Today we are going to show a case of religious reasons for withdrawing an issue.

November 19, 1987, South Africa Postal Authorities intended to issue a four-stamp set to commemorate the Bible Society of South Africa, which was founded in 1820.

However, one of the stamps, the 40c stamp contained two lines of script, one in Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, and one in Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament. Both of the lines contained the word “God”.

The Orthodox Jewish community protested that the stamps were a serious transgression of Judaic law, which says that God’s name may appear only in the Torah and prayer books. It was not permissable for God's name to be torn, cancelled or defaced in any way, especially during mail handling process.

o offense had been intended by the Postal Authorities and they quickly recalled the 40c stamps from the Post Offices across South Africa, before the initial release date.

The stamps were prepared to be destroyed in the interests of religious harmony. However, they were informed this was equally unacceptable to the Jewish community and were told that the stamps should be buried.

The Postal Authorities decided that was a step too far and the stamps were duly destroyed.

It is understood that some of the smaller Post Offices were running short of 40c stamps and opened their parcels before the official release date. They were sold over the counter with many being used for postage. It is believed that less than 1300 stamps exist.

Israel and India established full diplomatic relations on January 29, 1992. However, even before that, Israel had a Consulate in Mumbai from 1953. Ties between the two countries flourished and currently include agricultural cooperation, water management collaboration, thriving trade, increasing tourism and much more. Over the last 32 years, Israelis have developed a special relationship with the people of India, and many people go to India in post army trips.

An announcement was made that on the 23rd February 2024, there would be a joint stamp issue with India depicting two colorful festivals, Purim and Holi, representing our close cultural links and similarities between our festivals. 

In 1975, the United Arab Emirates planned to issue a set of stamps to commemorate the Second Long Distance Swimming Championship, an event that underscored the country’s growing interest in promoting sports and physical fitness. The UAE, which had only recently been formed in 1971, was keen to establish a national identity and highlight its participation in international events.

The stamps were designed with a focus on the theme of swimming and the championship. They featured vibrant illustrations of swimmers and related aquatic imagery. The designs were completed, and the stamps were printed and prepared for release. One of the flags for the participating entities was the flag of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The compering countries were UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the PLO.


For reasons that remain somewhat unclear, the decision was made to withhold the release of these stamps. Scott Stamp catalog had a notation that noted that the stamps were withdrawn at the last moment because not enough supplies had been received from the printer. Initially the set was to be released in June 1975 but because the stamps had not arrived from the Crown Printers in England, the issue was postponed to August. However when not enough arrived even by then, it was cancelled.

Despite not being released, these stamps have become quite rare and sought after by collectors and prices range from $400 upwards, if you can find them. 

Israel announced a joint issue with the British Territory of Gibraltar to be issued in 2011 celebrating the easternmost (Israel) and westernmost (Gibraltar) extent of the Mediterranean Sea. The designed stamp depicted the rock overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar on the left side along with the flag with the coat of arms of the territory. The right side included the equally iconic Tower of David in the Old City of Jerusalem with the flag of Israel flying above.

Agreements between the two postal authorities were finalized and all was good.

But after the stamps were printed, the issue was canceled by the British Foreign Office. Although Gibraltar is supposed to be independent of Britain in most of its affairs, its foreign affairs are subordinate to the British authorities.

Image Courtesy: Ulrich Felzmann

In 2001, the German Ministry of Finance planned a special series of stamps to commemorate famous film stars. Audrey Hepburn was one of the selected icons. For more personally, her role in "My Fair Lady" was the best but my wife will never agree with me. Isn't that what wives do anyway? 

We all know how the rise of Nazism during the 1930s was not only a threat to the world, but also a threat to exterminate Jews, starting with Europe.

So, during the early 1940s, as the world was engulfed in the flames of World War II, many Jews in British Mandate Palestine felt a powerful urge to contribute to the fight against the Axis powers. Motivated by a mix of reasons—ranging from a deep desire to combat Nazism and protect their homeland to gaining military experience for the future defense of their community—these brave individuals enlisted in the British Army.

Their decision to enlist was profoundly influenced by David Ben Gurion's declaration in 1939: "We will fight the White Paper as if there is no war, and fight the war as if there is no White Paper." The British White Paper of 1939 had severely restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine and land purchases by Jews, a move that was deeply resented by the Jewish community and it was also against the mandate that the British had received from the League Of Nations. Ben Gurion's statement encapsulated a dual commitment: resisting British policies that undermined Jewish aspirations in Palestine while simultaneously supporting the Allied war effort against the Nazis.

Among those Jews who volunteered, some were captured by the Nazis during various campaigns in Europe, particularly in Libya, Greece and Crete in 1941 and early 1942. These soldiers, now prisoners of war, were sent to different POW camps across Nazi-occupied Europe. However most Palestinian Jews were sent to camp Stalag VIII-B, later renamed Stalag-344, located near Lamsdorf, now Łambinowice, Poland. The conditions in this camp were brutal, with severe shortages of food, inadequate shelter, forced labor, and the constant threat of disease.


Despite these hardships, the Jewish POWs made efforts to maintain their morale and cultural identity. They organized religious services, educational activities, and cultural performances whenever possible. However, their situation was particularly dire due to the Nazis' awareness of their Jewish identity, which led to increased brutality and harsher treatment.

Meanwhile, the idea of forming a distinct Jewish military unit within the British Army had been proposed since the early years of the war. Jewish leaders and organizations lobbied persistently, and their efforts finally bore fruit. In September 1944, the British government announced the formation of the Jewish Brigade Group. This unit was composed of volunteers from Palestine and stood as the only independent, national Jewish military formation to serve in World War II. The British demanded that this be comprised of both Arabs and Jews and called it the Palestine Regiment. No Arabs volunteered.

After undergoing rigorous training in Egypt, the Jewish Brigade was deployed to the Italian front in early 1945. There, they participated in several battles, distinguishing themselves through their bravery and skill, contributing significantly to the final defeat of Nazi Germany.


Following the war, members of the Jewish Brigade turned their focus to the rescue and rehabilitation of Holocaust survivors in Europe. They played a crucial role in smuggling Jewish refugees to Palestine, often working against British immigration restrictions. The experience and training these soldiers gained were instrumental in the formation of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which would later become the military backbone of the nascent State of Israel.

The story of these Palestinian Jews in the British Army, their ordeals as POWs, and the eventual creation of the Jewish Brigade is a testament to their bravery, resilience, and unwavering dedication to their people. Their contributions during and after the war left an indelible mark on history and significantly influenced the establishment of the State of Israel. Ben Gurion's call to fight on two fronts—against the White Paper and the Axis powers—served as a guiding principle that bolstered their resolve and shaped their legacy.

Unfortunately today we see how the rise of Islam is not only a threat to the world, but also a threat to exterminate Jews. We are back to the 1930s.

You probably all know that the Sues Canal in Egypt was built by French and British engineers and managed by a French and British company? Right? You also know that Egypt had a king there, and it was the Kingdom of Egypt? Well this kingdom was aligned with the west and also not very pro-Israel, I mean it is the in-thing to be anti-Israel, the only Jewish country! Even the Americans had an arms embargo on poor little Israel. You also know that it was so western that British spitfires took off from Cairo and attacked Tel AViv during the 1948 War of Independence.

Well all good things come to an end and in 1952 a group of military officers called the Free Officers Movement, planned a coup d'etat that overthrew poor King Farouk I, who by the way had a great stamp collection. The Free Officers Movement wanted to end British influence in Egypt and establish a republic, well basically all western influence. In June 1953 King Farouk abdicated Egypt was declared a republic! The monarchy was abolished.

In 1954 Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein became Egypt's second president. Nasser wanted also wanted to move away from the west and more to Russia and this scared the west, partucularly the Americans and British. As such they withdrew funding for a huge dam, the Aswan Dam. Dammit, that was not a good move as the Soviets rushed in with funding.

In 1956 Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal in a speech in Alexandria. He announced that the canal will be managed and operated by the Suez Canal Authority, an Egyptian entity, instead of the international company that previously operated it. Nasser sought to establish Egypt's sovereignty. The nationalization of the canal led to the Suez crisis, a complex international conflict between Egypt, Israel, France and the United Kingdom. In essence it meant that shipping to Eilat was endangered.

The nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt led to a joint military operation by Israel, the United Kingdom and France against Egypt. The Israeli part of the operation was called Operation Kadesh, which began as early as October 29, 1956 , while the overall Anglo-French operation was called Operation Musketeer. Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France, invaded Egypt. The military operation was intended to restore Western control over the canal and oust Nasser from power. The invasion provoked significant international opposition, mainly from the United States and the Soviet Union. The two powers, despite their Cold War rivalry, pressured the invading forces to withdraw. Operation Kadesh ended on November 7th 1956 with the entire Gaza Strip in Israel hands, meaning no more terror attacks from Gaza.

On October 31, 1956, during the first stages of the Suez crisis, the "Ibrahim al-Awal" received an order to bomb the city of Haifa in Israel. The ship fired several shells at the oil refinery area in the city, causing some damage but no significant casualties.

The ship "Ibrahim Al-Awal" was originally a British frigate of the Hunt series, built for the British Royal Navy during World War II. She was launched as HMS Mendip in 1940 and took part in significant battles during the war. After World War II, HMS Mendip was sold to the Egyptian Navy in 1951 and renamed "Ibrahim El-Awl".



As a small curiosity, in 1957 Israel organized a weapons exhibition in Haifa and showed the weapons captured in Operation Kadesh. The exhibition took place on the captured Egyptian ship.