1860.
THE SULTAN PERMITS THE BUILDING OF THE JERUSALEM
ALMSHOUSES--CONCESSION FOR A CARRIAGE-ROAD FROM
JAFFA TO JERUSALEM--SIR MOSES CHAMPIONS THE PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS OF SYRIA--PUNISHMENT OF THE
CULPRITS--DISQUIETING REPORTS FROM DAMASCUS.
The year 1860 opens with the record of a satisfactory reply from the
Turkish Government to Sir Moses' petition respecting the building of
the Juda Touro Almshouses in Jerusalem, the interruption of which,
by order of Sureya Pasha, had caused him much annoyance and expense.
Musurus Pasha, the Turkish Ambassador in London, thus addresses him on
the subject.
"I have the pleasure to inform you that I have just received a dispatch
from His Excellency Fuad Pasha, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
the Sublime Porte, in reply to the communication that I addressed to
His Excellency on the subject of the interference by the Imperial
authorities at Jerusalem with the erection of the building lately
commenced there by your orders for the benefit of your co-religionists.
This dispatch states that although, according to the general
regulations respecting fortified places in the Ottoman dominions, the
erection of such buildings in such proximity to a fortress should
not be permitted, yet, notwithstanding this, considering that an
exceptional permission was previously granted to you of which you have
already availed yourself to erect a building in the vicinity of the
fortress above mentioned, His Imperial Majesty the Sultan has been
pleased to order that the building last begun should be allowed to be
finished, according to your wish, and the necessary orders have in
consequence been sent to His Excellency the Governor of Jerusalem.
"Congratulating you on this desirable result being obtained, I have the
honour to be, &c."
About the same time he received some intelligence from Count Pizzamano,
the Austrian Consul in Jerusalem, respecting a subject which had often
engaged his attention in former years, viz, the construction of a
carriage road from Jaffa to Jerusalem. It appears that the Count had at
last succeeded in obtaining a fifty years' concession from the Turkish
Government for the purpose, and he now proposed forming a company
with a capital of one million francs, on which he calculated he could
offer the shareholders a dividend at the rate of ten per cent. per
annum, leaving a surplus to be divided between the contractors and the
Amortisation Fund.
The Count was not willing to dispose of any shares before hearing from
Sir Moses; and asked him whether he would be inclined to associate
himself in the undertaking, sharing profits and losses alike; or,
should this not suit him, how many shares he would take himself, and
how many he could place in England among his friends?
The concession which the Turkish Government granted to Count Pizzamano
to facilitate traffic in the Holy Land may probably have had some
connection with the conversation Sir Moses had with Musurus Pasha in
London on the subject of Jewish colonisation, consequent upon the
offer which the French Government had made to the Jews of Morocco.
However gratifying the communication of Count Pizzamano may have been
to Sir Moses, his advanced age, and the great anxiety occasioned by
the very unsatisfactory state of Lady Montefiore's health, precluded
the possibility of his then associating himself with the Count in his
important undertaking.
_April 3rd._--Sir Moses laid the foundation stone of the Spanish and
Portuguese Branch Synagogue at Bryanston Street, near Cumberland Place,
towards the building of which he and Lady Montefiore had contributed
£500.
_June 15th._--The Viceroy of Egypt sent him a portrait of his son,
Toussoun Pasha, with a very complimentary letter.
_July 3rd._--The entry of this day, regarding the Juda Toura Almshouses
in Jerusalem, I give in Sir Moses' own words.
[Illustration: JUDAH TURO ALMHOUSES AT JERUSALEM. _See Vol. II., page
111._]
"Being anxious," he writes, "to make arrangements, with the advice of
our esteemed Chief Rabbi and Dr Loewe, for the guidance of Mr Kursheedt
respecting the filling of the Almshouses in Jerusalem, as so much
would depend on the choice of individuals,--I wish them to be persons
of excellent character, men well learned in our Law, who devote much
of their time to study, and by whom a nice house, free of rent, in a
pleasant situation, would be considered a boon,--I therefore started at
seven o'clock with Mr Kursheedt for Brighton to consult Dr Loewe."
Soon after the train started Sir Moses opened some letters which had
been brought to him to the station, and found that they required his
immediate attention in London. He left Mr Kursheedt at Red Hill, and
went back to town; and having disposed of his business, he started
again for Brighton, but the train, being a slow one, arrived so late,
and the return journey had to be undertaken so soon after his arrival,
that the meeting was only productive of a fresh appointment for the
following Tuesday. Accordingly he returned to Brighton on that day.
"My dear Judith," the entry says, "had not a comfortable night. I
left her with great regret, but it was unavoidable, having made an
engagement with the Chief Rabbi and Dr Loewe to meet them at Brighton.
Mr Kursheedt accompanied me. We arrived there at twelve o'clock.
Dr Loewe was at the station, and went with us to Dr Adler's. We
immediately commenced the consideration of the minutes prepared by
Dr Loewe. The result was, the building is to be called 'Mishkenót
Shaananim' (the dwellings of those who are at ease), to avoid hurting
the feelings of the inmates by calling the buildings almshouses. There
are to be eight houses and a Synagogue for the Portuguese; a similar
number of houses with a Synagogue for the German community; one
house for the weaver" (who was then the master at the weaving school
established by the Trustees of the Holy Land Appeal Fund); "another
for the Rev. Samuel Salant" (who, however, never availed himself of
the offer then made to him); "and one for a Dispensary. The heads of
the several congregations in Jerusalem" (at that time nineteen in
number) "are to select the persons for the houses they think the best,
and Mr Kursheedt will see them installed in accordance with Eastern
custom. Tokens of esteem are to be presented on that occasion to the
Officers of the Guard, the Officers of the Mosque of Omar, Ahmed Agha
Dizdar" (the former owner of the land on which the Almshouses were
built), "and his son; also presents to the poor of the Holy City,
the Greek, Armenian, and Latin Convents, and the Guard of the Jaffa
Gate. Offerings made by visitors who attend Divine Service in either
of the two Synagogues, in memory of the benevolent founder, are to be
appropriated to defray the expenses of keeping the sacred edifices
clean, lighting them, and to paying a gate-keeper and well-keeper for
water."
A number of regulations intended for the guidance of the inmates were
then agreed to, but before half the business had been finished, Sir
Moses was obliged to leave, and only reached Ramsgate late in the
evening, after a fatiguing day's work.
_July 11th._--Lady Montefiore had a restless night, and was very weak
that day. Sir Moses, however, himself far from well, and scarcely
recovered from the fatigue of the previous day's journey, was called
upon to work for his fellow-beings in Syria, for "the Lebanon had
opened its doors to the fire of destruction and dissolution."
The Druses, the daily papers reported, had destroyed 151 Christian
villages and killed one thousand persons, and the Mahommedans had
massacred Christians at Damascus. About 3300, it is said, have been
slain.
Lady Montefiore reading to Sir Moses the debates of the House of Lords
referring to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe's speech on the massacre
of the Christians in Syria, in which he stated that twenty thousand
Christians, women and children fugitives, were then wandering and
starving on the mountains of Syria, he determined, with the willing and
cheerful consent of his wife, to go to town.
There he addressed a letter to the Editor of the _Times_, and suggested
the formation of a committee to collect subscriptions for a fund for
their relief.
After having done so he immediately drove to Printing-house Square,
though fearing, as it was after midnight, that there was no probability
of its appearing the next day in the _Times_. "I must be content,"
he said; "I have done all in my power to prevent any loss of time in
affording assistance to the unfortunate and destitute fugitives in
Syria. I left my dear Judith with great reluctance. I was poorly, my
legs swollen, and I had travelled five hundred miles, and this night's
journey added a hundred miles to it. I have not spared any exertions
this week to fulfil my duty."
Happily his endeavours to serve the good cause were crowned with
success. The _Times_, on the 12th July, under the heading of "The Civil
War in Syria," published his letter, of which the following is a copy:--
"SIR,--I have noticed with the deepest sympathy the statement made
last evening in the House of Lords that, owing to the recent outbreak
in Syria, there are twenty thousand of the Christian inhabitants,
including women and children, wandering over its mountains exposed to
the utmost peril. Being intimately acquainted with the nature of that
country and the condition of its people, I appreciate, I am sorry to
say, but too painfully the vast amount of misery that must have been
endured, and which is still prevalent.
"I believe that private benevolence may do something towards the
alleviation of the distress of the unhappy multitude now defenceless,
homeless, and destitute.
"I well know, from experience, the philanthropy of my
fellow-countrymen, and I venture to think that the public would
gladly, and without delay, contribute to the raising of a fund to be
applied as circumstances may require, and under judicious management,
for the relief of these unfortunate objects of persecution.
"I would suggest, therefore, that a small, active, and influential
committee be at once formed, with the view of raising subscriptions
and of placing themselves in communication with the British
Consul-General at Beyrout, and the other British Consular authorities
throughout Syria, so that assistance may be rendered by the
remittance of money and the transmission of necessary supplies; and I
take the liberty of enclosing my cheque for £200 towards the proposed
fund.
"Your recent eloquent and judicious advocacy of the cause of the
Syrian Christians has encouraged me to address you, and will, I
trust, be a sufficient excuse for my so doing.--I have the honour to
be, Sir, yours faithfully,
"MOSES MONTEFIORE."
"EAST CLIFF LODGE, RAMSGATE, _July 11th_."
_July 27th._--Sir Culling E. Eardly and Sir James Fergusson apprised Mr
N. Moore, Consul-General at Beyrout, of the formation of the British
Syrian Relief Committee. Lord Palmerston, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe,
Lord John Russell, Lord Overstone, the Earl of Shaftesbury, Sir Moses
Montefiore, Mr A. P. Kennard, Baron Rothschild, and many others were
contributors to the fund.
"We have already," the honorary secretaries write, "by the kindness
of Lord Wodehouse, Under Secretary of State, sent you a telegraphic
message through the Foreign Office, authorising you to draw upon us for
£1000."
The Committee included the Marquis of Lansdowne, Sir Moses Montefiore,
the Lord Mayor of London, the Earl of Malmesbury, Lord Stanley, M.P.,
Baron Rothschild, the Bishop of London, Sir Charles Napier, M.P., Mr
Austen Layard, &c.
_August 1st._--We find Lord Stratford de Redcliffe acting as President,
and Sir Moses Montefiore as Chairman, of the Executive Committee of the
British Syrian Relief Fund.
Sir Moses, when in England, attended almost all the meetings, and
continued to be one of the most active members until the year before
his death, when he and Mr H. W. Freeland were the only trustees of
the fund. The amount left with their bankers at that time was £180.
The Committee in London was assisted by a Committee in Beyrout, under
the Presidency of Mr N. Moore, the British Consul-General. They also
had the co-operation of Mr Consul Brant in Damascus. Much good was
accomplished. By the end of August £7500 had already been remitted for
distribution among the sufferers.
Circulars were issued to the leading Jews of Europe, accompanied by
copies of an address of the Chief Rabbi to the Jewish community at
large, and the result was a generous contribution to the Fund.
The English and French Governments intervened, and a convention was
signed at Paris, twelve thousand men to be sent by France.
Fuad Pasha, in the same month, proceeded to Damascus, and severely
punished the Mohammedans implicated in the massacres; 160 of all ranks,
including the Governor, were executed.
General Hautpoul, at the head of four thousand French soldiers, landed
at Beyrout; and there was every reason to hope that peace would soon
be restored, and that all feeling of animosity among the various
nationalities would cease.
_August 8th._--Sir Moses presided at a meeting of the Morocco
Committee, and agreed to send a commissioner to Morocco, who was to
visit several of the principal towns on the coast, and to report on the
state of the Jews and their wants, so that the money the Committee had
on hand might be applied to the best advantage of the Israelites in
that country.
_August 9th._--Having received distressing accounts from Persia
regarding the unfortunate state of the Jews in that country, he
addressed Lord John Russell on the subject, and in his capacity as
President of the Board of Deputies of the British Jews, sent him a copy
of the communications from Hamadan, and entreated the kind offices of
the British Government to protect the Jews of that city.
_August 14th._--He received a requisition to call a meeting of the
Board of Deputies to consider the best means to be taken to effect the
removal of the inscription on the marble slab in the church of the
Capuchins at Damascus, accusing the Jews of the assassination of Father
Tomaso.
The moment, it was believed, would be most favourable for another
attempt in this direction.
Sir Moses having endeavoured for so many years to obtain the removal of
the same, he was very willing to assist, and to determine on the best
means to be adopted to accomplish the object in view.
_August 28th._--At a Court of the Irish Bank Sir Moses advocated the
cause of an orphan child of one of the oldest clerks in the Bank, who
had held his situation thirty-five years, and who had died a fortnight
since, his widow following him a few days afterwards. They left an only
child, a daughter, who had an admirable character, and was very clever,
and Sir Moses appealed to the Board to deal liberally, and give her
some substantial support.
_August 29th._--In accordance with an arrangement for carrying out the
instructions regarding the Touro Almshouses, Mr Kursheedt took leave of
Sir Moses, the latter repeating to him all the conversation they had on
that subject at Brighton in the presence of the Chief Rabbi, with the
request that he would endeavour to do his best in the interest of the
Trust.
_September 1st._--The Turkish Ambassador in London made a communication
to Sir Moses regarding the persecution of the Jews at Bagdad, which by
the intercession of the Turkish Government had happily ceased.
Sir Moses was highly pleased, and would have gone to town on purpose
to thank his Excellency for the good tidings, but the state of Lady
Montefiore's health caused him much anxiety, and prevented him from
doing so.
She passed night after night in a state of restlessness and pain, and
her medical advisers in Ramsgate and London strongly urged that she
should pass the winter in a warmer climate.
Accordingly, September 20th, Sir Moses wrote to Dr Hodgkin, inviting
him to accompany them to some place on the Mediterranean recommended
by him and Sir Charles Locock. Dr Hodgkin accepted his invitation. He
felt it a duty, he says, as well as a satisfaction, to comply with the
wishes of so kind a friend.
_October 14th._--Sir Moses received a letter from the Spiritual Head
of the Hebrew community of Damascus, entreating him to intercede on
their behalf with the British Government, the Turkish Ambassador,
and the Consuls at Beyrout. The Jews in their city, he wrote, were
exposed to great danger from false accusations. Sir Moses went to town,
communicated with the Chief Rabbi and the Secretary of the Board of
Deputies, and addressed a letter to Lord John Russell, enclosing, for
his Lordship's perusal, a translation of the letter he had received
from Damascus. He took it himself to Downing Street. Lord Wodehouse was
not there, but he saw Mr Hammond (now Lord Hammond), and acquainted him
with the perilous position of the Jews of Damascus. Mr Hammond promised
to send the letter to Lord John Russell, and added that it would be
satisfactory to Sir Moses to know that they had later accounts from
Damascus, which did not say one word about these accusations against
the Jews. Lord John Russell had gone to Richmond, and should have Sir
Moses' letter sent to him at once.