Author: Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon Shapiro (רבי יעקב שמשון שפירא).
Notable Connection: The author of this letter was the father of the legendary Rabbi Meir Shapiro (רבי מאיר שפירא), the Chief Rabbi of Lublin, founder of Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin (ישיבת חכמי לובלין), and the visionary creator of the Daf Yomi (דף יומי) study cycle. In this deeply personal and communal letter, the author explicitly identifies himself in his signature as the "Father of the Gaon… our teacher Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin" (אביו של הרב הגאון… מהר"ם שפירא מלובלין). Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon was himself a scholar of great standing, a descendant of the Chernobyl (צ’רנוביל) and Koritz (קוריץ) Hasidic dynasties. Letters from the immediate family of the Lubliner Rav are exceptionally rare on the market, especially those where the father acknowledges the global fame of his son.
Content: A full handwritten letter in Rabbinic Hebrew cursive on two sides of a single leaf of squared paper.
Location: Sent from Suceava (סוצ’אבה), Bukovina, Romania.
Signature: Signed in both Hebrew and Latin script: "Jacob Samson Schapira in Suczawa Bucowina Rumänien".
