LETTER TO POSTAL AUTHORITY
| 14 Kislev 5757 (25/11/96)
Mr. Moshe Teri
Dear Mr. Teri, Shalom Aleichem. My name is Reuven Prager. My work of the last thirteen years has been to research and restore ancient Israelite customs. Our current project, timed to coincide with the 50th year celebrations in 1998, is to restore to Clal Yisrael the ancient custom of donating a special ceremonial Holy Half-Shekel coin on the 15th of Adar (Purim). Agreement has been reached in principle with the Israel Government Coin and Medal Corporation, Ltd. to produce and distribute the ceremonial coins, and with Brink's to facilitate safe transportation and collection of the ceremonial coins in Israel and abroad. Work is currently under way to sign up some 60,000 existing Jewish institutions worldwide to serve as points of sale and donation of the Half-Shekels, thereby giving every Jew worldwide the ability to have a participatory relationship with Jerusalem. Only in Israel does the problem arise of how to sell the Half-Shekels to the public without the necesity of charging VAT. In keeping with the principle of following the path of least resistence, it would be easier and faster to work within existing law rather then try to push through new legislation exempting the charging of VAT on one single "product". That is where the Postal Authority comes in. You have the ability to both sell the Half-Shekel without VAT and guarentee its availability in every nook and cranny of this country. The Half-Shekels will go on sale from the first of Adar until the 25th only. From the 15th of Adar the Half-Shekels will be collected in synagogues throughout Eretz Yisrael in specially designed shofar-shaped recepticles and delivered to the Office of the Chief Rabbinate for further disposition. You can find a complete archive of the project on the Internet at: ISRAELVISIT.CO.IL/BEGED-IVRI. I would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss with you the historical role that the Postal Authority can take in enabling Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael to totally restore this very precious gem to the Crown. G-d Bless,
Reuven Prager
cc:
Mr.Moshe Klirs, IGCMC Mr.Michael Kahanov, Brink's Israel |
| Jerusalem, December 18,1996
Mr. Reuven
Dear Sir, We thank you for your letter which the General Director of the Israel Postal Authority, Mr. Moshe Tery asked me to answer on his behalf. To the best of our knowledge, the Postal Authority Law which governs our activities does not allow us to sell coins and medals. Regarding your query, we intend to re-examine if there is a legal way for the Postal Authority to engage in selling the item you mentioned in your letter. Respectfullly yours,
Herzl Bar-Mag
cc:
Mr. Israel Eytan, Legal Advisor |
| 6 Nisan 5757 (4/13/97)
Mr. Moshe Teri
Dear Mr. Teri, Shalom! It is my great priviledge to inform you that we began production of the first ceremonial Half-Shekels in 1928 years on Purim, 14 Adar II 5757 (3/23/97). In returning to our discussions concerning selling the Half-Shekels to the Israeli public through the Post Office branches throughout the country, thereby guarenteeing availability and precluding the need to charge VAT, your legal department checked and found that if the service was provided "Metaam Hamidinah" (as a service on behalf of the State) then it is in the pervue of your Authority to sell the coins. My question to your legal depatment; Would a declaration from the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies for the 50th Year Celebrations, or from its Chairman, the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Moshe Katsav, that the Half-Shekel project was desired as service on behalf of the State, be sufficient to allow your participation? I have already met with Deputy Minister Tzvika Bruckner regarding the project and will be invited shortly to Tel Aviv for a meeting with the Amutah in charge of the celebrations on behalf of the State to sell them on the idea of offering the Half-Shekel as the "soul" of the celebrations. If I could extract from the Committee such a declaration could we start to work together? Perhaps a letter from you to that effect would help in extracting a declaration from them. Please advise. Blessings for a Kosher and Happy Pesach. G-d Bless, Reuven Prager
cc:
Mr. Michael Kahanov, Brink's |
| 7th Omer
22 Nisan 5757 (4/29/97) Mr. Moshe Teri
Dear Mr. Teri, Shalom! There is another way that the Postal Authority could participate in making the restoration of the custom of giving a Holy Half-Shekel to Jerusalem an established fact; by commemorating its reinstitution with a stamp depicting the ceremonial coin, perhaps on a backdrop of the ancient coins we used to fulfill the Commandment. It would have great appeal to a vast segment of the public, and would at any rate be an appropriate theme for a Purim issue. Keeping in mind that the ceremonial coins being minted right now are dated the year "50" [Shin, Noon] to tie into the 50th year celebrations, it would have the added relevance to the general commemorative issues of 1998, celebrating Israel's Jubilee year. Can you direct or recommend to the committee on stamp designs to issue such a stamp? G-d Bless, Reuven Prager
cc:
Mr. Michael Kahanov, Brink's |
| Israel Postal Authority
Jerusalem, July 17, 1997 Mr. Reuven Prager
Your ref: Your letter of April 13, 1997 to the Postal Authority Director General. Dear Mr. Prager, The Director General of the Postal Authority requested that I respond on his behalf to your above-referenced letter. First, let me apologize for our delay in responding to your proposal.
Due to complex legal considerations, our legal
In the event that the government, via the Committee for ceremonies and
Symbols, should inform us that it shall provide
We need to emphasize unconditionally that we cannot conduct sales of
your coins until the entire approval process has been
Yours faithfully,
Jacqueline Vuysje
|
| 2 Menachem Av (8/5/97)
Ms. Jacqueline Vuysje
Dear Ms. Vuysje, Shalom. Please excuse my delay in replying. I was out of the country. Thank you for your very positive letter and information. We would like to proceed with establishing contact with the Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols. Is there anyone presently sitting on the committee who has previous
experience with okaying products for sale through the
Thank you again for your encouraging cooperation. G-d Bless,
Reuven Prager
|
home page.