ISRAELI STAMPS ON DISPLAY

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28415, 23 October 1957, Page 19

ISRAELI STAMPS ON DISPLAY

Exhibition In Christchurch “ft * s . only eight years since the Jewish race, after wandering the earth for nearly 2000 years, u ’ as x. able to return to th e land of their fathers and found the State of Israel,” said the DeputyMayor of Christchurch (Mr G. Manning) when he was opening an exhibition of Israeli stamps yesterday afternoon. The exhibition is being held until November 1 in the lounge of the D.I.C. Mr Manning spoke of the interest in Israel the exhibition would create in Christchurch and said that such exhibitions engendered goodwill and helped to bring about an understanding of common problems. The president of the Christchurch Philatelic Society (Dr. H. Turner Jennings) said the collection did more than teach us the geography of this part of the Mediterranean— a it is a message of goodwill and friendship from a young nation still struggling to establish itself,” he said. Leading Collector Mr W. Peers, the foremost collector of Israeli stamps in New Zealand, recalled his visits to Palestine and. after the State had been founded, to Israel. Mr Peers began collecting Israeli stamps in 1948 and has five complete volumes, each of 70 or 80 pages, of the stamps issued by Israel. The exhibition is on loan from the Legation of Israel in Sydney and members of the Legation in Wellington were present at the opening. About 30 persons attended, many of whom were members of the Jewish community in Christchurch. The stamps are mounted in sets on panels and are accompanied by photographs of the original tablets or emblems the stamps depict. They cover the history of Israel, its religion and the life of the people. Current events and scenic views are depicted in some stamps and the state of military tension is represented by stamps showing battle and defence.