Israel. 1948 PEDI first flight mail - HIGHEST NUMBER with BOTH CANCELLATION TYPES: Zionist Organization of America airmail stationary cover from BROOKLYN to BNEI BRAK ("Palestine") franked 25c regular airmail rate, postmarked MAY 21 1948 (1st day of PEDI service) using both Type I and II cancels - as numbered 236 this is the highest recorded cover marked by both types (ref. IFPL p.93 says "211"); with US "First Flight" & locally applied CSA cachets on front; this 1st flight arrived in Haifa 2 June - per manuscript notation, cover delivered 9-6-48; cut open at left, very fine and rare. "Palestine Emergency Deliveries Inc." was a private company founded by the Jewish Agency in New York, to collect mail and send it to Israel at a time when the British ceased their postal activities in the Mandate and air links to it were suspended. PEDI mail was carried as baggage, first on a KLM flight to Rome (ref. instructional marking on front), and then forwarded to Israel by Czechoslovakian airlines.

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Israel. 1948 PEDI first flight mail - numbered 28: airmail stationary cover from BROOKLYN to TEL AVIV franked 25c regular airmail rate, postmarked MAY 21 1948 (1st day of PEDI service) using both Type I and II cancels, and bearing very low serial number, 28 (out of 1288 carried on 1st flight); with US "First Flight" & locally applied CSA cachets on front; this 1st flight arrived in Haifa 2 June; opened roughly at back (some tears have been repaired and frank re-attached); 3 vertical folds; complete. "Palestine Emergency Deliveries Inc." was a private company founded by the Jewish Agency in New York, to collect mail and send it to Israel at a time when the British ceased their postal activities in the Mandate and air links to it were suspended. PEDI mail was carried as baggage, first on a KLM flight to Rome (ref. instructional marking on front), and then forwarded to Israel by Czechoslovakian airlines.

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Israel. 1948 emergency sea-mail: front of surface mail registered commercial cover on business stationary from PARIS to bank in TEL AVIV, pre-franked 45F locally per postage period rate but not posted via French Post Office as surface mail to Palestine was suspended (until 15 June 1948): here, dispatched as a pre-paid "courier cover" brought on board Israeli ship "S/S Kedma" on its final transport of 1948 "emergency mail" before commencing transport of sea mail for the Israel Post (exclusively until Nov. 1952): this & other covers in this shipment were prepaid to the shipping company, who uniquely stamped these covers with bilingual English/Hebrew circular handstamp "KEDEM" Palestine Line LTD - T/S/S KEDMAH (here 2x full strikes, one tied to French franks) & affixed 10m Doar Ivri frank before depositing the mail in Israel for posting, here tied by 15.6.1948 HAIFA Head Post Office postmark (eg. same date as resumption sea mail with France). This was ship's 1st delivery of mail since 24 May, and the only incoming sea mail to Israel since. Illustrated in IFPL p. 139.

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Israel. 1948 emergency mail: stampless courier cover on Jewish National Fund stationary from ARNHEM to TEL AVIV, brought on board Israeli ship "S/S Kedma" here on its final transport of 1948 "emergency mail" before commencing transport of sea mail for the Israel Post (exclusively until Nov. 1952): this & other covers in shipment was prepaid to the shipping company, who uniquely stamped these covers with bilingual English/Hebrew circular handstamp "KEDEM" Palestine Line LTD - T/S/S KEDMAH (here full strike) & affixed 10m frank before depositing the mail in Israel for posting, here tied by 15.6.1948 HAIFA Head Post Office postmark. This was ship's 1st delivery of mail since 24 May, and the only incoming sea mail to Israel since. Opened gently at back. Estimated value $500-900.

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Israel. 1948 early postal links / taxed incoming couriered mail: unfranked airmail(?) commercial cover from HEIDELBERG ("US Zone" in Germany) to restitution organization in TEL AVIV ("Palestine"), couriered from abroad probably by air and posted locally unfranked, where charged concessionary tax (half the usual postage dues, i.e. the value of the missing postage only) as not addressed to a business (here not-for-profit organization), and paid using 10m 1st PD BaPD3 frank tied by 14(?)-6-1948 TEL AVIV Head Post Office postmark; re-routed locally to POB; unsealed. Unsealed.

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Israel. 1948 early postal links / taxed incoming couriered airmail: unfranked commercial cover on airmail stationary in German to TEL AVIV, couriered from abroad by air and posted locally unfranked, where charged concessionary tax (half the usual postage dues) as addressed to a private individual, and paid using 2x 5m 1st PD BaPD2 franks tied by 25-6-1948 TEL AVIV Head Post Office postmark. Message inside (12-11-1948) indicates cover originated in STOCKHOLM Sweden and was given to JEWISH AGENCY official who couriered it to Israel where he posted it. Unsealed; small piece missing for corner of back-flap, very fine. Scarce multiple franking.

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Israel. "Box 18 Johannesburg" mail: undated commercial cover from "Judges' Chambers Supreme Court" CAPE TOWN to Gershon Agron [founder/editor of] "Palestine Post" newpaper JERUSALEM; posted unstamped within an envelope to "Box 18" JOHANNESBURH with postage fee enclosed within, whereupon removed from outer envelope & sent via the South African Zionist Federation airmail service to Palestine (parcels of letters sent as "Air Freight" on Pan African Air Charter airlines [PAAC] via Rhodesia-Kenya-Khartoum-Wadi Halfa (Sudan)-Aden(!) to HAIFA); cover marked by their cachet "Per Postal Communication | Box 18 Johannesburg"; at HAIFA transferred to Peltours mail operation which stamped it with their oval business "Pel" Palestine & Egypt Lloyd Ltd. | PELTOURS | Tel-Aviv cachet & posted it in TEL AVIVwith 10m Doar Ivri frank affixed (this pre-paid by sender), tied by 6-7-1948 Head Post Office postmark (Hebrew date incorrect & references Saturday 3 July). Slit open at top.

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Israel. Cyprus detention Camp 69: 26 AP 1948 cover on "Doar" airmail stationary (airmail crossed off) from NICOSIA (return addressed Famagusta German Refugee Camp) to HAIFA, franked 2Pia per period letter rate & tied by strike of local postmark + "Mail Camp 69" Hebrew boxed cachet; surface mail to Palestine suspended by UK on 6 April & Cyprus suspended airmail 20 April + all airmail to Palestine suspended on 26 April: hence cover marked "SERVICE SUSPENDED" in red using local instructional marking handstamp K-Type-I & transferred to NICOSIA RLO 8 MY 48 (all such "suspended service" covers were date-stamped 8 May at the Returned Letter Office per Kibble); eventually retrieved by the "Committee for Cyprus Detainees" (established by the Jewish Agency & Joint Distribution Committee for detainees' welfare) 23 AUG 1948 which stamped it with circular cachet & couriered it (by air?) to Israel where posted locally (TEL AVIV) 24-8-1948 with 10m Doar Ivri frank per domestic letter rate. Odd handling: Cyprus renewed postal relations with Israel already on 1 AUG, but this cover not transmitted on by the post office. Slit open at top; vert. fold, scattered spots; fine & scarce, certified by Muentz. Estimated value $1200-1500+

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Israel. GILGIL (Kenya) detention camp mail: stampless cover from Revisionist detainee to family HAIFA, sent via South African Zionist Federation airmail service to Palestine (parcels of letters were sent as "Air Freight" on Pan African Air Charter airlines [PAAC] via Rhodesia-Kenya-Khartoum-Wadi Halfa (Sudan)-Aden(!) to HAIFA; from 7 May mail from Gilgil detainees forwarded free of charge) & cover marked by their cachet "Per Postal Communication | Box 18 Johannesburg"; cover carried by air to HAIFA where transferred to Peltours mail operation which stamped it with their oval business "Palestine & Egypt Lloyd Ltd. | Passage Dept" cachet (this rarer than "Peltours TEL AVIV" cachet) & 17 JUN 1948 dated "TEL AVIV Emergency Post LA'ASSIREINU" circular cachet - special for Gilgil mail (Revisionist organization which paid for the postage) & posted it in TEL AVIV next day with 10m Doar Ivri frank affixed (fault at right): rare combination of 2nd mail shipment from South African service, handled by 3 organizations; sealing tape remains at right, applied in S. Africa; cut open at sides (each shortened). Sender was Menachem Pritel (Peremolnik), an Irgun/Etzel member from Haifa who graduated from its commanders course. Illustrated in IFPL p.81. Estimated value $1200-1500+

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