28th Zionist Congress

1973. Signed. (BEN GURION, David). 28th Zionist Congress commemorative album. Israel, 1967-73. Album (octavo, later red cloth, patterned endpapers) comprising a booklet, book excerpts, a facsimile of the Independence Scroll, first day covers, and photograph; ll. 16. Housed in a custom chemise and clamshell box. $15,000.Rare commemorative album celebrating Israeli statehood and the 28th Zionist Congress, comprising a booklet explaining the congress, book excerpts from the book, ""Three Days,"" describing the declaration of statehood, two sheets of Israeli first day covers, a photograph of Ben Gurion on the same sheet as two Israeli historical stamps, and (truncated) a facsimile of the Independence Scroll signed in pen by Ben Gurion.This bound volume compiles a number of interesting and important items either from the 28th Zionist Congress and celebrating Israeli statehood. The volume begins with a booklet (The 28th Zionist Congress, 18-27 January 1972, Binyanei Haooma Jerusalem, Tel Aviv: Press and Public Relations Bureau of the World Zionist Organization, [1972]). It continues with excerpts from the book Three Days by Ze'ev Sherf (Am Oved Publishing, 1959) in which the author describes the events and mood of the Declaration of the State of Israel. Next is a facsimile Scroll of Independence signed by the Provisional State Council members signed in pen below the printed signatures by David Ben-Gurion. The album then includes first day covers of stamps depicting Moshe Sharett, Levi Eshkol, Yitzchak Ben-Zvi and David Ben-Gurion as well as a first day cover/souvenir sheet in honor of the 25th Independence Day, with ""Scroll of Independence"" stamp. Finally, the album includes a photograph of David Ben-Gurion reading the Scroll of Independence with two added stamps in the margin featuring portraits of – ""thy children shall come again to their own border"" (Hebrew) with portraits of Chaim Weizmann and Lord Balfour—issued on the occasion of the Balfour Declaration Jubilee (1967). Faint scattered, mainly marginal, foxing to interior, stain and puncture mark to rear board. A near-fine signed copy. (Inventory #: 114969)