1857.
FIFTH VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND--MALTESE JEWS AND THEIR
GRIEVANCES--CAIRO, JAFFA, LYDDA, AND GEEB--ARRIVAL
IN JERUSALEM--THE APPEAL FUND INSTITUTIONS.
In order to ascertain the reasons for Sir Moses' return to Jerusalem
after so short an interval since his previous visit to the Holy City,
I must ask the reader to revert to the narrative I have given of his
previous pilgrimage in 1855. It was undertaken for the purpose of
alleviating the sufferings of the poor, and of establishing various
benevolent institutions there in the hope of preventing the recurrence
of distress. The object of his present journey was to give personal
supervision for a short time to the workings of those institutions.
Sir Moses began making preparations for this, his fifth journey,
in February. He resigned the presidency of the London Committee of
Deputies of British Jews, and made an agreement with Messrs J. J. and
T. R. Holman, millwrights of Canterbury, conjointly with the other
trustees, for the erection of a windmill in Jerusalem at the cost of
£1450. He attended a meeting at Count Strzelsky's, and agreed with the
other gentlemen present that nothing could now be done in the matter of
the Jerusalem railway; he, however, advanced his share of the expenses,
and withdrew altogether from the scheme.
On February 25th Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, accompanied by Dr
Hodgkin and Mr Gershon Kursheedt, left England for the Holy Land.
Proceeding _viâ_ Rome and Naples, they soon arrived at Malta, where
Sir William Reid, the Governor, gave them a very friendly reception,
drawing their special attention to the school for young gardeners at St
Antonio, the ladies' school, and to his (Sir William's) experiment in
rearing silkworms on castor-oil plants, an experiment which Sir Moses
proposed trying in the Holy Land. The Governor likewise showed him his
collection of implements for the improvement of Maltese agriculture.
The ploughs were from New York, and were very light. His Excellency
presented Sir Moses with one of them for the Holy Land.
The next day Sir Moses received a deputation from the Maltese Jewish
community, who complained of the great intolerance in the island, but
gratefully acknowledged their indebtedness to the English Government
for the protection it extended to them.
_Friday, May 1st._--Mr Laurence Oliphant, a gentleman whom Sir Moses
had last met at Sir Culling Eardly's, and who was now on his way to
China, as secretary to Lord Elgin, breakfasted with him. Mr Oliphant
took a great interest in all matters relating to the Holy Land, and
conversed freely with him on certain schemes which might serve to
improve the condition of its inhabitants.
On May 5th they arrived at Alexandria, where, all the hotels being
full, they accepted the hospitality of Mr Galloway.
Believing the Viceroy to be at a palace he had built in the desert,
three hours' distance from Alexandria, near the Lake Merotir, where
several regiments of his soldiers were encamped, Sir Moses went there
the next morning with his friends, but to his great disappointment he
found the Viceroy had gone four hours farther into the desert with most
of his troops, and was not expected back for a day or two.
There were only a few servants left in the palace. Sir Moses and the
other gentlemen walked to His Highness's large European tent, where
they remained three hours to repose and refresh the horses. About an
hour after their arrival a capital dinner was sent in to them. Sir
Moses himself only partook of bread and coffee.
_Thursday, May 7th._--A special train having been engaged to take the
Earl of Elgin and his suite to Cairo, Sir Moses was permitted to avail
himself of the same. When on board the steamboat crossing the Nile he
was introduced to his Lordship, whom Sir Moses describes as a very
handsome, chatty, and agreeable person.
At Cairo he received a deputation from the Hebrew congregation; visited
the Synagogue, a large handsome but plain building, and called on
the Governor, who had been to his house in London when His Highness
Said Pasha was staying with him. Thence Sir Moses proceeded to the
Citadel. He was invited to breakfast with Dr Etia, the physician of His
Highness Hálim Pasha, on the occasion of a religious festivity, but was
prevented from accepting the invitation by the overpowering heat of the
day and the consequent fatigue he experienced.
After remaining a few days at Cairo, they left the hospitable roof of
Mr Galloway, and proceeded to Jaffa, where they were received by Mr
Kháyát, the British Vice-Consul, Ahmed Agha Dizdar, the former Governor
of Jerusalem, and by the representatives of the community. "Jaffa,"
Sir Moses writes, "appears much larger, and a great number of houses
have been built since we were last there, only twenty-two months ago."
The English Vice-Consul had built a house with warehouses attached to
it, which, he told Sir Moses, cost him £10,000. Everything had doubled
in value in a few years, and houses and land could now only be bought
at extravagant prices. He thought, with or without the English, there
would soon be a railway to Jerusalem. Ahmed Agha Dizdar, who had
brought five soldiers under his command to accompany Sir Moses and Lady
Montefiore while in the Holy Land, joined their dinner party, and made
them offers of valuable land.
_May 17th._--They visited the garden, or Biárá, as it is generally
called, which had been bought by Sir Moses for the Trustees of the
Appeal Fund, and remained there for an hour, examining the reports
handed to him by Mr Minor, and inspecting the plantation of new
trees. Subsequently he visited the house and garden of the English
Vice-Consul. "He has," Sir Moses says, "30 acres outside the town, and
wishes to sell it for £1000; he also possesses large plantations of
orange, mulberry, lemon, and palm trees. Our own garden could be better
managed, but it is 40 acres in extent, and a splendid piece of land."
_May 18th._--Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore left Jaffa. The Governor of
the town passed half an hour with them before they set off, and wished
to ride out of the city with them, but it being Rámádan, Sir Moses
prevailed on him to desist from his intentions, as he was fasting.
Ahmed Agha, with many of his horsemen, as well as the British Consul of
Jerusalem and the Vice-Consul of Jaffa, were with them. Ahmed Agha and
the Consul of Ramlah, with an officer from Jaffa, rode with them all
the way to Jerusalem.
On the road they had some Turkish music, and as they passed the several
villages they were met by the Governors and their officers. After
a pleasant ride of four hours they arrived at Lydda, and encamped
there, in a beautiful vineyard a short distance from the town. They
had two sheep cooked for Ahmed Agha's men, who, after sunset, made
a great feast, and were very merry. For Sir Moses Lydda was a place
of special interest, on account of its having been famous during the
second century for its Colleges and Synagogues. Mr Galloway, the other
gentleman who was with Sir Moses, only came to Lydda to ascertain what
facilities the place offered for the projected railroad to Jerusalem.
It will perhaps be remembered that, at one of the meetings held in
London in connection with this project, one of the gentlemen present
proposed having a railway from Jaffa to Lydda, and from there a
macadamised road over the hills to Jerusalem.
On May the 19th they started for Geeb. Sir Moses remarks that the
road was exceedingly bad, through dry beds of former torrents, over
desperately stony hills. They rode for an hour and a half in darkness,
and, Sir Moses confesses, in great terror. He could not see his
horse's head, but they followed Ahmed Agha as well as they could. Lady
Montefiore was greatly alarmed, more so, Sir Moses says, than she had
been in all her life; but after retiring to rest she soon recovered her
courage.
_May 20th._--They arrived at Jerusalem, and were most cordially
received by all the inhabitants, who appreciated the object for
which they came. After having attended several meetings of the
representatives of the Holy City to hear the reports they had to give
them of their communal affairs, they visited the dispensary under the
direction of Dr Fränkel, the weaving establishment, and the girls'
school.
Eight persons belonging to the weaving establishment stated that
they were able to get a living. One said he could now keep his wife
and family; another observed, "The bread gained by the labour of the
hands was most sweet;" a third said that "formerly when he rose in the
morning he knew not where to get a morsel of bread, now he enjoyed his
regular meals, and blessed the name of God"; and a fourth remarked that
"formerly he carried stones in some gentleman's garden for a scanty
pittance, now he earned, comparatively speaking, sufficient to live
comfortably." All agreed that the weaving master was a good man, and
they preferred the present house in which the work is done to the old
one which they used to occupy.
Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore describe their visit to the girls' school
in terms conveying to the reader the idea of their satisfaction.
"We were delighted with it," they say. "There are three class-rooms.
No. 1 has eight forms, with forty-five pupils, belonging to the
Portuguese community, with four teachers. No. 2 has seven forms, with
forty pupils, with two teachers; and No. 3 has also seven forms, and
forty pupils, with only one teacher, but an excellent instructor."
"Nos. 2 and 3," they continue, "were German children, and very clever
indeed. The schools and scholars will bear comparison with any in
England."
On their return home from the day's excursions, they invited the
ladies' committee of needle-women to attend a meeting which had been
convened there, and Sir Moses then entrusted them with the entire
management of the Society. The ladies all expressed themselves as
greatly pleased with the charge, and promised to attend the school, and
themselves give out the needlework to all the pupils.
With regard to those whom the Committee had enabled to engage in
agriculture in Safed and the Bokea, Sir Moses was told that eight had
the misfortune to lose their cattle by death or by theft, and only
one succeeded in making a profit. At Tiberias the work of agriculture
had met with even less success. The prevalence of drought caused the
death of the cattle, and the ravages of cholera prevented the men from
attempting to ameliorate their condition.
The principal cause of the unhappy issue of this first agricultural
attempt, however, must be ascribed to the insufficiency of the amount
which the Appeal Fund Committee considered themselves justified in
advancing to the Safed and Tiberias poor. The latter had neither
houses, barns, stables, nor agricultural implements, nor had they any
means of their own to live upon till the gathering in of the first
produce of their fields.
We can now record most gratifying instances of the results of
agriculture pursued by the poor in the Holy Land who had the good
fortune to meet with friends in Paris and in other places, in Germany,
Poland, and Russia; and the general opinion of those who know the Holy
Land is that agriculture, when properly attended to, may be considered
the best means of securing a useful and comfortable life to the poor
who, from religious motives, may prefer that country to any other.
With reference to the Jaffa garden, which was then cultivated by two
Jewish families, Classen and Litman, under the superintendence of the
former tenant of the estate, Dr Hodgkin and Mr Galloway made a report,
at the request of Sir Moses, in which they state as follows:--
"In the year 1856 they expended 28,700 Egyptian piastres, whilst their
income only amounted to 27,544 piastres."
When Sir Moses bought this property for the Appeal Fund Committee, with
a view of encouraging agriculture among the Jews, it contained no less
than 1407 trees of every description. Knowing that similar gardens and
fields in possession of the natives were very profitable, he was rather
surprised at this result. Still he contented himself with the hope that
the property would increase in value, if it were once decided to have
a railroad to Jerusalem, in which case that place would be a great
acquisition for the directors for the purposes of the Jaffa railway
station; and, in the meanwhile, three poor families were deriving some
advantage from its cultivation.
From that time up to the present the expenses have, on an average, not
been less than £40 a year.
Offers were made by some persons to pay a high rent for the property,
but they could only do that, they said, after having had possession of
the land for at least ten years; and to this Sir Moses did not feel
inclined to agree.
A few days later he inspected the preparations which were then being
made for the erection of the windmill, and held special conferences in
the garden with the elders of the several communities regarding the
hospital he intended to build on a spot not far from the mill.
The spiritual heads of the German congregations, however, considered
it advisable to have almshouses instead of a hospital, "as such an
institution had been built within the last year by the Baroness Bettie
de Rothschild in memory of the late Mayer de Rothschild, and although
not large enough for the numerous poor in Jerusalem, still," they
thought, "it might probably soon be enlarged by the same lady for
the accommodation of a greater number." "Moreover, for the sake of
preserving peaceful relations between all parties in Jerusalem," they
added, "it would be desirable to be satisfied for the present with one
hospital."
Sir Moses consented to their suggestion, notwithstanding the great
trouble he had taken in the matter, and the heavy expenses he had
incurred by having elaborate plans of the building made, and having
gone to Constantinople to obtain the special permission of the Sultan
for it.
_Thursday, May 21st._--Count Pisamani, the Austrian Consul, informed
him that he would proceed in a fortnight to Constantinople to get a
firman for a highway or carriage road from Jaffa to Jerusalem.
The Emperor of Russia, he was told by the same gentleman, had sent £50
to the poor Jews of the Warsaw congregation at Jerusalem. His Imperial
Majesty had also given permission to his Jewish subjects in Poland to
send money to the Holy Land. Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore were much
pleased with this gratifying news.
The Loan Society, established by the Appeal Fund Committee, was next
examined, and found to have done much good. The necessity of having
such an institution was proved, and it was decided by Sir Moses to
continue it, although in some cases the loans could not be recovered on
account of the abject poverty of the borrowers.
Sir Moses received and paid visits to the Governor, the Consul, the
patriarchs of various religious communities, visited, as on former
occasions, most of the places held in veneration, and having obtained
all the information in connection with the institutions established by
the Appeal Fund, left Jerusalem on the 7th June, arriving at Alexandria
on the 11th of that month.
The attention shown to Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore by the Pasha of
Egypt has already been described by me when referring to their visit
to Alexandria in the year 1849. On the present occasion the friendly
feeling of His Highness was, if possible, even more strongly displayed.
Sir Moses was impressed with the idea that any act of kindness shown
to him by the Pasha might leave a favourable impression on the
Egyptian population, inasmuch as the latter would notice His Highness'
friendly sentiments towards a member of the Hebrew community, and it
might possibly induce them to cultivate more friendly relations with
his co-religionists. He had entered in his Diary full particulars of
the reception given to him also on the present occasion by order of
His Highness. One of the Pasha's palaces was prepared for him, the
viceregal boats, manned by sailors and soldiers in full uniform, were
sent to meet Sir Moses, and royal carriages were in waiting to drive
his party to the Palace. Magnificent entertainments were arranged
for him. There were elegant repasts served by thirty attendants. The
Governor of Alexandria came to offer his services, and carriages and
horses with runners at the side were continually at his disposal.
"The morning after our arrival," Sir Moses writes, "the Governor sent
to inquire after our health. In the course of the day Lady Montefiore,
accompanied by Mrs Tibaldi, paid a visit to the Princess, who received
her with the utmost kindness, and made her promise to spend a day with
her.
"I returned the Governor's visit, accompanied by my friends and the
officer appointed to attend me during my stay in Egypt. His Excellency
received me at the Grand Palace, came to the top of the staircase to
meet me, and showed every possible mark of respect.
"He invited me to pay him a visit at Cairo, which I promised to do."
_June 15th._--In accordance with a previous arrangement with the
Governor, Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore proceeded to Cairo; there they
again had a princely reception in the palace. "The breakfast," Sir
Moses says, "was magnificently served in truly regal state; not less
than thirty-two servants were in attendance."
At six o'clock in the morning, attended by the civil engineer, a
colonel in the Egyptian Army, and their own party, they set out in
three carriages for the railway, and proceeded on the line to Tuck,
through the desert for forty miles. The railway was well finished
thus far, and works in construction for carrying the line three hours
further. It is expected to be finished by the end of June. "The scene
in the desert," Sir Moses says, "was most interesting; hundreds of
camels, thousands of men as busy as ants; at present there are ten
thousand men at work!"
Magnificent as the palace was which they occupied, the millions of
mosquitoes and their innumerable associates, stinging their faces
and hands, did not permit them to remain an hour at rest in their
apartments, and they had to leave them for the adjoining gallery; there
they passed the night on chairs. They were glad, when the morning came,
to ride to the Synagogue, where they felt the soothing effect of a cool
and refreshing breeze (the building excluding the rays of the sun, and
conveniently permitting the currents of air to pass), which the palace
in the previous night could not offer them.
They left Cairo in the Pasha's carriages, accompanied by several
officers, for the railway, where every arrangement had been made for
their journey to Alexandria, which place they reached at 5 A.M. Ahmed
Bey, one of the officers of the Pasha, was waiting there to receive
them. They proceeded immediately to the palace, with three carriages,
two outriders, and runners.
_June 18th._--Sir Moses attended divine service at five in the morning,
and met in the house of prayer the newly appointed spiritual head of
the community, who happened to have entered into office on that day
for the first time. The Rev. M. Hazan, a native of Jerusalem, who had
recently filled a similar office at Corfu, had been appointed Rabbino
Maggiore in Alexandria. His name is well known in England, as he took
an active part in the deliberations on subjects connected with reform
movements in the Synagogue.
_June 19th._--We find Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore on board the
_America_, Captain Florio, in the harbour of Alexandria; and on Sunday,
June 21st, they were on their voyage to Trieste, where they arrived on
the 27th, and proceeded, _viâ_ Adelsberg, Laibach, Vienna, and Hanover,
to England.
On Sunday, July 19th, they arrived at Ramsgate, after an absence of
five months.