In recent days, an unknown Polish passport was discovered, with the photograph and signature of the Rabbi Aharon Rokeach, the ourth Rebbe of Belz.
The passport was prepared for the purpose of leaving the country at the height of the War of Independence. It was issued in Tel Aviv by the Polish consulate on March 10, 1948. The passport is to be sold for sale next month at the Kedem auction house in Jerusalem.
The passport was prepared against the background of the petition of the Rebbe's followers from Europe who were concerned about his safety following the dangerous situation in Israel. This plan did not come to fruition because of the rebbe's decision to remain in the land of Israel.
Maron Aran, one of the owners of the Kedem auction house, says that "This is a rare historical item of extraordinary value that came into our possession, an unknown passport that was not recognized until now, neither among the Belz Hasidim nor among the researchers of the period. The passport is an important symbol of the difficult period Belz Hasidism went though at the time of the establishment of the State - from Holocaust to Revival."