4) 1947-1949 War of Independence related mail

1st Day of War of Independence taxi mail: cover addressed to Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz street in TEL AVIV & return addressed to JERUSALEM, sent via Aleh Taxi service whose service label (serial #267910) is affixed to the back, on 29 Nov (1947) - considered the 1st day of the Israeli War of Independence, following the United Nations vote on the partition of Palestine held that da...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail - earliest known: 5 Dec 1947 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover, sent from lawyer's office to addressee at Migdal Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the period postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located in the Neve Zedek neighborhood of th...

Early War of Independence era registered mail: 7 Jan 1948 postmarked registered cover sent from PETACH TIKVA to company in HAIFA, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m base letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes on front 2x on back by registry division postmark; backstamped same day REGISTERED TEL AVIV transit & next day REGISTERED HAIFA transit arrival; opened at back. In this per...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail: 16 Jan 1948 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from investment business to addressee at Daniel Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the period postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located in what...

War of Independence affected mail - closure of Jerusalem General Post Office: [Friday] 16 JAN 1948 postmarked airmail cover addressed to family member Rafael Erlanger in LUZERN Switzerland from sender Joseph Erlanger in JERUSALEM - but postmarked & dispatched in TEL AVIV by a courier, as the Jerusalem GPO had closed between 1-4 and 5-11 January for security reasons affecting the Jewish and Arab em...

War of Independence delayed mail: 21 Jan 1948 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary of the Palestine Fruit Corporation (return addressed TEL AVIV), couriered and sent from PETACH TIKVA to Steel Brothers shipping company in HAIFA, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m base domestic letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike on front + 2x on back o...

War of Independence affected couriered JERUSALEM mail + special postage rate: 20 Jan 1948 dated stenciled message in English and Hebrew on Teva Pharmaceuticals imprinted postal stationary postal card, written in & return-addressed to JERUSALEM and addressed to HAIFA - but posted in HAIFA on 3 Feb 1948, stampless & tied by 3 mils POSTAGE PAID red postmark.Significant postal history on two counts: 1...

1948 Old City Jerusalem - rare mail link: 12 Feb 1948 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from company in HAIFA to business proprietor in Christian Quarter of Old City JERUSALEM, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m inland letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 3x strikes of the REGISTERED HAIFA oval postal; backstamped 14 Feb transit-arrival ...

War of Independence era mail to EIN HAROD: 12 Feb 1948 postmarked "commercial papers" endorsed printed matter cover sent Bank HaPoalim in TEL AVIV to addressee at EIN HAROD, meter franked 3 mils per the period postage rate - 4 month's after Sacher's latest known date of use for meter #G22; unsealed per printed matter regulations. Mail to the small peripheral settlements is rare in this period of t...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail: 15 Feb 1948 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover, sent from business ("Ichsun Ltd") to addressee at Kalisher Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located near the border of [Arab] JAFFO, the Manshiya ne...

1948 War of Independence era couriered Consulate mail: cover on imprinted postal stationary of the Consulate of Switzerland in JERUSALEM, addressed to TEL AVIV - couriered to Tel Aviv and posted there on 18 Feb 1948; franked 10 mils for the domestic letter postage rate and entered into a letter box, whereupon tied by the single circle postmark of the sorting office once the box was cleared. In thi...

Late Mandate era mail to Lydda airport hotel: 23 Feb 1948 postmarked printed matter cover sent from JERUSALEM to addressee at the Terminal Hotel at Lydda Airport, meter franked 5 mils for the 3m period postage rate; unsealed per printed matter regulations. The meter is index coded A5 - it belonged to the British Institute of Engineering, here on its last documented date of use (Sach #G6); the over...

1948 Jerusalem siege era taxi mail: cover addressed to Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz street in TEL AVIV & return addressed to JERUSALEM, sent via Aleh Taxi service whose service label (serial #270583) is affixed to the back, on 22 March (1948) & charged 100 mils for the service (eg. 2.5x the 40 mils express mail service offered by the Mandate/Israel postal service); torn open at lef...

1948 War of Independence taxi mail: March 22 1948 cover addressed to the family of Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz in TEL AVIV by sender "Aviva" with no return address written but likely JERUSALEM as per the type of label used, sent by Yael Taxi service whose pink label is affixed to the back & charged 100 mils for the delivery service (eg. 2.5x the 40 mils express mail service offere...

War of Independence affected mail from JERUSALEM - 23 MAR 1948 postmarked cover sent from TEL AVIV to NETANYA, with return address in JERUSALEM handstamped on the front; franked 10m per period postage rate & tied by single strike of the head post office canceller: evidently the cover was couriered from Jerusalem and posted in Tel Aviv, a likely necessity owing to limited mail service at Jerusalem ...

War of Independence era late period Arabian mail: 24 March 1948 postmarked cover on imprinted business postal stationry (Catholic Orphanage) sent from BETHLEHEM to HAIFA, franked 10 mils per domestic letter postage rate & tied by single strike of the local postmark. The letter was returned on account of the addressee having left - pencil manuscript notation on back + instructional form marking. In...

War of Independence late dated mail from JERUSALEM - affected by the War: 1 April 1948 postmarked printed matter cover addressed to person at Levinsky street in TEL AVIV; franked 3 mils per period postage rate & tied by machine slogan cancel; late dated outgoing intercity mail from Jerusalem (a remarkable feat as much of its mail is observed couriered for posting outside the city in this period), ...

Bat Yam - War of Independence intercity mail: 12 April 1948 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from law office in TEL AVIV to local council at BAT YAM, franked 25m per period postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike of oval REGISTERED TEL AVIV postmark on front + 2x on back; backstamped next day arrival; opened gently at bac...

1948 War of Independence affected mail: 25 Jan 1948 postmarked air mail cover to NEW YORK, return addressed HAIFA but posted in TEL AVIV; franked 65 mils for the period base postage rate & tied by 2x strikes of the head post office postmark of the public counters; machine backstamped 30 Jan arrival & locally re-routed; opened gently at back. The cover was couriered outside Haifa for posting due to...

1948 War of Independence affecting JERUSALEM postal service: 7 April 1948 postmarked surface mail printed matter cover to NEW BEDFORD USA, return addressed to orphanage in JERUSALEM but couriered and posted in TEL AVIV due to limited postal services and security issues in Jerusalem (c.2 weeks before the siege); franked 5m for overseas printed matter postage & tied by single strike of single circle...

1948-49 War "Destinataire Parti" Arab mail - late date: 21 April 1948 postmarked cover sent from PORT SAID Egypt to Arab correspondent in JAFFA, franked 23 mils for the 22m period postage rate & tied by 3x strikes of the PORT SAID TRAFFIC postmark on front. In this period there was armed conflict between Arab JAFFA and Jewish locales around it, and the town came under siege by Jewish forces from 2...

Ironically significant Arab mail: 10-14 May 1948 period postmarked registered cover on imprinted business postal stationary of the Yorkshire Insurance Co., sent locally in HAIFA to addressees Michel Abu Fadel & Sons - part of a well known series of letters sent by this insurance company during the interim period, bearing 9 May dated letters informing their customers (so far observed all Arab) of t...

Rare flown pre-State army mail: stampless plain light-green registered mail envelope addressed to "Haganah Headquarters - Negev", sent from the Haganah's headquarters in TEL AVIV & tied by 1x strike of the illustrated cachet on front & 1x on back + "By Air" ('Derech Avir') framed carmine handstamp instructional endorsement; tied on back by 14 April 1948 dated instructional handstamps for the dispa...

1948 War of Independence mail in siege era JERUSALEM: 7 May 1948 postmarked stampless cover sent from the Jerusalem City Commander (David Shaltiel) to the Commander of the Hagana field companies (Shlomo Shamir), bearing the circular cacher of the City Commander on the front and dated posting/registry handstamp on the back. The cover does not bear the Jerusalem "communication corps" Misrad Kesher M...