Dual Loyalties

The Builders, the Barons and the British

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A Tale of Two Men:

Raphael Kohn – Representative of Baron Rothschild

Joseph Kuperman – Assistant Commissioner
in the British Mandate 

Exhibition Curators: Avital Efrat and Yoram Fogel

A family archive, exposed for the first time, sheds light on events and scenes from the history of Zichron Ya'akov and Eretz Israel in the first half of the 20th century.

The centerpiece of the collection is a photo album given to Raphael Kohn as a retirement gift from JCA, after serving as Baron Rothschild's' representative in ZY for 40 years. Alongside are dozens of photos from special events and various periods of his life. His son-in-law, Joseph Kuperman, was among the few Jews to reach high positions in the British Mandatory government. His collection of personal photos, featuring all of the British High Commissioners, is a rare find.  

In addition to their family ties, another common thread is presented by the stories of these men: the tightrope that each of them were living on, as a member of two distinct groups with parallel, and often contradictory, narratives.

To Zichron Ya'akov’s “Hall of Fame” we hereby add the names of two heroes.