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Meir David Loewenstein Papers Related to the Establishment of the State of Israel

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Loewenstein, Meir David (1904-1995)

Meir David Loewenstein was an Israeli politician who served on a number of early Israeli government bodies. Born in Copenhagen, Loewenstein was educated in Zurich and at the Rabbinical Seminary in Amsterdam (Nederlandsch Israëlietisch Seminarium). He immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1934. In 1948 Loewenstein became a member of the Moetzet HaAm, representing Agudat Yisrael, and was one of the signatories of Israel's declaration of independence. He was a member of the Provisional State Council (The Constituent Assembly), the Constitution Committee, and the First Knesset. Loewenstein was elected in Israel's first elections (1949) as a member of the United Religious Front.

The collection consists of official letters of the three Provisional Institutions active prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and during its first year of existence: The People's Council – Moetzet HaAm; The People's Administration – Minhelet HaAm; and The Provisional State Council – Moetzet HaMedina HaZmanit, later named The Constituent Assembly and eventually named: The First Knesset. The collection include documents sent and distributed solely to members of the aforementioned administrations, including formal ordinances, protocols and booklets, some issued prior to the establishment of the state of Israel and some shortly after its establishment, with a significant amount of materials documenting the onset of legislation in the young State of Israel.

Description in the finding aid includes information provided by the dealer.

The collection was purchased from Joseph Landau in 2024. The accession number associated with this purchase is ML-2024-002.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

The collection was processed by Will Clements in 2024. Materials were rehoused into acid free folders and some folders were grouped according to administrative function, but otherwise no significant physical arrangement was done at this time.

No materials were separated from this accession during 2024 processing.

Publisher
Public Policy Papers
Finding Aid Author
Will Clements
Finding Aid Date
2024 April 23
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use, but is temporarily restricted in 2025 for digitization.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Miscellaneous 1948 Materials, 1948. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

This folder includes (among other 1948 materials): invitations to sessions and ceremonies; a small folding white-bristol card printed in blue with headlines "Moetzet HaAm, Moshav Hachrazat HaAtzmaut, Tel Aviv, 14.5.1948" (Hebrew: declaration of Independence session, Tel-Aviv, 14.5.1948); a map of Jerusalem depicting zones under Israeli Defense Forces control and the Jordanian zones; memoranda and documents concerning Folke Bernadotte's (UN Mediator in Palestine) proposal for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the borders of the State of Israel; and documentation of ordinances and regulations.

Physical Description

1 folder

Protocols of the Provisional Government and Provisional State Council Meetings, 1948-1949. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Provisional Government, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Provisional Government Elections, 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Provisional State Council, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Documents of the First Knesset, 1949-1950. 4 folders.
Physical Description

4 folders

Early Regulations and Procedures of State, 1948-1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

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