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1938 PALESTINE AIRWAYS LTD TRILINGUAL LETTERHEAD LETTER TEL AVIV BRITISH MANDATE PINHAS RUTENBERG ZIONIST PIONEER
An original and breathtaking piece of pre-State Israel aviation and Zionist history — a complete business letter on the magnificent trilingual letterhead of Palestine Airways Ltd — the first Jewish airline in the Holy Land — dated February 13, 1938 — the airline\'s single best year, when it flew 6,400 passengers between Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beirut.
The Document:
From: Palestine Airways Ltd, Tel-Aviv, Palestine
Date: February 13, 1938
Address: P.O. Box 6011, Tel Aviv — Phone 3166
Telegram address: PALAIRWAYS TEL-AVIV
Code: Bentley\'s
To: Mr. Ari Eisenstein, P.O. Box 536, Jerusalem
Languages: English, Hebrew AND Arabic — stunning trilingual letterhead
Content: Business correspondence regarding Mr. Idelsohn\'s travels abroad and redirecting the recipient to the Jerusalem manager
The Letterhead:
Three languages — three scripts — one extraordinary document. English, Hebrew and Arabic (شركة الطرق — side by side on one page. This trilingual presentation could only have existed in one place and one time — British Mandate Palestine, 1938 — when Jews, Arabs and British were all part of the same complex, volatile world. The visual impact is stunning.
Pinhas Rutenberg — The Man Behind The Airline:
Pinhas Rutenberg was one of the most remarkable Zionist figures of the 20th century — founder of the Jewish Legion, the American Jewish Congress, the Palestine Electric Corporation (today the Israel Electric Corporation — still powering Israel today), a participant in establishing the Haganah, and founder of Palestine Airways. (Middle East Monitor)
He is best known for literally turning on the lights of the Jewish homeland — building Palestine\'s entire electrical grid from scratch. But this extraordinary man also founded its first airline — connecting the scattered Jewish communities of Palestine by air at a time when road travel was increasingly dangerous due to the Arab Revolt.
A letter from his airline is a document from the broader Rutenberg story — one of the foundational stories of the State of Israel.
The Airline:
Palestine Airways was founded by Zionist Pinhas Rutenberg in British Palestine, in conjunction with the Histadrut and the Jewish Agency. Throughout these years, Palestine Airways flew thousands of passengers, its best year being 1938 with 6,400 passengers. (Wikipedia)
In 1938 Palestine Airways moved its main base to the newly built Tel Aviv Airport and commenced operations on the Tel Aviv to Haifa route, flying twice a day in their de Havilland Rapide. From September 1938, the route was extended from Haifa to Beirut. (JewishGen)
Palestine Airways ceased operations in August 1940 when its aircraft were taken over by the RAF for use in the war effort. (JewishGen)
Your letter dates from exactly the peak moment — February 1938 — when the airline had just moved to the new Tel Aviv Airport and was expanding its routes. The company existed for only 3 years before the RAF took its planes. Surviving business correspondence on this letterhead is extraordinarily rare.
The Historical Moment:
February 1938 — British Mandate Palestine. The Arab Revolt was at its height — road travel between cities was dangerous. Yet here is Palestine Airways operating daily flights, connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, expanding to Beirut, building the infrastructure of a future Jewish state in the sky while the ground burned below.
This letter — mundane in its content, extraordinary in its context — is a paper footprint of Jewish aviation pioneering at one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the Land of Israel.
Condition: Very good — complete, fully legible, beautiful trilingual letterhead intact after 87 years.
English Keywords:
Palestine Airways, Palestine Airways Ltd, Pinhas Rutenberg, British Mandate Palestine, Tel Aviv 1938, Jewish aviation, pre-State Israel, trilingual letterhead, Hebrew Arabic English, Israel Electric Corporation, Zionist pioneer, aviation history, rare Judaica, British Mandate ephemera, Jewish history, Palestine aviation, Haganah, Jewish Agency, Histadrut, Imperial Airways, de Havilland, Arab Revolt, pre-Israel history
Hebrew Keywords:
