7) Besieged locales: Safed

1948 War of Independence delayed mail, HAIFA-SAFED: 14 Jan 1948 postmarked registered cover sent from HAIFA to SAFED, franked 25 mils for the postage (10m base letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike of REGISTERED HAIFA postmark on front + 2x on back; backstamped 23 Jan arrival. Opened gently at back. The long 9-day transit time is due to security events in both cities: the day this letter ...

Safed 'Whiskey Mail' - from the Rabbinic Admor of Boyan in Tel Aviv: 2 March 1948 postmarked cover on air mail imprinted postal stationary, sent from Rabbi Israel Friedman (the 'Admor' / chief Rabbi of the Boyan Hassidic sect) in TEL AVIV (personal cachet tied on back) to the Klinger Bank in SAFED, franked 10 mils for the domestic letter postage rate & tied by single strike of the head post office...

Safed 'Whiskey Mail': 10 March 1948 postmarked printed matter cover on reused "Cairo" imprinted postal stationary of the Shell Oil Company, sent from HAIFA to Elie (Eliyahu) Klinger, the company's agent (and owner of "Klinger Bank") in SAFED, franked 3 mils per period postage rate & tied by machine cancel of the head post office postmark; tied by the company's Haifa oval cachet + "commercial paper...

1948 War of Independence besieged Safed mail carried through the front lines: stampless 6 MAY 1948 dated Hagana military mail from SAFED Town Commander (Elad Peled of the Palmach - a branch of the Hagana) to Commander of "Hazit Gimmel" (3rd Front), probably Shmuel (Mula) Cohen, commander of the 3rd battalion of the Palmach's Yiftach Brigade (prior to 23 May there were no "Front" designations in th...

1948 beseiged Safed interim post: 10 MAY 1948 local printed-matter cover franked 5m per period 3m printed-matter rate (2m convenience overcharge) using Mandate Ba93 stamp tied by full strike of "circular local" postmark in carmine; cut open at top. Probably posted sealed (against printed-matter reguations) to protect its contents as operation to liberate the town began that same day; Mandate frank...