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 HISTORY OF THE SIPThe formal history of the SIP began in 1948 in New York City. A group of men with a common interest in Israel and Holyland philately gathered to organize a society dedicated to publishing, exhibiting and learning Holyland postal history. The first president was Dr. Louis Sarrow. During the first decade, the society started publishing a journal called the Israel-Palestine Philatelist and attending various stamp shows in and around the New York City area. Eventually, additional chapters started to emerge, with Los Angeles, Albany and Canada all affiliating during the 1950's. Shows became an important destination for Holyland and Israel stamp collectors to meet and socialize. The ASDA Show in New York City, FIPEX, NASPEX, ISPEX and WESTPEX in San Francisco became major points for exhibiting. Many volunteers helped organize these stamp exhibitions.
The 1970's were exciting years of more growth. Conventions were held annually in locations around the nation and the level of exhibits became world-class. Gold medal awards were won by the SIP's members at the International, national and local levels. Meetings were held to discuss how to manage the Society's finances and budgets were coordinated to meet the growing demands of a Society with over 1,000 members. The 1980's saw new leaders emerge to foster Holyland philately throughout the world. Cooperatives were formed with the World Philatelic Congress (WPC), and gentlemen like Dr. Emil Dickstein and Ari Ben-David helped build cultural exchanges between Holyland philatelists throughout the world. Conventions in Baltimore, San Francisco, Newark and Cleveland acted to bring officers and collectors together for the purpose of sharing ideas. Volunteers like Howard Chapman, Nate Zankel, and Stan Raffel continue to maintain the exceptional services the Society offered. Many new lectures were written and slide shows developed which chapters and members used in promulgating collecting interests in Forerunners, British Mandate, Interim Period and more. Although philately, in general, went through many transitions and consolidations, the Society of Israel Philatelists continued to flourish under the great leadership of presidents like Paul Aufrichtig, Howard Chapman, Henry (Hank) Stern and Mike Kaltman during the 1990's. Dr. Stadtler insured the continuity of the award-winning IP and new research continued to surface which became available to all collectors through the SIP's publications. The Society built a website and began an Endowment program during the 1990's under the auspices of Michael Bass which set the stage for the new century ahead. Membership reached a peak of over 1,700 members and many became Life Members. The Society has the foundations in place to succeed in the twenty-first century. Membership continues to be strong and dedicated to education and exhibiting. New leaders like Mr. Ed Kroft, Dr. Bob Pildes and Michael Bass have set policies in motion to attract more members. Advertising in major publications and participation in stamp shows is at an all-time high for the society. Mr. Don Chafetz has taken over editorship of the IP and has brought it into a level of colorful standards where writers can share their research. The Endowment is growing towards insuring the long-range viability of Holyland and Israel stamp collecting. Advancements in technology and communications via the Internet will assist the Society in drawing people with a broad interest in philately and more specifically, in Holyland history. These foundations, begun over 50 years ago, will bring the Society to a new level in the years to come.
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During the 1960's, Israel continued to issue some of the world's prettiest stamps and collectors throughout the United States became more interested in learning about the Holyland's postal operations. New chapters in Cleveland, Rochester, Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and elsewhere swelled the Society's membership. The journal became "The Israel Philatelist" and was published bi-monthly. Writers contributed mightily to the learning process of members and the Society developed the Educational Fund to publish monograms and support the membership at large.
