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LOT 63

Important Historic Letter from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, the Gaon Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, to the UN Founding Conference in San Francisco, 1945

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Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank's historic letter to the representatives of 50 of the world's nations who assembled in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organization, whose goal was to establish the UN. The United Nations Charter was drafted and written over the course of this conference. Jerusalem, April/Nissan 1945.
This letter was ingeniously worded by the elder rabbi of Jerusalem in polite diplomatic language, rooted in Jewish gentleness. But at the same time, he flings the guilt of the nations of the world at their representatives, and their part in the destruction of most of the Jewish people, and their moral obligation to assist "the moaning, persecuted most ancient people." He writes as a prophet at the city gates: "Listen to this, all nations, from the heights of Mount Zion and Jerusalem ... the Allies' turning a blind eye to the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people from the time of the Nazi rise to power to Germany until the destruction of millions of Jews in Poland, places a very, very heavy responsibility on you ... and this turning a blind eye brought upon you the flood of the fire of bombs and rockets in place of the flood of water that the Creator of the world swore he would not bring again." He continues: "Cast your eyes, honored representatives, to Auschwitz, Treblinka and Belzec, and listen to the voices silenced by all types of incomprehensible deaths that only the hand of Satan could fabricate ..."
The letter before us was part of the the diplomatic struggle between the Jewish people and the Arab delegations, with respect to Section 80 of Chapter 12 in the UN Charter, which was drafted and written, as mentioned above, during the course of the San Francisco Conference. This Section 80 deals with defending the rights of the Jewish nation and the national home, which is included in Britain's mandate in the Land of Israel. In his letter, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank raises three demands: 1) wide opening of the gates of the Land of Israel to unlimited immigration 2) enactment of an international law against antisemitism 3) declaring freedom of religion and freedom of worship, and return of all the Jewish children who escaped to monasteries.
The United Nations Charter - the organization's constitutive document, which was sealed two weeks after Rabbi Frank's letter, held much importance, also in that Israel's Declaration of Independence states: "The State of Israel ... will be faithful to the principles of the UN Charter."
[2] leaves of official stationery. 21x27 cm. Typewritten; signed and stamped by the chief rabbi; fine condition. Filing perforation. Fold marks. Tiny tears in the folds and in the white margins, without damage to text.

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17 Dec 2019
Israel, Jerusalem
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Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank's historic letter to the representatives of 50 of the world's nations who assembled in San Francisco for the United Nations Conference on International Organization, whose goal was to establish the UN. The United Nations Charter was drafted and written over the course of this conference. Jerusalem, April/Nissan 1945.
This letter was ingeniously worded by the elder rabbi of Jerusalem in polite diplomatic language, rooted in Jewish gentleness. But at the same time, he flings the guilt of the nations of the world at their representatives, and their part in the destruction of most of the Jewish people, and their moral obligation to assist "the moaning, persecuted most ancient people." He writes as a prophet at the city gates: "Listen to this, all nations, from the heights of Mount Zion and Jerusalem ... the Allies' turning a blind eye to the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people from the time of the Nazi rise to power to Germany until the destruction of millions of Jews in Poland, places a very, very heavy responsibility on you ... and this turning a blind eye brought upon you the flood of the fire of bombs and rockets in place of the flood of water that the Creator of the world swore he would not bring again." He continues: "Cast your eyes, honored representatives, to Auschwitz, Treblinka and Belzec, and listen to the voices silenced by all types of incomprehensible deaths that only the hand of Satan could fabricate ..."
The letter before us was part of the the diplomatic struggle between the Jewish people and the Arab delegations, with respect to Section 80 of Chapter 12 in the UN Charter, which was drafted and written, as mentioned above, during the course of the San Francisco Conference. This Section 80 deals with defending the rights of the Jewish nation and the national home, which is included in Britain's mandate in the Land of Israel. In his letter, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank raises three demands: 1) wide opening of the gates of the Land of Israel to unlimited immigration 2) enactment of an international law against antisemitism 3) declaring freedom of religion and freedom of worship, and return of all the Jewish children who escaped to monasteries.
The United Nations Charter - the organization's constitutive document, which was sealed two weeks after Rabbi Frank's letter, held much importance, also in that Israel's Declaration of Independence states: "The State of Israel ... will be faithful to the principles of the UN Charter."
[2] leaves of official stationery. 21x27 cm. Typewritten; signed and stamped by the chief rabbi; fine condition. Filing perforation. Fold marks. Tiny tears in the folds and in the white margins, without damage to text.

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Time, Location
17 Dec 2019
Israel, Jerusalem
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