A vintage postcard of the Holy Land
lordmarcovan
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This vintage postcard of Mount Carmel and the bay at Haifa, Israel is an interesting and placid scene.
Dad gave it to me when I had dinner over at their place the other night. He used to work in the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa, so we often give each other assorted bits of Haifa/Palestine/Holy Land-related ephemera.
But this postcard is also an interesting blend of the sacred and the profane. Turning it over, I immediately recognized a very familiar- if rather infamous- portrait on the stamp.
Slightly ironic on a collectible from Israel, wouldn’t you say?
The Nahrung Ist Waffe postal cancellation with the picture of grain ears and a sword translates to “Food Is A Weapon”, I believe.
Given that Germany was a leading producer of color postcards in the early 20th century, I suppose it isn’t really all that surprising to find this one that was mailed to Vienna, which was part of the Third Reich at the time.
I'm curious to know what the message said, but don't read much German and have difficulty reading cursive handwriting in any event.
Comments
Berlin, November 14, 1943
Dear parents ! Sending you my dearest greetings from Berlin. We are comfortably together. Letter to follow. Many kisses (Harry.. or Mary)
(top right) Many greetings also from me, Lorenz.
The rest is simply ugly cursive German, which could say.. yo momma was a hamster. or something else.
Thanks!
I guess poor Harry wasn’t sitting so comfortably a few years later.