The Philatelic Service of the Israel Postal Service issued several fascinating stamps on a variety of topics this month, spanning a variety of periods and disciplines.
Among them is a stamp focusing on the centennial year of Nili - a small but tough Jewish espionage organization that operated in the Land of Israel during World War I. Its members were colorful characters, such as brother and sister Aharon and Sarah Aharonson, who eventually sacrificed their lives to assist the British in ending the Ottoman rule. Founder Avshalom Feinberg was killed by Turkish forces in the Rafah area (southern Gaza), and his grave was identified only years later by a date palm tree growing on the site from the pit of a date he had held in his pocket. Three towns have been named in commemoration of Feinberg's heroism and death: Diklah (a variation of the word dekel, which means date palm) in the Yamit region, which was dismantled in 1982 when Israel left the Sinai; Dekel in the Gaza Strip, which was dismantled in 2005 when Israel left Gaza; and Avshalom, located south of Gaza in the Halutza region.
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