Ahead of Israel Independence Day on May 14, Pennsylvania-based historical autograph and document dealer Raab Collection announced Tuesday that the only known, signed copy of the recognition of the Jewish state of Israel's existence would be posted for sale.
It's worth noting this document is not the original press release from May 14, 1948.
However, the unique document, priced at $300,000, is the original exhibition copy for both the US and Israeli governments, as well as the only known version of the release to include Truman's signature.
Though Truman indeed issued the final release in 1948, the document itself did not feature his signature. It would not be until 1964 at the New York World's Fair that a photocopy, provided by Zecharia Sitchin, the chairman of the American-Israel Pavilion of the fair, was signed by Truman.
According to the Times of Israel, the document has remained until now in the hands of the Sitchin family and was publicly displayed three times: at the 1986 Statue of Liberty centennial celebration in New York City; in 1988 for Israel's 40th anniversary at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC; and at the 1988 Zionist Organization of America convention in Jerusalem.
The original copy of the press release can be found in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, located in Independence, Missouri.
Though his company is selling the piece of Jewish and American history, Raab Collection President Nathan Raab hopes whoever decides to purchase the document has good intentions. "As an American Jew, I would hope and expect that the document's new owners will put this treasure on display for the public," Raab told the Times of Israel.
