Antique Bezalel Olive Wood Siddur Jewish Prayer Book Jerusalem C1920 Rachel Tomb

Details

Description

This is an authentic, highly collectible early 20th-century Jewish prayer book (Siddur) featuring a hand-finished olive wood binding originating from … Read more This is an authentic, highly collectible early 20th-century Jewish prayer book (Siddur) featuring a hand-finished olive wood binding originating from the historic artisanal trade of Jerusalem.

The front cover is crafted from solid, beautifully grained olive wood panels with elegantly beveled edges. Centered on the front cover within an arched architectural frame is a hand-painted vignette depicting Rachel's Tomb (קבר רחל) in Bethlehem, flanked by a prominent ancient olive tree. Beneath the illustration, the title "Siddur Tefillah" (סדור תפלה) is deeply crisp and hand-inked in a classic Hebrew block script.

The reverse cover displays a distinct, high-contrast wood grain orientation and features a stamped, central diamond-shaped mandate hallmark reading "Bezalel Jerusalem" (בצלאל ירושלם) surrounded by an intricate, geometric filigree accent. The spine is bound in its original textured brown cloth/faux-leather material, heavily embossed with intricate Art Nouveau-style foliate borders, grape clusters, and the gilt-stamped Hebrew title Siddur Korban Mincha / Rav Peninim.

Internally, the title page confirms this is the complete Korban Mincha / Rav Peninim edition following the Nusach Sefard rite, published in Jerusalem by the esteemed house of R' Mendel Friedman and Partner in the Hebrew year תרצ"ה (1935). The volume is notably thick, traditional for this compilation, and includes the standard prayers alongside Yiddish commentary and directives intended historically for the household.

Item Specifications

Object: Jewish Daily & Festival Prayer Book (Siddur / סדור תפלה)

Text/Liturgical Rite: Siddur Korban Mincha / Rav Peninim (סדור קרבן מנחה / רב פנינים השלם), Nusach Sefard (נוסח ספרד)

Publisher: R' Mendel Friedman & Partner (ר' מנדל פרידמן ושותפו), Jerusalem

Year of Publication: Hebrew Date תרצ"ה (5695), corresponding to 1935

Cover Workshop: Bezalel Workshop / Bezalel Style, Jerusalem (c. 1920s–1930s)

Materials: Carved and Beveled Olive Wood (Olea europaea), Faux-Leather/Cloth Spine with Embossed Gilt Foliate and Grape Cluster Decoration, Enamel Paint, Lettering Inks.

Dimensions: Approx. 4.75" x 6.75" x 2.0" (12 cm x 17 cm x 5 cm)

Language: Hebrew with integrated Yiddish instructions/translations

Condition Report
Binding & Covers: Excellent as-found vintage condition. The olive wood panels have an untouched, rich original patina with light surface handling marks and minor hairline surface checking consistent with aged timber. There is a small, natural wood knot/split stabilization near the lower edge of the front panel text, which is a structural characteristic of the original wood slice and not post-market damage.

Spine & Edges: The original embossed spine shows typical shelf wear and fraying at the head and foot of the backstrip, but remains structurally intact and firmly attached.

Interior Pages: The text block is complete. Pages show natural age-toning and light handling browning at the edges, typical for 1930s regional paper stock. The binding remains tight and stable, without detached leaves. The geometric, woven-pattern endpapers are clean and intact.

Reference
Book Title: Bezalel Jerusalem: 1906–1929
Author/Editor: Nurit Shilo-Cohen / The Israel Museum
Page Reference: See pages 234–241 (Section covering the "Department of Wood Carving and Olive-Wood Work"), which outlines the specific development of carved, inked, and hand-painted souvenir religious articles featuring major holy sites such as Rachel's Tomb and the Western Wall during the early decades of the 20th century. See less