Receipt of the Sejera Agricultural Farm – Early Signature of David Ben-Gurion, Using His Birth Name of David Gruen ...

Receipt of the Sejera Agricultural Farm – Early Signature of David Ben-Gurion, Using His Birth Name of David Gruen – Sejera, June 1908
A receipt of the Sejera agricultural farm, hand-signed by David Ben-Gurion. Sejera, June 1908. French.
A receipt, mimeographed and filled-in by hand, which was issued by the Sejera agricultural farm for the supply of products for the farm. Signed at bottom right by Ben-Gurion, who signed with his birth name – "David Gruen".
The farm at Sejera was established in 1899, by the Jewish Colonization Association, as a center for agricultural training. Work at the farm began in 1900 and in 1902, the colony of Ilaniya was established on its grounds. David Ben-Gurion lived and worked in Sejera from October 1907 to October 1909. Among the successes of the agricultural enterprise of Sejera in its early years were employing Jewish guards from the "Bar Giora" organization where previously Arab guards were employed (known as "the conquest of guarding"); the establishment of the "HaChoresh" organization in an effort to unite all the workers in the colonies and national farms of the galilee; and the establishment of the first agricultural collective.
David Ben-Gurion was born as David Yosef Gruen (sometimes also Grin) in Płońsk, Poland. In 1910, at the age of 24, he published two articles in the "HaAchdut" journal under the name "Ben-Gurion", and never signed again with his "exilic" name (he chose his new name after one of the heroes of the Great Revolt – Joseph Ben-Gurion). After changing his name, Ben-Gurion became a strong supporter of Hebraization of surnames, later demanding that the members of his government and army officers Hebraize their names and forbidding people with foreign names to represent the State of Israel abroad.
Approx. 20.5X14 cm. Good condition. Horizontal fold line. The printed text is faded and partly erased. Rust and pinholes to upper left corner.