1949 E. Lewin Epstein Limited Israeli City Plan or Map of Yafo / Jaffa, Israel - PROOF STATE

A true rarity, this is a c. 1949 E. Lewin Epstein city map of Yafo / Jaffa, Israel. Here in a proof state, this is likely the first published Israeli map of Jaffa. Individual buildings are illustrated and streets are labeled throughout. An index, situated along the right side, lists 106 locations throughout the city.

Proof State

Each of the 106 locations identified in the index is provided a number. Presumably, these numbers would be used to identify each location with a corresponding number on the map. In this example, circles intended for numbers are blank (except for one, which bears the number '4'). This omission suggests the present map is an incomplete proof.

Dating the Map

From index, we can deduce this map was printed between 1948 and 1950. The Yafor Theater, identified under the index's 'Theater' section, began in 1937 as the Alhambra Cinema, one of the most luxurious movie theaters in Palestine. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the theater rebranded as the Yafor. Anglo-Palestine Ltd. is identified under the 'Bank' section of the index. Anglo-Palestine Ltd. formed in 1902 and opened its first branch in Jaffa in 1903. It was renamed Bank Leumi le-Israel in 1950.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by the municipality of Tel Aviv and published c. 1949 by E. Lewin Epstein Ltd. As this is a proof state, this is a unique, perhaps one-of-a-kind item. Its rarity is increased by the fact that we have been unable to locate any other examples, either proofs or production editions, suggesting that this map may never have been published in quantity.