1875.
WELCOME TO JERUSALEM--SATISFACTORY REPORT ON THE
CONDITION OF THE POPULATION IN THE HOLY CITY--SIR
MOSES' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEIR WELFARE.
"As we now continued moving towards Jerusalem, I had continually to
look right and left to see the number of new houses, some of them
very large buildings. As we proceeded all the occupants came out
of their houses, and I had the happiness of seeing hundreds of our
brethren lining the fronts of their dwellings. Presently my attention
was directed to the presence of my highly esteemed friend, the Rev.
Sam. Salant, a gentleman who had been one of my correspondents on
matters connected with the Holy Land for the last thirty-five years.
Proceeding a little further on the road, a new Synagogue was shown to
me; it was surrounded by a number of houses, occupied, I was told,
by fifty families. Again a plot of ground was pointed out to me as
belonging to a person who intended building sixty houses on it.
Coming near the Upper Gikhon pool, not far from the windmill which I
had built on the estate, 'Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit,' eighteen years
ago, my attention was directed to two other windmills recently built,
which I was told gave a good profit to the Greeks who owned them.
"Great was my delight when I considered that but a few years had
passed since the time when not one Jewish family was living outside
the gate of Jerusalem--when not a single house was to be seen; and
now I beheld almost a new Jerusalem springing up, with buildings some
of them as fine as any in Europe.
"When my carriage reached the Jaffa gate I was obliged to alight.
Neither the streets nor the pavements in Jerusalem, the driver
observed, are as yet prepared for carriages.
"Not having given any information of the time of my intended arrival,
my friends did not order a sedan chair to be in readiness for me, so
it was a rather difficult and painful task for me to walk along the
street to the house prepared for my reception, but the káwásses soon
led the way to my apartments.
"Here the Háhám Báshi, the Rev. Meyer Auerbach, and the Rev.
Samuel Salant presented an address of welcome, and when they had
concluded, I assured them of the great delight I felt in finding
myself surrounded by men of such distinction, and that I would see
them as often as possible. As soon as they left I made the necessary
arrangements for the reception of the representatives of the several
communities, the wardens of the Synagogues, and the committees of all
the charitable institutions, fixing the day and hour I intended to
see them.
"On leaving my apartments to inspect the adjoining rooms and tents
for the accommodation of my party, I noticed a number of porters
bringing in heavy luggage, and speaking, or rather shouting, as they
moved along, in not less than five or six languages--German, Spanish,
French, Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew. I was delighted to find that
they all belonged to the Hebrew community, because their conduct
afforded another proof of the injustice of the accusation against
our brethren of Jerusalem that they are unwilling to work. Looking
up at the roofs of the adjoining houses, I observed almost as many
people--men, women, and children--as I saw in the street below, all
of them offering me their salutations. They appeared to me to be
good-looking and neatly dressed. Some of them dropped down letters
and poems, specially composed in honour of my arrival. They were,
however, requested by the káwásses to withdraw from near our terrace,
lest their presence might be considered an intrusion.
"Entering the large reception room, I had a beautiful view of the
east, north, and south of Jerusalem. I could see several very fine
buildings on the Mount of Olives, many new and lofty houses all
along the north, and some cupolas of Synagogues. As I looked out of
the window I could almost see into the rooms of several families
who lived near the house I occupied, and it was a source of much
gratification to me to witness the affectionate manner in which the
children were treated, and the industrious habits of the inmates.
"_26th July_.--In the course of the day I received visits from Mr
Noel Moore, Her Majesty's Consul in Jerusalem, an enlightened public
servant and an accomplished scholar, whom I have the pleasure to
number among my friends, as well as from his Highness Aziz Bey, the
brother of his Excellency the Governor of Jerusalem, accompanied by
George Palet Effendi. The former expressed regret that no notice
had been given of the day I intended to enter Jerusalem, or my
friends, he said, would have come to meet me. He brought me the
cordial welcome of the Governor, observing, in the name of his
Excellency, that as my state of health would not allow me to call
on the Governor, the latter would gladly come to pay me a visit
without ceremony. In reply to this most kind offer, I begged Aziz
Bey to assure his Excellency that, however grateful I must feel to
the Governor for his condescension, I could not accept that honour,
as I should thereby be deprived of the opportunity to pay that
tribute of respect which I was desirous to pay his Excellency, as
the representative of the Turkish Government, to whom I was anxious
to present the Vizierial letter so kindly procured for me from
Constantinople.
"Most of the gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of seeing were old
acquaintances, and have been in correspondence with me. They gave
me pleasing accounts of their synagogues, colleges, and charitable
institutions, and submitted to me a number of letters and documents
referring to communal matters, which I promised should have my
special attention. I was much struck with the appearance of the
representatives of the Gurgistan (Georgia) congregation. They only
settled in Jerusalem five years ago, and now number two hundred
souls, all of whom came to the Holy Land by special permission of
the Russian Government. Some of them wore decorations. One, by name
Eliahu ben Israel, had three, which he received, one from the late
Emperor Nicholas and two from the present Emperor Alexander. When
I enquired of their chief how they came by these special marks of
distinction, he told me, that during the war of the Russians with
the Circassians, the Jewish soldiers fought most bravely, and,
when all the people in the town of Kutais deserted the place, the
Jews remained, and with their blood defended the Treasury of the
Russian Government. The soldier with the three decorations, Eliahu
ben Israel, said that he received, on each occasion when those
decorations had been given to him, an embrace from the Emperor.
It was quite a sight to see those handsome stalwart men, some in
Caucasian and some in Circassian costume, relating the adventures of
a Caucasian war.
"Considering that in the presence of these brave men in Jerusalem,
certain persons should have brought forward accusations of cowardice
and desertion against our brethren, it made me almost shed tears.
Surely, I thought, Russia, Austria, Prussia, France, Italy, and other
countries would give them quite a different character.
"I was next favoured with a visit from Dr Schwartz, Director of
the Rothschild Hospital in Jerusalem, inviting me to visit all the
institutions called into existence by that distinguished family,
famous throughout the world for their unbounded benevolence.
"Dr Puffeles, the Director of the Hospital known by the name of
'Báté Kholim,' now entered, and in the course of conversation, gave
me a pressing invitation to see the Hospital under his direction,
especially as that institution had been permitted by me to take
possession of the Dispensary which I had established thirty-two years
ago (in 1843) in Jerusalem, and placed under the care of a medical
attendant.
"Presently Astriades Effendi, the Mayor of Jerusalem, was announced.
I had the pleasure of knowing that gentleman during my visit to the
Holy City in the year 1866. He spoke enthusiastically of the great
improvements which have taken place since that time. Under the
present regulations all houses must be built, he said, according to
the plan approved of by the Government, the great object being to
have proper roads in all directions. It is part of his duty to see
the law in question properly carried out, but he finds it difficult
sometimes to convince builders of its utility and importance.
Speaking of the houses which had been built by the Prussian
Government for the accommodation of lepers, he observed that they
were insufficient for the number now in Jerusalem.
"_July 28th_.--Preceded by soldiers and káwásses, I repaired to the
Synagogue called 'Beth-Ha-Kenesset Istambooli,' presided over by the
Rev. Háhám Báshi, then to the great German Synagogue, 'Beth Jaacob,'
the Guedalla College, and the fine public baths.
"_July 29th_.--My medical attendant declared it impossible for me
to leave my chamber, and I was most reluctantly obliged to send
apologies to his Excellency the Governor, and to the English Consul,
for not calling on them at the previously appointed hour. All my
letters were now placed before me for my perusal, and I requested
Dr Loewe to have his horse saddled, in order to go and inspect all
the land outside the city which had been offered for sale. In the
afternoon the Governor sent his secretary, George Balet Effendi, to
express his regret at my indisposition, offering again to come to
me, especially as his official duties would call him away to Gaza,
where he would have to remain perhaps several days. This kind and
condescending offer, however, I again begged, for the reason already
stated in this narrative, with a sense of deep gratitude, to decline,
as I fully hoped to be yet able to pay first my respects to him.
"Towards the evening Dr Loewe returned with full particulars
regarding the land he had seen, having arranged that I should be put
in possession of all the plans and exact measurements of each field,
so as to enable me fully to judge of its value and usefulness for the
object in view. All the various schools, institutions, foundations,
trusts, soup-kitchens, and other charitable establishments were
visited, and carefully inspected.
"_Friday, August 6th_.--I had occasion to see the work of eight
mechanics--a watchmaker, an engraver, a lithographer, a sculptor,
a goldsmith, a bookbinder, and carpenter, and all did their work
most satisfactorily. The watchmaker, Joshua Fellman, into whose
hands I put a valuable repeater for repairs, put it in a very short
time in excellent order. The same man, in addition to his skill as
watchmaker, displays also great talent as a Hebrew caligraphist. He
presented me with a grain of wheat, on which he wrote nineteen lines,
forming an acrostic on my name. The engraver engraved for myself
and several of my party Hebrew inscriptions in the best style. The
lithographer, Mr David Spitzer, a native of Hungary, lithographed a
number of cards for me after a pattern I gave him of a London-made
card. I could scarcely find out the difference between the one and
the other. The sculptor, to whom I gave the order in the evening to
prepare two stones for me, with inscriptions of the verse, 'For thy
servants take pleasure in thy stones,' &c. (Ps. cii. 15), accompanied
by the date of my sojourn in Jerusalem, did the work in one night.
The goldsmith made a number of rings, tablets, and cases; the tinman
made two large cases for my books and papers; the bookbinder bound
the statistical accounts in very good style, and the carpenter gave
equal satisfaction--he did his work as well as any English carpenter.
"I was again greatly disappointed when my medical attendant would
not allow me to leave my apartment, and I was obliged to commission
Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin to do the work I was so anxious to have done
myself, to inspect the Touro almshouses, the windmill, and the whole
of the estate Kérém-Moshé-ve-Yehoodit.
"On their return they told me they had been in every one of the
houses, and spoken to all the inmates. They found all the apartments
remarkably clean, and the occupants, with the exception of one,
in the full enjoyment of health. They also entered the four new
houses, for the occupation of which I have already nominated four
deserving families, and assured me that they were well built, and in
every respect like the old houses. They ascended to the top of the
windmill, and found everything perfect, with the exception of the
mill-stones, which are a little worn, but not to such an extent as to
prevent grinding. The garden and the wall all round they considered
to be in perfect order.
"I was particularly pleased with their account of the windmill, as I
had a double object in building it--to benefit the poor and encourage
industry. According to paragraphs V. and VIII. in the agreement, 'The
poor shall always have their wheat ground at a reduced price; they
are to pay for each measure two páráhs less than the charge would be
to any other person not classed among the poor; and when both poor
and rich come at the same time to have their corn ground, precedence
should always be given to the poor.'
"I then proceeded to the Synagogue, and was there most agreeably
surprised with the magnificent appearance of that noble edifice.
It is a hundred feet high from the floor to the cupola; contains
a number of communal offices, a college for the study of the
Holy Law, and in an adjoining building also a public bath. I was
received on entering the Synagogue by the representatives of several
congregations.
"I was told that the whole building had been built by the hands
of Jews. Every kind of work, it was further observed--that of
the carpenter, blacksmith, glazier, embroiderer, goldsmith, or
engraver--all had been done by the Jews in Jerusalem. I noticed
some beautiful silver ornaments for the Sepharim, especially a
massive silver crown, and when I enquired where it had been made,
the man who had done the work was introduced to me. The Synagogue
was full in every corner, but owing to the excellent arrangements no
inconvenience was felt.
"I made arrangements to start the following day for Ramlah at an
early hour, but gave orders that my intentions should not be made
known to any of our friends and acquaintances; and the next day,
Wednesday, 8th of August, between four and five o'clock in the
morning, I was on the road to Jaffa. My esteemed friend, the Rev.
Samuel Salant, and a few more still managed to see me, so I bade him
and those with him a sincere good-bye. Dr Loewe and Mr Aikin followed
us on horseback.
"I found the road much better; it appeared to me as if most of the
impeding stones had been cleared away. We continued our journey till
mid-day, when we had a halt of two hours at Bab-el-Wad, and then
proceeded to Jaffa.
"On Sabbath we again saw Port Said. On Sunday and Monday we were in
the quarantine harbour at Aboukir, and the following Saturday we
found ourselves in the harbour of Naples. On 13th of August we landed
at Firoul; there we remained five days in quarantine. On Saturday
morning, at half-past six, we entered the harbour of Marseilles, but
did not land till half-past seven in the evening, when we proceeded
at once to the Synagogue, and thence to the railway which took us to
Paris. There again I repaired to the House of God to offer thanks
for his boundless mercy to me; and on the 9th of September I had the
happiness of entering my own Synagogue at Ramsgate, after an absence
of three months.
"In concluding this narrative, I feel it my pleasing duty to inform
all friends of Zion that I again have had every opportunity to
convince myself of the correctness of those statements which had
been made in the 'Replies' I received to my inquiries on the 15th
October '5634'. The great regard I have always entertained towards
our brethren in the Holy Land has, if possible, increased, so that if
you were to ask me, 'Are they worthy and deserving of assistance?'
I would reply, 'Most decidedly.' 'Are they willing and capable of
work?' 'Undoubtedly.' ' Are their mental powers of a satisfactory
nature?' 'Certainly.' 'Ought we, as Israelites, in particular to
render them support?' 'Learn,' I would say, 'if your own Sacred
Scriptures do not satisfy you, from non-Israelites what degree of
support those are entitled to who consecrate their lives to the
worship of God. Go and cast a glance upon the numerous munificent
endowments, upon the munificent institutions, upon the annual
contributions, not only in Jerusalem, but in every part of the
world--not only by individuals, but by almost every mighty ruler on
earth. Notice the war which has broken out within our recollection
respecting the privilege of repairing a house of devotion, all
for the sole object of supporting religion. And are we Israelites
to stand back and say, We are all practical men; let everybody in
Jerusalem go and work? We do not want a set of indolent people who,
by poring over books, teaching the Word of God, think they are
performing their duties in life, and wait for our support!' The Jews
in Jerusalem, in every part of the Holy Land, I tell you, do work;
are more industrious than many men in Europe, otherwise none of them
would remain alive; but when the work does not pay sufficiently, when
there is no market for the produce of the land, when famine, cholera,
and other misfortunes befall the inhabitants, we Israelites, unto
whom God has revealed himself on Sinai, more than any other nation,
must step forward and render them help, raise them from their state
of distress.
"If you put the question to me thus: 'Now we are willing to
contribute towards a fund intended to render them such assistance as
they require; we are ready to make even sacrifices of our own means,
if necessary. What scheme do you propose as best adapted to carry
out the object in view?' I would reply, 'Carry out simply what they
themselves have suggested; but begin in the first instance with the
building of houses in Jerusalem. Select land outside the city; raise,
in the form of a large square or crescent, a number of suitable
houses, with European improvements; have in the centre of the square
or crescent a synagogue, a college, and a public bath. Let each house
have in front a plot of ground large enough to cultivate olive trees,
the vine, and necessary vegetables, so as to give the occupiers a
taste for agriculture.
"The houses ought to pay a moderate rental, by the amount of which,
after securing the sum required for the payment of a clerk and
overseer and the repair of the houses, there should be established
a loan society, on safe principles, for the benefit of the poor
working-class, the trader, agriculturist, or any poor deserving
man. Two per cent. should be charged on each loan, so as to cover
thereby the expenses necessary for a special clerk and the rent of an
appropriate house.
"If the amount of your funds be sufficient, build houses in Safed,
Tiberias, and Hebron on the same plan; establish loan societies on
similar principles of security.
"And should you further prosper, and have £30,000 or £50,000 to
dispose of, you will without difficulty be able to purchase as much
land as you would like in the vicinity of Safed, Pekee-in, Tiberias,
Hebron, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Khaifa, and you will find in all those
places a number of persons who would be most willing to follow
agricultural pursuits.
"And if you now address me, saying, 'Which would be the proper time
to commence work, supposing we were ready to be guided by your
counsel?' my reply would be, 'Commence at once; begin the work this
day if you can.'
"Our brethren throughout Europe, Persia, and Turkey have been
roused by your promises, which have been made known to them in the
most hopeful terms by Hebrew, German, French, Italian, and English
periodicals. You led them to cherish the hope that you would surely
make no delay in proceeding to ameliorate the condition of the Sons
of Zion. They now cry out, 'Here we are, give us land, give us work,
you promised to do so. We are willing for the sake of our love to
Jerusalem to undertake the execution of the most laborious tasks;'
but the representatives of the community have no answer to give;
they simply, with a cast-down countenance, say, in the words of King
Solomon: 'Clouds and wind without rain.'
"You are then, I repeat, in sacred duty bound not to disappoint them
any longer. Begin the hallowed task at once. He who takes delight in
Zion will establish the work of your hands. "MOSES MONTEFIORE."
Sir Moses now received numerous congratulations on his safe return from
his seventh pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in reply to which he said,
that it was a source of much happiness to him to witness the greatly
improved condition of his brethren, and he would always be ready to go
there again should his presence in Jerusalem be required.