D. A. SUTCLIFFE

DURING THESE last five years leading up to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, as throughout the previous twenty years, the postage stamps of Israel have faithfully reflected the past and present of the State and its people—a people that has been gathered from all nations of the world, and a State that was born in violence, and that has had to fight to preserve its existence. Some pattern has emerged in the stamp-issuing policy of Israel, and there is the annual remembrance of those who have died in the defence of Israel, the “fallen freedom-fighters”. There are also issues commemorating Independence, and the New Year, together with various other feast days and festivals. The strong sporting instincts of the Israelis receive some recognition each year, and during 1969 the eighth Maccabiah Games took place. These are known as the “all-Jewish Olympic Games”, and bring together Jewish sportsmen from all over the world, demonstrating that the Jews are indeed one nation. Other topics featured on the stamps include the flora and fauna of Israel, and its natural beauty. The Israelis are a people with a strong sense of achievement and something of their record in science, art, and agriculture is shown, together with personalities who have become world famous.

But perhaps above all, the fact that the Israelis are the people of God has been one of the greatest factors influencing the design and choice of subject in their stamps over the years, although unfortunately there is some evidence that this influence is not as great as it was. Israel, the land of the Bible, has used Biblical subjects for many of the stamps issued. In addition, Biblical quotations are often used on the tabs which are an interesting feature of Israeli stamps. These tabs are usually attached to the lowest row of a sheet and contain a description or quotation relevant to the stamp.

Perhaps to the Israeli people the greatest event in 1967 was the capture of the old city of Jerusalem; the city which had been divided for nineteen years became one city of peace. The strong feeling of the Jew towards Jerusalem is reflected in many Scriptures; there was the fasting and mourning of Nehemiah when he heard of the broken down and burned condition of Jerusalem; and the exile in Babylon wrote “If I forget thee, Ο Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning”. So it is not surprising that the reunited Jerusalem, the old and the new, is featured on the New Year stamps for 1968. A set of five was issued, the IL. 0.12, 0.15 and 0.35 depicting scenes from old Jerusalem and the IL. 0.40 and 0.60 scenes from new Jerusalem.

Figure 1

The stamps with their tabs are shown in Fig. 1 where the references to Scriptures concerning Jerusalem may be seen; the quotations are given in both Hebrew and English. In the descriptive material issued by the Israeli Philatelic Services it states “For the Jews, no place on earth is more sacred and revered than Jerusalem. Every holy day and festival, the words ‘next year in Jerusalem’ are fervently uttered in Jewish homes, and for thousands of years of impoverished exile, Jewry has clung stubbornly to the hope of someday returning to the city”.

There have always been Jews in Jerusalem and about one hundred years ago some forward-thinking Jews started to build a new Jerusalem on the undeveloped hills outside—a Jerusalem which was to grow and expand as immigrants to the newborn state of Israel arrived in ever-increasing numbers. But even though the growth and development of the new city as the capital of Israel was remarkable, Israeli joy was tempered by the fact that it was cut off from the walled old city and bereft of Judaism’s holiest shrines. Further stamps with a Jerusalem theme were issued on the occasions of the celebration of the twenty-third and twenty-fourth Independence Days. These consist of two sets each of four stamps depicting the various gates of Jerusalem. The first issue shows the Jaffa Gate, the New Gate, the Damascus Gate, and Herod’s Gate, the second issue illustrates the Lion’s Gate, the Golden Gate, the Dung Gate and Zion Gate (Fig. 2). Natural features to a large extent determine the line of the walls to the east, south, and west of the city, but to the north the landscape is less positive and the position of the northern wall or walls of the city is less well defined. Josephus reported that in his time no fewer than three separate walls existed. It would be logical to expect that, when the walls were rebuilt by the Arabs, Crusaders, and others, the gateways to the east, south, and west would be sited near the natural routes to the city that existed in the time of Christ. Of interest is the Golden Gate (Fig. 2), this is in the east side of the wall surrounding the Temple area (Haram esh-Sherif), and although comparatively modern it rests on an ancient Temple gateway. It will be noted that the gateway is completely walled up; this, so the story goes, is because the builder feared the prophecies in Ezekiel 43 and 44, that the glory of the God of Israel would come from the way of the east with the Prince entering in by the east gate. He thought that by walling up the gate the return of the God of Israel and His Messiah to Jerusalem might be prevented!

Figure 2

The theme of emigration to Israel is one that is commemorated during this period by a number of stamps. The twentieth anniversary of the emigration from the Yemen is shown as “Operation ‘Magic Carpet’ ” and the stamp has a symbolical motif of an aeroplane looking like a magic carpet. The inscription on the tab is taken from Exodus 19:4, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself”. In 1970, a stamp commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the exodus of the Iraqi Jews to Israel was issued. The stamp shows a bluebird, inscribed with “Operation ‘Ezra and Nehemiah’”, flying towards the sun, and the inscription on the tab is from Nehemiah 12: 43, “So that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off”. In 1972, a stamp ostensibly concerned with the absorption of immigrants was issued, but the motif (consisting of a closed iron-studded door with Magen David) and the inscription “Let My people go” (in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and English) had perhaps a forward-looking theme to it. Lastly, the immigration of Jews from North Africa was commemorated in 1973, the inscription on the tab being from Jeremiah 31:10, “He who scattered Israel will gather him”.

The epic of the Flood is shown in five stamps issued for the New Year Festival of 1969. These show in pictorial form the building of the Ark; the entry of Noah, his family, and the animals into the Ark; the Ark being tossed on a very rough sea and with a very stormy sky; the dove being sent forth from the Ark by Noah; and the Ark coming to rest on dry land with a rainbow in the background. The scenes are portrayed in a most pleasant form in keeping with modern illustrative styles. Relevant quotations from Genesis are given on the tabs.

Figure 3  

In Deuteronomy 16:16 we read, “Three times in a year shall all the males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread (Pesah), and in the feast of weeks (Shavuot), and in the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)”. These three festivals are known as the pilgrimage festivals and when the Temple was in Jerusalem the people of Israel flocked there to worship God in the manner commanded in their Scriptures. The festivals are still celebrated worldwide wherever Jews are, with the prayers and rites associated with each particular festival. In 1971 a set of three stamps was issued for the feast of Shavuot, and later in the same year the Jewish New Year was marked by the issue of five stamps for Sukkot. These stamps use the relevant verses from the Bible as the motif, the Hebrew words in illuminated lettering forming the design, and the English translation being given on the tabs. In 1972, three stamps were produced on the occasion of Pesah (Fig. 3). These depict scenes relating to the Exodus from Egypt, the baking of unleavened bread, and the service at -the Passover table, all being designed in a similar manner to the Bayeux Tapestry. The tabs give quotations from the Bible relating to each of the stamps shown.

Figure 4  

In 1973, stamps were issued showing six of the Marc Chagall magnificent stained-glass windows from the Hadassah Medical Centre Synagogue in Jerusalem. These brilliant jewel-toned windows symbolise the sons of Jacob from whom stemmed the twelve tribes of Israel. Each window measures eleven and a half feet in height and eight feet in width, and is crammed with Biblical lore. They reveal not only another angle of the 3,700 year old Bible account, but also the part played by every tribe in Israel’s national life. The stamps for the tribes of Levi and Judah are reproduced in Fig. 4. The priestly Levi has a translucent golden window. The name of Levi in Hebrew characters stands above the shield of David, while lower down, flanked by elaborate candlesticks, are the tablets of the Law. On them is inscribed the blessing of Moses, that this tribe would “teach Jacob the judgement and Israel Thy Law” (Deut. 33:10). Chagall marks Judah’s royal destiny by the rich crimson of the background, by the hands raised in benediction, and by the script of Jacob’s words “Thy father’s children shall bow down before thee” (Gen. 49:8).

Perhaps we can bring our brief survey of this period to an end by mention of the twenty-fifth Independence Day souvenir-sheet issue. This contained a IL. 1.00 stamp (Fig. 5) which includes part of the scroll of Independence with the signatures, whilst the motif of the sheet is a complete scroll of Independence. The words on the stamp read, “We extend our hand in peace and neighbourliness to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is prepared to make its contribution to the progress of the Middle East as a whole.

Figure 5   

Ministry of Communications, Philatelic Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israel and the Bible, by W. Sniper.

Stamp Collecting, May 24th, 1973.