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Judaica and Hasidic Books and Manuscripts

Lot 76:

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Historic 1934 Rabbinic Court Divorce Certificate (Get) – Rabbi Eliokum Landman of Nowa Wilejka (Holochem/Vilna Region Holocaust Martyr)

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Start price: £100

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Description

A poignant and historically tragic primary rabbinic manuscript serving as a vital legal record of the European halachic courts in the Vilna district immediately preceding the Holocaust.

  • Overview: An official handwritten and signed rabbinic certificate validating the delivery and execution of a halachic bill of divorce (Get), explicitly dated 18 Kislev 5695 (י"ח כסלו תרצ"ה / late 1934).
  • The Author: Written entirely by the eminent halachic authority and community leader, Rabbi Eliokum Landman (הגאון רבי אליקום לאנדמאן זצ"ל הי"ד; 1887–1941). He served with great devotion as the Av Beit Din (Chief Rabbi) of Nowו-Wilejsk (נובו-ויליקא / Nowa Wilejka, Vilna province). Following the Nazi invasion of the region in 1941, Rabbi Landman was brutally murdered along with his community, perishing as a holy martyr of the Holocaust.
  • Content & Markings: The document features the official printed rabbinic letterhead of Rabbi Landman alongside the official circular purple community ink seal: "Rabin Gminy Wyznaniowej Żydowskiej w Nowej Wilejce" (Rabbi of the Jewish Religious Community of Nowa Wilejka). Written in a sharp, practiced Lithuanian rabbinic script, the certificate legally attests to the names and meticulous execution required for the divorce proceedings. Per professional standards, the body text remains untranscribed.
  • Collector’s Highlight: Original documents from the Rabbinate of Nowa Wilejka are exceptionally rare due to the near-total physical destruction of the Vilna regional archives during the war. Surviving, fully intact halachic rulings authored by pre-war European community rabbis who later perished in the Holocaust are highly sought after by historical institutes, genealogists, and premium manuscript collectors.

Condition report:

Status: Very Good Antique Condition.


Details: The single ledger page is structurally complete and solid, showing clean margins, original binder hole punches, and uniform natural age-toning typical of 1930s European stationery. The printed bilingual letterhead, the clear purple community seal, the extensive handwritten ink text block, and the bold, distinct rabbinic signature of Rabbi Eliokum Landman are beautifully preserved and 100% legible throughout.