Rare Vintage Photograph of Ze’ev Jabotinsky with Betar Members, c. 1930s

This original black-and-white photograph captures Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky (1880–1940), the founder and leader of the Revisionist Zionist movement, standing alongside young members of the Betar youth movement.

• Date: c. early–mid 1930s

• Size with farme: 13 × 33 cm (5 × 13 in)

• Medium: Gelatin silver print on paper

• Condition:  Good overall, with expected signs of age and light wear consistent with its time. The photograph is framed, preserving its historical character.

Jabotinsky, dressed in a formal double-breasted suit and tie, is easily recognizable at the center with his iconic round glasses. Surrounding him are Betar activists in their characteristic dark paramilitary-style uniforms with wide leather belts — a symbol of discipline, unity, and nationalist spirit.

The photograph likely originates from Poland or Latvia, where Betar flourished during the interwar years, training thousands of Jewish youths in self-defense, Hebrew culture, and Zionist ideology. Betar gatherings with Jabotinsky were rare and highly symbolic, as he spent much of his later life in exile, traveling across Europe and the United States to rally support for Jewish statehood and mass immigration to Palestine.

Such photographs are exceptionally rare, offering both historical and collector’s value. They document not only the charismatic leadership of Jabotinsky but also the early formative years of a generation that would later shape Jewish resistance and state-building.

👉 A museum-quality piece for collectors of Zionist history, Jewish resistance, or vintage political photography.