Pinkas Achuzath Oilom B’Eretz Yisroel

(AMERICAN JUDAICA)

n.p.

c.1920

Painted olive-wood boards, covers with colored depictions of Rachel’s Tomb and the Tomb of the Prophet Zachariah

Record-Book of an unidentified American cemetery in Eretz Israel, with printed columns requesting pertinent information relating to the deceased: Name, occupation, duration of time in Palestine and America, cause of death, name of the ship which conveyed the body, plot site, neighboring plots, etc., etc. With modern shipping lines, the ancient dream of burial in the Holy Land became a reality for many American Jews, so much so, that it was anticipated as a major enterprise. For whatever reason, it seems this particular venture never materialized as witnessed by the mere four entries and close to 300 blank pages!