction before; most probably issued and delivered exclusively for the 37 members of Moetzet HaAm. #5
14.05.1948: Proclamation issued by the Provisional State Council, "given today, May 14, 1948". Considered to be the first legal document of the State of Israel, the document include three short articles, which constituted the legal basis of the new state's authorities: announcing the Provisional State Council as the legislature; annulling the regulations of the 1939 White Paper; and defining the Mandatory law as the basis of the Israeli justice system. With pencil annotations and corrections. #6
Various Early and Important 1948 Documents
09.08.1948: Printed, typewritten letter (with letterhead of Provisional State Council), sent from HaKirya (Hebrew: "The Campus", IDF's headquarter), enclosed with printed map by the IDF dated August 2 1948 and signed by David Ben Gurion (printed signature). The map depicts Jerusalem and its surroundings with the new border line for zones under IDF control and the Jordanian zones, including Mount Scopus (Har HaTzofim) and some other locations as enclaves. #7-8
[June 1948]: Order of Government and Justice: emergency regulations and regulations against terror attacks. #9a-b
[June 1948]: Official printed, typewritten documents, portraying the basics of the work of Moetzet HaAm and Minhelet HaAm. #10a-b
[June 1948]: Regulations for the sessions of the Provisional State Council (several drafts, with handwritten annotations). #11a-e
[June 1948]: Ordinance of the Transfer to a Constituent Assembly. #12
[June-October 1948]: Memorandum and documents concerning Folke Bernadotte's (UN Mediator in Palestine) proposal for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the borders of the State of Israel; [September 1948]: Extract from Mediator's Report to the Secretary-General, U.N. #13a-f
[August 1948]: Currency order for 1948. #14
[October 1948]: Printed, typewritten letter (with letterhead of the Provisional State Council) with invitation to the 24th session of the Provisional State Council dedicated to Israel's official flag and symbol; enclosed with early printed versions for Israel's official symbol. #15a-b
Documents of the Provisional Government of Israel (15 May 1948 – 10 March 1949):
About 200 documents including invitations to the first sessions of the provincial government, protocols discussing various early regulations and procedures of the newborn state: currency, army, war of independence, official days of rest, labor and construction reports, unemployment issues and social services reports.
Many documents regard regulating the activity and procedures of the Central Elections Committee, including the first elections to the First Knesset.
29 Official booklets with protocols of the Provisional Government meetings and the Provisional State Council meetings, printed by the Government Printer in Tel Aviv, 1948-1949. Including "Minhelet HaAm, orders and notices" issue published May 10, 1948.
Documents of the First Knesset (8 March 1949 – 30 October 1950)
About 110 documents, mostly concerning the activities of various Knesset Committees: briefing notes, statements and agendas regarding early regulations and procedures of the newborn state: currency, commerce, social services, education, women's rights, financial statements, etc. and protocols of sessions of the Constituent Assembly and the First Knesset.