A postcard written and signed by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, just one day after officially declaring the State of Israel’s independence, was recently discovered. Dated the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar in the Jewish year 5748 (May 15, 1948), the postcard was sent to the founding father of the kibbutz movement, Shlomo Lavi.

The message on the postcard reads, “The people of Israel have attained the pinnacle of their existence — the State of Israel has been born.”

According to the Jewish News Service (JNS), the postcard will be put up for public auction at the Kedem Auction House in Jerusalem. The revelation of the postcard overlapped with the discovery of a collection of 26 photographs that captured scenes depicting Arab belligerent forces during Israel’s War of Independence. The photos, to be auctioned with the postcard, are prized for their historic value.