← History of Zionism, 1600-1918, Vol. 2 (of 2)

Chapter 11

Appendices (part 1)

B. M.: British Museum Library.

I. S.: Israel Solomons’ Collection.

I.

The Prophets and the Idea of a National Restoration

The first prophet who has left any definite revelation concerning the Dispersion of the Jews and their ultimate restoration in Palestine was Moses, our Law-giver.

“And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein shall be astonished at it.” (Leviticus xxvi. 32.)

“And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.” (Ibid. 33.)

“And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God.” (Ibid. 44.)

“But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.” (Ibid. 45.)

Here we have a promise not to abhor or utterly destroy the Jewish people, but to remember the covenant which God made with their ancestors. We find the purport of this covenant in an early chapter of the Pentateuch:⁠—

“And the Lord said unto Abram, ... ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward;’” (Genesis xiii. 14.)

“for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever:” (Ibid. 15.)

It is impossible to understand how it can be said that this covenant will be remembered, if the Jewish people is to continue dispersed, and is to be for ever excluded from the land here spoken of. As to the return from Babylonian captivity, that will not answer the intention of the covenant at all. For to restore a small part of the Jewish people to its own land for a few centuries, and afterwards disperse it among all nations for many times as long, without any hope of return, cannot be the meaning of giving that land to the seed of Abram for ever.

Again we read:⁠—

“And the Lord shall scatter you among the peoples,...” (Deuteronomy iv. 27.)

“But from thence ye will seek the Lord thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” (Ibid. 29.)

“In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days, thou wilt return to the Lord thy God, and hearken unto His voice;” (Ibid. 30.)

“for the Lord thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them.” (Ibid. 31.)

This prophecy refers to the thirteenth chapter of Genesis, as is shown by this thirty-first verse; and confirms again the return to the Holy Land, and its possession for ever:⁠—

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee,” (Deuteronomy xxx. 1.)

“and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul;” (Ibid. 2.)

“that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.” (Ibid. 3.)

“If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.” (Ibid. 4.)

“And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” (Ibid. 5.)

Amongst the “things which should come upon them,” which are described at large in the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth chapters of Deuteronomy, it is particularly said:⁠—

“And the Lord shall scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;...” (Ibid. xxviii. 64.)

But observe that subsequently we are told:⁠—

“And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” (Ibid. xxx. 5.)

which promises do not appear to have been fulfilled during the time of the Babylonian captivity, or after the return from Babylon.

Here we have in plain words, simple and clear, the fundamental idea of Moses: the Jewish national future and the possession of the land for ever. This cannot be explained away by sophistry. In vain some Jews declare: We are not nationalist Jews, we are religious Jews! What is the Jewish religion if the Bible is not accepted as an Inspired Revelation? It is strange and sadly amusing that some Jews, adherents of the monotheistic principle, describe themselves as Germans, Magyars, and so on, “of the persuasion of Moses.” If this is not blasphemy, it is irony. The real Moses, the Moses of the Pentateuch, brands Dispersion as a curse, and his whole religious conception, with all the laws, ceremonies, feasts, etc., is built up on the basis of the covenant with the ancestors, a covenant immovable and unalterable. No matter whether Jews call themselves religious or nationalist: the Jewish religion cannot be separated from nationalism, unless another Bible is invented.

Judaism, or the Jewish religion, is based first upon the teaching of Moses, and next upon that of the prophets, and it is a favourite claim of the modern school of Jewish reform that their Judaism is “Prophetic Judaism,” in opposition to the Judaism of orthodox Jews, who lay particular stress upon the Talmud. But what do the prophets teach?

The next revelation in chronological order after the inspired predictions of Moses, is that of Joel the son of Pethuel, who began to prophesy to the Kingdom of Judah about eight hundred years before the civil era:⁠—

“Then was the Lord jealous for His land,

And had pity on His people.” (Joel ii. 18.)

“And the Lord answered and said unto His people:

Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil,

And ye shall be satisfied therewith;

And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;” (Ibid. 19.)

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time,

When I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,” (Ibid. iv. 1.)

“So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God,

Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain;

Then shall Jerusalem be holy,...” (Ibid. 17.)

“But Judah shall be inhabited for ever,

And Jerusalem from generation to generation.” (Ibid. 20.)

Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, lived in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, King of Israel, and prophesied to the Kingdom of Israel from eight hundred and eight, to seven hundred and eighty-three years before the civil era:⁠—

“And I will turn the captivity of My people Israel,

And they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them;...” (Amos ix. 14.)

“And I will plant them upon their land,

And they shall no more be plucked up

Out of their land which I have given them,

Saith the Lord thy God.” (Ibid. 15.)

Hosea, the son of Beeri, prophesied to the Kingdom of Israel, in the days of the same Jeroboam from about seven hundred and eighty-five, to seven hundred and twenty-five years before the civil era:⁠—

“For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without king, and without prince,...” (Hosea iii. 4.)

“afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king;...” (Ibid. 5.)

This prophecy, being given to the Kingdom of Israel in particular, cannot be applied to the return of Judah from Babylon.

Isaiah the son of Amoz (The First Isaiah) was the foremost of the four who are called the greater prophets. He lived in the time of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and prophesied about seven hundred and sixty, to six hundred and ninety-eight years before the civil era:⁠—

“And it shall come to pass in that day,

That the Lord will set His hand again the second time

To recover the remnant of His people,

That shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt,

And from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam,

And from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” (Isaiah xi. 11.)

“And he will set up an ensign for the nations,

And will assemble the dispersed of Israel,

And gather together the scattered of Judah

From the four corners of the earth.” (Ibid. 12.)

“The envy also of Ephraim shall depart,

And they that harass Judah shall be cut off;

Ephraim shall not envy Judah,

And Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (Ibid. 13.)

This prophecy, alone, is sufficiently definite with regard to a second restoration of Israel, as appears from the eleventh verse, even if there were no other to be found.

As to the second Isaiah, his prophecies may be called the “Song of Songs” of the restoration of Israel:⁠—

“Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:

They all are gathered together, and come to thee;

Thy sons come from far,

And thy daughters are borne on the side.” (Isaiah lx. 4.)

“Who are these that fly as a cloud,

And as the doves to their cotes?” (Ibid. 8.)

“Surely the isles shall wait for Me,

And the ships of Tarshish first,

To bring thy sons from far,

Their silver and their gold with them,

For the name of the Lord thy God,

And for the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified thee.” (Ibid. 9.)

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, said the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.” (Ibid. lxvi. 22.)

Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, about 750 years before the civil era:⁠—

“I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee;

I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;...” (Micah ii. 12.)

“In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth,

And I will gather her that is driven away,

And her that I have afflicted;” (Ibid. iv. 6.)

“And I will make her that halted a remnant,

And her that was cast far off a mighty nation;

And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from thenceforth even for ever.” (Ibid. 7.)

“Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham,

As Thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.” (Ibid. vii. 20.)

Here we again meet the covenant of Truth and Mercy sworn unto Abraham, that the land Abraham then stood upon should be given to him and to his seed for ever.

Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, prophesied in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, about six hundred and thirty years before the ♦civil era:⁠—

“At that time will I bring you in,

And at that time will I gather you;

For I will make you to be a name and a praise

Among all the peoples of the earth,

When I turn your captivity before your eyes,

Saith the Lord.” (Zephaniah iii. 20.)

♦ “cvil” replaced with “civil”

Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin, also prophesied in the days of Josiah, about six hundred and twenty-nine to five hundred and eighty-eight years before the civil era:⁠—

“In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.” (Jeremiah iii. 18.)

“In his days Judah shall be saved,

And Israel shall dwell safely;...” (Ibid. xxiii. 6.)

“Thus saith the Lord,

Who giveth the sun for a light by day,

And the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night,

Who stirreth up the sea, that the waves thereof roar,

The Lord of hosts is His name:” (Ibid. xxxi. 35.)

“If these ordinances depart from before Me,

Saith the Lord,

Then the seed of Israel also shall cease

From being a nation before Me for ever.” (Ibid. 36.)

“Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying: The two families which the Lord did choose, He hath cast them off? and they contemn My people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” (Ibid. xxxiii. 24.)

“Thus saith the Lord: If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;” (Ibid. 25.)

“then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David My servant,...” (Ibid. 26.)

“But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant,

Neither be dismayed, O Israel;

For, lo, I will save thee from afar,

And thy seed from the land of their captivity;

And Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease,

And none shall make him afraid.” (Ibid. xlvi. 27.)

Ezekiel the Priest, the son of Buzi, prophesied in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Cebar, about five hundred and ninety-five, to five hundred and seventy-four years before the civil era. In the thirty-sixth chapter he describes the restoration of Judah and Israel in words so plain and clear that nobody could possibly mistake them, and in the next chapter, by the wonderful vision of dry bones reviving, he shows that, however unpromising the state of Israel may seem, while they are dispersed through the world, yet will God most certainly effect the reunion of the tribes which is here foretold:⁠—

“Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them—it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will establish them, and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.” (Ibid. xxxvii. 26.)

Chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine give a most circumstantial description of the return, which excluded the possibility of an allegorical explanation.

Obadiah prophesied about five hundred and eighty-seven years before the civil era:⁠—

“But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape,

And it shall be holy;

And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” (Obadiah i. 17.)

“And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel,

That are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath,

And the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad,

Shall possess the cities of the South.” (Ibid. 20.)

Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, prophesied about five hundred and twenty years before the civil era, to those that had returned from captivity. He had the idea of a great future restoration.

“And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands be strong.” (Zechariah viii. 13.)

“I will bring them back also out of the land of Egypt,

And gather them out of Assyria;

And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,

And place shall not suffice them.” (Ibid. x. 10.)

Malachi prophesied about four hundred and twenty years before the civil era:⁠—

“And all nations shall call you happy;

For ye shall be a delightsome land,

Saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi iii. 12.)

“Behold, I will send you

Elijah the prophet

Before the coming

Of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Ibid. 23.)

Daniel’s (Belteshazzar) prophecies from about five hundred and thirty-four, to five hundred and seven years before the civil era relate not only to the affairs of Judah and Israel, but also to the various monarchies and kingdoms that are to arise successively in the world. In the following verses he foretells the national future of his own people:⁠—

“And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; nor shall the kingdom be left to another people; ..., but it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel ii. 44.)

“And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” (Ibid. vii. 27.)

“... and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was seen since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered,...” (Ibid. xii. 1.)

These predictions undoubtedly signify that the Children of Israel shall enjoy a kingdom and dominion under the whole heaven, i.e. upon the earth, which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people.⁠¹

¹ The most notable Talmudic and Rabbinical passages referring to the future of the Jewish nation are: Talm. Bab. Berachoth 28b, 34b; Shabb. 118a; Menahoth 45a; Baba Mezia 3a; Eduyoth VIII. 7; Kiddushin 71a; Gen. Rabba LXXXV. 2; Hagigah 14a; Sanhedrin 38b; 98a, 99a, 110b, 111a; Erubin 43b; Cant. Rabba VII. 10; Sifri on Deut. 1: 1; Baba Bathra 76a. For the views of the Gaon Saadia ben Joseph (892–942) see Guttman, Religionsphilosophie des Saadia, Göttingen, 1882, p. 236; for Hai ben Sherira Gaon (939–1038) see Taam Zekenim, Frankfort on the Main, 1854, pp. 58–61; for Abraham ben Chiya Albargeloni Ha’nasi (called Abraham Judæus and Savasorda) (1065–1136) see Hegion Ha’nefesh, Leipzig, 1860, p. 40 ff.; for Judah Halevi, see his Poems and Kuzari in Cassel’s edition, Leipzig, 1869, ii. 36–44, pp. 143–7, p. iv. 23; pt. i. 115; for Maimonides, see Hilchoth Melachim in his Yad Ha’chazakah, Chs. XI. XII. and Hilchoth Teshubah, Ch. IX. 2; for Nachmanides, see his Comment. to Gen. 2: 3, and to Exodus 17: 9; for ♦Abrabanel, his books Yeshuat Meshicho, Mashmia Yeshuah, Maeyenai Ha’yeshua, and Klausner: Die Messianischen Vorstellungen ... Berlin, 1904, and also Greenstone: The Messiah Idea in Jewish History, Philadelphia, 1906.

♦ “Abarbanel” replaced with “Abrabanel” for consistency

II.

Rev. Paul Knell (1615–64), Israel and England Paralleled

By Paul Knell, Master in Arts of Clare-Hall | in Cambridge. | Sometimes Chaplaine to a Regiment of Curiasiers | in his Majesties Army.

London, | Printed in the Yeare 1648.⁠¹

(4to. 2 ll. + 20 pp.) [B. M.]

♦ “Paralelled” replaced with “Paralleled”

¹ It was re-issued thirty-three years later:⁠—

... London, Printed in the year 1648. And now Reprinted for a Caution to all those that are given to Change.

Sold by Randal Tayler and Robert Stephens, by Stationers-Hall, near Ludgate. 1681.

4to. 2 ll. + 16 pp. [I. S.]

pp. 16–17. “... first, we may compare with Israel for a fruitfull scituation, being neither under the torrid nor the frozen Zone, neither burned away with parching heat, nor benummed away with pinching cold, but seated in a temperate climate & fertile soile; our folds are full of sheep, our vallies stand so thick with corne that we may laugh & sing. God hath also fenced us about, like the Israelites in the red sea, with a wall of water, the waters are as a wall unto us, on our right hand, & on our left,... And now, England, what doth thy Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his waies, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soule? But here God may as justly complaine of us as he did of Israel,...”

III.

Matthew Arnold on Righteousness in the Old Testament

Matthew Arnold, in his Literature and Dogma, insists that righteousness is in a special manner the object of Bible religion. The word “righteousness” is a master word in the Old Testament. What would England have been were it not for the importance which Jeshurun, the upright, attached to the thought and practice of righteousness? She might have been eminent in law, in arts and sciences borrowed from the Romans and the Greeks, but she would have been addicted to idolatry and the gratification of the senses, and would have borne the doom of destruction within herself. He draws a vivid imaginary picture of the authorities of one of the English great Universities, the vice-Chancellor, beadles, masters, scholars, and all, nay, their very professor of moral philosophy, going in procession to worship at the shrine of Aphrodite.

“If it had not been for Israel,” he continues, “and the stern check which Israel put upon the glorification and divinization of this natural bend of mankind.... And as long as the world lasts, all who want to make progress in righteousness will come to Israel for inspiration, as to the people who have had the sense for righteousness most glowing and strongest; and in hearing and reading the words Israel has uttered for us, carers for conduct will find a glow and a force they would find nowhere else. As well imagine a man with a sense for sculpture not cultivating it by the help of the remains of Greek art, or a man with a sense for poetry not cultivating it by the help of Homer and Shakespeare, as a man with a sense for conduct not cultivating it by the help of the Bible.”⁠¹

¹ Literature and Dogma ... By Matthew Arnold ... London ... 1873 ... pp. 26, 36–37 and 56.

IV.

“Esperança de Israel,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

מקוה ישראל | Esto es, | Esperança | De Israel. |

Obra con suma curiosidad conpuesta | por | Menasseh Ben Israel | Theologo, y Philosopho Hebreo. |

(sm. 8º. 7 ll. + 126 pp.)⁠² [I. S.]

¹ The surname “Ben Israel Soeiro” used by the printer, a son of the author, is a combination of those of his paternal grandparents Joseph Ben-Israel and Rachel Soeiro, who had been marranos. Joseph, a victim of the Inquisition, on returning to the Jewish fold, it may be surmised, discarded his gothic patronymic and appropriately assumed that of Ben-Israel. Their son, the author, married Rachel, a great-granddaughter of the famous Bible exegete and statesman Don Isaac Abrabanel, who claimed Davidic descent. In an age when יחוס. was highly prized, we consequently find that in the following year, when Samuel printed his father’s Nishmath Chayyim, his surname has become “Abrabanel Soeiro,” and in the Latin addition, “Ben Israel Abrabanel Sueiro.” He was born in Amsterdam in 1625. He accompanied his maternal uncle, David Abrabanel [Manuel Martinez Dormido], to England, on behalf of his father, arriving here on 1st Sep., 1654, to open up negotiations with Cromwell concerning the admission of their co-religionists to this country. It was decided that the presence of Manasseh was incumbent, and a pass to Holland, dated 16 May, 1655, was granted to Samuel, to fetch his father. They arrived in the following October, and resided here close on two years. On Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, 5418 [8 Sep., 1657, N.S.: 29 Aug. O.S.], at the early age of thirty-two, Samuel went to his Eternal rest. He had conjured his father that he would take his body to Amsterdam, where he was born, for burial. Manasseh was then in a precarious state of health, and on arriving at Middleburg in Zealand, where Ephraim Abrabanel, the maternal uncle of the deceased, resided, he was unable to continue the journey. The interment took place at the local Beth Haim, and the Rev. Isidore Harris, M.A., a few years ago discovered the tombstone⁠³ in the third carera, which has the following inscription:⁠—

Manasseh’s illness was mortal. His son Joseph had died at the age of twenty about eight or nine years before, and the premature death of his last surviving son hastened his end. A few weeks later, on the 11 Kislev (20 Nov.), he passed away in the house of his brother-in-law, but fifty-three years old. He was interred at the Sephardi Beth Haim at Oudekerk, Amsterdam.

² Another issue, with a similar collation, but apparently from other type, was printed in the same year. [I. S.]

It appeared again during the last quarter of the nineteenth century under the following title:⁠—

Origen De Los Americanos. מקוה ישראל. Esto Es Esperanza De Israel ... Reimpresion ... Del Libro De Menasseh Ben Israel ... Publicado En Amsterdam 5410 (1650) ... y la biografia del autor, Por Santiago Perez Junquera.

Madrid.—1881....

8º. xxxvi. pp. + 8 ll. + 126 pp. + 3 ll. in printed wrapper as issued. [I. S.]

³ Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England, vol. vii., 1911–1914 ... Edinburgh and London, 1915 ... p. 127: “A Dutch Burial-Ground and its English Connections.” By the Rev. Isidore Harris, M.A.

V.

“Spes Israelis,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

מקוה ישראל | Hoc est, | Spes | Israelis. |

Authore | Menasseh Ben Israel | Theologo & Philosopho Hebræo. Amstelodami. | Anno 1650. |

(sm. 8º. 6 ll. + 111 pp.) [I. S.]

sig. [A2] Svpremo Angliæ Consessvs Parlamento, ejusdemque Reipublicæ Status Consilio Honorando, Salutem, ac felicitatem omnem, a Deo apprecatur Menasseh Ben Israel.⁠¹

¹ This translation was probably the work of the author. Bound up with this copy is a folded engraving of the author by Salom Italia.

VI.

“Hope of Israel—Ten Tribes ... in America—מקוה ישראל De Hoop Van Israel,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

The | Hope of Israel: |

Written | By Menasseh Ben Israel, | an Hebrew Divine, and Philosopher. |

Translated into English, and | published by Authority. |

In this Treatise is shewed the place where the ten | Tribes at this present are, proved, partly by | the strange relation of one Antony Monte-|zinus, a Jew, of what befell him as he tra-|velled over the Mountaines Cordillære, with | divers other particulars about the restoration of | the Jewes, and the time when. |

Printed at London by R. I. for Hannah Allen, | at the Crown in Popes-head | Alley, 1650. |

(sm. 8º. 7 ll. + 90 pp.) [I. S.]

sig. A3. “To the Parliament, the Supream Court of England, and to the right Honourable the Councell of State, Menasseh Ben Israell, prayes God to give health, and all Happinesse.” But the original edition in Spanish is dedicated “A los Muy Nobles, Prudentes, y Magnificos Señores, Deputados y Parnassim deste K.K. de Talmud Tora.” ... Amsterdā. a 13 de Sebat. An. 5410.

In this first English version the name of the translator does not appear on the title page, nor does “The Translator to the Reader” bear any signature; but “Moses Wall” does appear on the title pages of two issues of a second edition which appeared in 1651 and 1652. (4to. 5 ll. + 62 pp.) [B. M.]

It was published again under the following title:⁠—

“Accounts Of The Ten Tribes of Israel Being In America; Originally Published By R. Manasseh Ben Israel.

With Observations Thereon, And Extracts From Sacred And Profane, Ancient And Modern History, Confirming The Same; And Their Return From Thence About The Time Of The Return Of The Jews.”

By Robert Ingram, A.M. Vicar of Wormingford and Boxted, Essex.

Colchester: Printed And Sold By W. Keymer; Sold Also By G. G. J. And J. Robinson, Pater-Noster-Row, London, 1792. [Price One Shilling.]

(8º. 56 pp.) [I. S.]

There are several Hebrew versions, the first translation appearing in 1698.

מקוה ישראל חברו ... החכם השלם׃ ... מנשה בן ישראל זצ״ל בלשון גוי הולנדי״אה׃ ¹ועתה נעתק ללשון הקודש ע״י ... ר״ אליקים בהר״ר יעקב ש״ץ זצ״ל חזן בק״ק אמשטרדם׃ ... נדפס באמשטרדם ... בשנת [תנח] לפ״ק ... בדפוס קאשמן עמריך.

(16mo. סו (66) ll.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ It was composed in Spanish in 1650 and did not appear in Dutch until 1666.

De | Hoop | Van Israël. |

Een Werck met groote naukeurigheyt | beschreven: |

Door | Menasseh Ben Israël | Hebreeuws Godtgeleerde en | Wijsbegeer. |

Met meer als 90 Beschrijvers bevestight: |

(12mo. 6 ll. + 124 pp. [De Hoop Van Israel.])⁠² [I. S.]

¹ A third edition was published in the same year, with the following addition:⁠—

De Reysen van R. Benjamin Jonasz Tudelens, In de drie Deelen der Werelt, als Europa, Asia, en Afrika: ... In’t Nederduyt overgeschreven door Jan Bara.... 117 pp. [B. M.]

² Bound up with this copy is a folded engraving of the Author by Salom Italia.

It has also been translated into Yiddish.

VII.

The Humble Addresses of Manasseh Ben-Israel

(4to. 4 ll. + 26 pp.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ This was probably printed in Amsterdam, in anticipation of his visit to England.

A second issue from another press, and in which the collation varies (4 ll. + 23 pp. [I. S.]) may have been printed in London, as at the end it has the following addition:⁠—

“Which is the close of Rabbi Menesse Ben-Israel, a Divine, and Doctor in Physick, in the Strand over against the New-Exchange in London.”

The British Museum copy of the 23 pp. edition has the following date in manuscript on the title page: “November 5, 1655.”

VIII.

“Vindiciæ Judæorum,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

By Rabbi Menasseh Ben Israel a Divine | and a Physician. |

Printed by R. D. in the year 1656. |

(4to. 1 l. + 41 pp.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ In 1743 it was reprinted in octavo form (2 ll. + 67 pp. [I. S.]). It was translated into German either by Dr. Marcus Herz (1747–1803) or by his wife, the celebrated Henrietta Herz (1764–1847), and published in 1782, with an introduction by Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) (sm. 8º. LII. + 64 pp. [I. S.]). It has also appeared in Hebrew [I. S.], Polish [I. S.], French and Italian.

IX.

Enseña A Pecadores

En casa y acosta | de David de castro Tartaz. |

En Amsterdam | Anno 5426. |

(12mo. 88 + ח (= 8) (8) pp.) [B. M.]

Page 2. “Prologo.... Aviendo pues el Señor hecho merced al mundo en traer a luz las obras divinas del H. Ribi Esayah, su memoria sea para benedicion, las quales son llenas de doctrinas y modos de encaminar al hombre a la salvacion....”

pp. 61–79. “Conficion Muy Copiosa Maravillosa y llena de divinos conceptos y misterios, hecha por el divino Theologo y excellentissimo Sabio, Ribi Yshac Askenazi de Loria, Traduzida de Hebrico, en lengua castellana, por el doctissimo Haham Menasseh ben Ysrael; el Anno 5383. la qual se puede dezir estando el hombre enfermo o de ajuno o en qual quiera tiempo.”

pp. 80–88. Vidvy Penitencial ... Auctor Selomoh De Oliuera.

וידוי כפרה ... שלמה די אוליוירה יצ״ו התחלתו ערב ר״ח אדר ראשון. בשנת מגיני אל אלהים מושיע ישרי לב׃ א–ה .pp

תושלבע׃

X.

“De Termino Vitæ—of the Term of Life,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

Amstelodami. Typis & sumpti-|bus authoris An. 1639. |

(12mo. 8 ll. + 237 pp. + 25 ll.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ Sixty years later it was translated into English:⁠—

With the Sense of the Jewish Doctors, | both Ancient and Modern, touching | Predestination and Free-Will. |

Also an Explication of several obscure | Passages and Prophecies in the Old Testa-|ment; together with some remarkable Cu-|stoms observ’d by the Jews. |

Written in Latin by the Famous Menasseh | Ben-Israel the Jew and now Translated | into English, By Tho. Pocock, M.A. |

To which are added, the Author’s Life, never be-|fore Publish’d; and a Catalogue of his Works. |

London Printed, and Sold by J. Nutt, near | Stationers-Hall, and by the Booksellers of Lon-|don and Westminster, 1699. |

(sm. 8º. 6 ll. + XVI. + 116 pp.) [I. S.]

sig. A2. “To Colthorp Parker, Esq.;”

With the Sense of the Jewish Doctors, | both Ancient and Modern, touching | Predestination and Free-Will.⁠ |

Also an Explication of several obscure Passages and | Prophecies in the Old Testament; together with | some remarkable Customs observed by the Jews. |

Written in Latin by the Famous Menasseh | Ben-Israel the Jew, and now Translated into English. |

To which are added, the Author’s Life, never be-|fore Publish’d; and a Catalogue of his Works. |

London, Printed for W. Whitwood at the Rose | and Crown in Little-Brittain. 1700. | (sm. 8º 6 ll. + xvi. + 116 pp. + l. [catalogue]). [I. S.]

sig. A2. “To Colthrop Parker, Esq.;”

Also an Explication of several obscure | Passages and Prophecies in the Old Testa-|ment; together with some remarkable | Customs observed by the Jews. |

To which are added, the Author’s Life, by the Translator; and a Catalogue of his Works. |

London, Printed for Tho. Baker at the | Bible and Rose in Ludgate-street. 1709. | (sm. 8º. 8 ll. + xxiv. + 117 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

sig. A2. “To Christopher Tilson, Esq.; Of The Treasury.”

XI.

“נשמת חיים—De Immortalitate Animæ,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

ספר נשמת חיים על ענין הנשמה ... מנשה בן ישראל ... פה ק״ק אמשטרדם נדפס בדפוס בן המחבר שמואל אברבנאל סואירו בשנת [תיב] לפ״ק׃

(4to. 8 + קעד (174) + 2 ll.) [I. S.]

Some editions, which are excessively rare, have this Latin addition:⁠—

In quibus multæ insignes & ju-|cundæ quæstiones ventilantur, | uti videre est, ex argu-|mento operis. |

Amstelodami, | Apud Autoris filium | Samuel Ben Israel Abrabanel Sueiro. |

Anno ϲlͻ. ͻlϲ. LI. |

(8 ll.) [I. S.]

sig. A2. (Epistola Dedicatoria) Ferdinando III. Augustissº. Romanorum Imperatori....

Sig. A4². Augustissimi Imperatoris Servus humillimus Menasseh Ben Israel.

Amstelodami Calendis Decembris Anno ϲlͻ. lͻϲ. LI.

XII.

“Rights of the Kingdom,” by John Sadler

Rights of the Kingdom; | Or, | Customs of our Ancestours:... With an Ocasionall Discourse of Great Changes yet | expected in the World. |

London, | Printed by Richard Bishop. 1649.|⁠¹

(4to. 4 ll. + Aa–Mm + f–z + a–c in fours.) [I. S.]

sig. G4. “How they are Now, I need not say, although I might also beare them witnesse, that They are yet Zealous in Their Way. nor doe they wholly want, ingenuous able men. of whom I cannot but with Honour, mention Him, that hath so much obliged the world, by his learned Writings; Rab Menasseh Ben Israel: a very learned, Civill Man, and a Lover of our Nation.

“The more I think upon the Great Change, now comming on Them, and All the World; the more I would be Just and Mercifull to Them, to All.”

¹ It was republished thirty-three years later anonymously, as was the first issue.
London: Printed for J. Kidgell. 1682. 4to. 4 ll. + 319 pp. [B. M.]

XIII.

“Nova Solyma,” edited by Rev. Walter Begley

Nova Solyma The Ideal City; Or Jerusalem Regained

An Anonymous Romance Written In The Time Of Charles I.

Now first Drawn From Obscurity, And Attributed To The Illustrious John Milton.⁠¹

With Introduction, Translation, Literary Essays And A Bibliography

By The Rev. Walter Begley

vol. i., ii.

London John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1902.

(p. 4). “The book was first presented to the public in small octavo form with this title page:

¹ The author was Samuel Gott (1613–1671), see “The Authorship of Nova Solyma,” by Stephen K. Jones (1910), and B.M. Catalogue.

“The book contained three hundred and ninety-two pages, of which the last contained the errata and the printer’s short notice to the reader. There was no preface or introduction of any kind, and no notes. The only printed extra was this Latin motto in the middle of the blank page facing the title:

‘Cujus opus, studio cur tantum quaeris inani?’

‘Qui legis, et frueris, feceris esse tuum.’

which I turn thus:

(p. 5). “‘Whose is the book?’ do you ask. ‘Why start such a bootless enquiry?

If you but read and enjoy, you will have made it your own.’” (pp. 5–6). “... The next year the same book was published again—an evident attempt to utilise the unsold remainder, as there was no difference whatever, except a new title page with the old fly-leaf motto included in it and a page at the end containing the autocriticon. In the only copy I have seen, [St. John’s College, Cambridge], the title page runs as follows:

Novæ Solymæ Libri Sex; sive Institutio Christiani.

1. De Pueritia.

2. De Creatione Mundi.

3. De Juventute.

4. De Peccato.

5. De Virili Aetate.

6. De Redemptione Hominis.

Cujus opus, studio cur tantum quaeris inani?

Qui legis, et frueris, feceris esse tuum.

Londini: Typis Johannis Legati, et venundantur per Thomam Underhill sub signo Biblii in vico Anglice dicto Woodstreet. MDCXLIX.”

Here we have the very useful addition that it was published by Thomas Underhill, of Wood Street.

(preface pp. vii–viii). “... That such a wide-reaching, learned, and varied work should have been allowed to remain unappreciated and utterly ignored for more than two hundred and fifty years is certainly a very surprising literary fact....

“The critics seem to have been both blind and deaf. They gave no encouraging praise, and no disheartening condemnation. They simply took no notice. And so this great work of seventeenth-century art vanished from the sight of men. A few copies were put away in college libraries, where they rested for years undisturbed and dust-covered in their original positions, and have so continued to rest for two centuries and a half, lost to the world.”

(p. 18). “There is a spirit of pure, lofty, and unselfish morality evident throughout all the various scenes of this interesting and unaffected book. It shows us the brightest, strongest elements of God-fearing Puritanism;...” “Here are the lyric songs from ‘the law and prophets,’ Abraham’s meditation on the Mount Moriah, Cain’s lamentations for Abel, David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan, and many a noble ode from the Psalms and short epics from Job....” “Here Truth and Justice and the Fear of God are all placed on the high pedestals they so well deserve; and there is withal a kindly insistence everywhere on those great teachings which tend to make life more abounding in hope, more perfect in self-restraint and more lifted-up in spirit.”

All these ideas are Hebrew, and characteristically Biblical. But the most curious fact, from our point of view, is that this work contains a description of the Ideal State on Mount Zion. Of course, the tendency is thoroughly Christian, but it is that kind of Christianity which is inspired by the Old Testament and by a sentiment of love for the old Jewish nation and the Holy Land. This book is the poetical expression of the Restoration ideas of the seventeenth century. It begins with a description of the springtime in New Jerusalem, “the city with twelve gates” (Ezekiel xlviii. 31), and “a virgin who held in her right hand a golden rod, and in her left the two tables of the Law.” The tourist-visitors, “two Englishmen and the third a Sicilian,” are told that “it is the anniversary of the founding of the city and the virgin you saw represented Zion, or, as they say, the Daughter of Zion.” “They” evidently refers to the Jews.

Strangers are received with remarkable hospitality (as in Herzl’s Altneuland).

(p. 86). “But Jacob, for that was the old man’s name, urged him all the more, ‘Come, come,’ said he, ‘it is a national duty with us to treat strangers with kindness, not unmindful that we too, long ago, were strangers in Egypt, and since then for a long time strangers and wanderers among all the nations of the earth. But now we call none aliens from Israel....’”

(p. 88). “We are now very close on the fiftieth year since our long and widely-scattered nation was restored to its present wonderful prosperity.” The old Jew then explains the system of education adopted in the new country, a system of physical development and moral integrity.

Joseph, who is one of the tourists and the hero of the romance, indulges in songs of Zion.

(pp. 175–6) “O sacred top of Solyma,

How lovely is thy place

Where stands the city of our King

Where faithful saints rejoice and sing

O mercy, love and grace!

“For there our greater Temple stands

With greater glory blest

And there redeemed from alien lands,

Brought back at last by God’s own hands,

His Israel finds her rest.”

Here the translator remarks:

(p. 177) note i.: “How many sighs and prayers have gone up from the dispersed children of Zion in Russian Poland, in Galicia, in Roumania and by the old broken wall of Jerusalem in these latter days! What longing for this ‘antepast of Heaven’ that Joseph here speaks of! What passionate desire for that time, when the children of Zion should no longer have to sing ‘the Lord’s song in a strange land’! Is this century to see the Zionists in possession again of their Holy City—their longed-for Salem, the ‘Vision,’ the ‘Foundation,’ the ‘Inheritance’ of Peace, as expositors have variously entitled it? Who can say? From a practical point of view the prospect somehow fails to charm; but when I view it in theory, it seems as if the justice of the world as well as the justice of the Eternal One would be nobly consummated by such a termination to an earthly pilgrimage of nigh two thousand years.”

The anonymous author proceeds to describe the old-new home, and the people, new-born in benevolence, piety and purity, with their national distinctiveness, and the two tables of the Law. Thus, with all his honest and deep Christian convictions and belief in the final triumph of his religious ideas, he recognizes the right of the Jewish nation to have their country and to remain faithful to their traditions. This strange romance, after all sorts of philosophical reflections and sketches of various adventures in Sicily and elsewhere, comes back to Zion to sing the songs of the Old Testament in Latin verse in a way which shows that the author had the rhythm and atmosphere of Biblical poetry to perfection, and also that his views were much more in harmony with the notions of that time than with modern conceptions. The whole work is inspired by great enthusiasm for Israel’s glory, and abounds with sympathy and admiration for the Jewish nation.

Begley, who was a man of profound knowledge and an authority on matters of composition and style, ascribes this work to Milton. If this view be accepted, then to this poet’s glory must be added a further claim to immortality, because he was the first poet who expounded—from a Christian point of view—the idea of Israel’s Restoration in the form of a poetical romance. But from our point of view it does not matter whether Milton was the author, or another poet; the fact remains that this remarkable work is English and appeared in England in 1648.

XIV.

“Prædamitæ—Men Before Adam,” by Isaac de La Peyrère⁠¹

¹ Account of Peyreyra, Author of “Præadamitæ,” “Rappel des Juifs,” &c. Translated from “Lettres Choisies de M. [Richard] Simon, (1638–1721) ou l’on trouve un grand nombre de Faits et Anecdotes de Literature. Rotterdam 1702.”

(Gentleman’s Magazine, vol. lxxxii., November, 1812, pp. 432–434; and vol. lxxxiii., June, 1813, pp. 614–616.)

Another of his famous works, also published anonymously, was:⁠—

Anno Salvtis, | M.DC.LV. |

(4to. 22 ll. + 297 + 8 pp. [Synagogis Ivdæorvm Vniversis.]) [I. S.]

In the following year it was translated into English:⁠—

By which are prov’d, | That the first Men were crea-|ted before Adam. |

London, | Printed in the Year, 1656. |

(8º. 8 ll. + 61 pp. + 9 pp. + 35 ll.) [I. S.]

The End of the first Part (No more published)

sig. A.4. “To all the Synagogues to the Jews, dispersed over the face of the Earth.”

sig. M.8. “Terræ Sanctæ Delineatio” (A map of the Holy Land).⁠¹

¹ In another issue in the same year the eight preliminary leaves are from another press. [I. S.]

XV.

Isaac Vossius

Isaac Vossius was born at Leyden in Holland, one of the sons of the renowned scholar Gerard John Vossius by his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of Francis du Jon (Junius) (1545–1602), French theologian and philologist. All the sons were precocious scholars, but Isaac was undoubtedly the most eminent.... He was invited by Queen Christina of Sweden, one of the most erudite women of her time, to come and shed the lustre of his learning upon Stockholm. He arrived towards the end of 1649, was appointed a Court Chamberlain, and taught the Queen Greek. In 1650 he sold her his father’s library for twenty thousand florins, with the stipulation that he received five thousand florins yearly with board and residence for its superintendence. In 1652 owing to certain differences he left Sweden. In 1655 Manasseh Ben Israel dedicated to him:⁠—

(12mo. 6 ll. + 259 pp. + 3 ll. + 4 etchings at pp. 5, 87, 160, 180.) [I. S.]

“All muy noble y doctissimo Señor Isaco Vossio, Gentil hombre de la camara de su Magestad, La Reyna de Svedia.

Muy noble y doctissimo Señor, ... Intimo amigo y afficionado servidor de V. M.,

Menasseh ben Ysrael.

Amsterdam 25. de Abril, An. 5415.”

In a list of Manasseh’s works at the end of the volume, it is catalogued “Piedra preciosa; o de la Estatua de Nebuchadnesar, donde se sexpone lo mas essencial del libro de Daniel.” It was for this small volume that Rembrandt designed and etched four illustrations.⁠¹

¹ Rembrandt’s etchings for the Piedra Gloriosa, by [Dr.] I[srael] A[brahams] [M.A.], with facsimiles, Jewish Chronicle, 13 July, 1906, pp. 39–40: The second series of illustrations for the Piedra Gloriosa of Manasseh Ben Israel, by Israel Solomons, ibid., July 27, p. 31.

Vossius was created D.C.L. at Oxford in 1670, and installed to a prebend in the royal chapel at Windsor in 1673, which was presented to him by Charles II. (1630–1685), and died at Windsor 21 Feb., 1688. He had accumulated the finest private library in the world, including 762 manuscripts. It was sold at Leyden in 1710 for thirty-six thousand florins. A large number of original letters of Vossius are preserved at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

XVI.

“Doomes-Day”

With | The gathering together of the Jews in great Bodies | under Josias Catzius (in Illyria, Bithinia, and Cappadocia) | for the conquering of the Holy Land. | ...

London, | Printed for W. Ley. 1647

(4to. 1 l. + 6 pp.) [I. S.]

(p. 2) “... even those people the Jewes, according to certaine and credible information, are at this time [* Under Josias Catzius, and according to Letters from beyond the Seas, they are numerous, and shew themselves in great bodies in Illyria, Bethinia and Cappadocia.] assembling themselves together into one body from out of all countreys, whereinto they have been driven with a resolution to regaine the holy land once more out of the hand of the Ottaman:”⁠¹

¹ Notes and Queries, 10. S. IV., pp. 10 & 77, JOSIAS CATZIUS.

XVII.

“Restauration of all Israel and Judah”

A Paper, shewing that the great Conversion and Restauration of all Israel and Judah will be fulfilled at Christs second comming; and that the New Jerusalem, called Jehovah Shamma, described by Ezekiel, chap. 40. to the end of the Book, is most probably then to be set up, and is referred to the same time, &c., May 1. 1674.

(4to. 8 ll.) [I. S.]

XVIII.

“Apology for the Honorable Nation of the Jews—Apologia por la noble nacion de los Ivdios—Verantwoordinge voor de edele Volcken der Jooden,” by Edward Nicholas

Written by Edward Nicholas, Gent. | ...

London, Printed by John Field, 1648. |

(4to. 15 pp.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ This tract is alluded to in the concluding paragraph of Manasseh Ben Israel’s “Humble Addresses,” but the author has not yet been identified. He was at one time thought to be Sir Edward Nicholas (1593–1669), Secretary of State to Charles I. and II., and it has even been stated that “Edward Nicholas” was a pseudonym of Manasseh himself. (See Jewish Chronicle, 9 Feb., 1906. “Edward Nicholas,” by Israel Solomons.)

A Spanish translation was also published here:⁠—

Escrita en Ingles | Por | Eduardo Nicholas. |

E impresa en casa de Juan Field, en | Londres, |

Año ϲlͻ ϲlϲ XLIX. |

(sm. 8º. 8 ll.) [I. S.]

Some years later a Dutch version was issued (Published together with “De Hoop Van Israël” of Manasseh Ben Israel).

Verantwoordinge, | Voor | De Edele Volcken der | Jooden, |

En Kinderen van | Israel. |

In het Engels beschreven | Door | Eduardo Nicolas. |

In’t Nederduyts overgeschreven | en gedruckt. |

t’Amsterdam, | Voor Jozua Rex, Bœck-binder, | op de Cingel, recht over de Appelen-marreckt | in’t Jaer 1666. |

(12mo. 1 l. + 26 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

XIX.

“A Word for the Armie,” by Hugh Peters

Forced in much plainesse and bre-|vity from their faithfull Servant, | Hugh Peters. | ....

London, | Printed by M. Simmons for Giles Calvert at the black | Spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls, 1647. |

(4to. 14 pp.) [I. S.]

sig. B2. “IOLY. That Merchants may have all the manner of encouragement, the law of Merchants set up, and strangers, even Jewes admitted to trade, and live with us, that it may not be said we pray for their conversion, with whom we will not converse, wee being all but strangers on the Earth.”

XX.

Isaac da Fonseca Aboab

He was the son of David Aboab and Isabel da Fonseca. To distinguish him from his contemporary Isaac de Matatiah Aboab, he is generally alluded to as “Fonseca Aboab.” He was born at Castrodagre, Portugal, and brought to Amsterdam as a child, where he became a pupil of Haham Isaac (ob. 1622) de Abraham Uziel. In 1623 he was the Haham of the Nevé Shalom, the second synagogue established in Amsterdam. In 1642 he emigrated to Pernambuco (Recife) in Brazil, where he was Haham until he returned to Amsterdam in 1654. (In 1640 Manasseh himself had intended going out to Brazil to join his brother Ephraim Soeiro⁠¹ in business.) During Aboab’s Rabbinate there was war between the Dutch and Portuguese for possession of the colony, which he describes in Hebrew verse, still in manuscript. He was the first Rabbi and the first Hebrew Author in the New World. It has been alleged, that in his declining years he was a secret votary of Sabbatai Zebi. He was a great-grandson of the last Gaon of Castile, the Isaac Aboab (1433–1493) who wrote a super-commentary to Nachmanides’ commentary on the Pentateuch, printed in Constantinople in 1525. Rabbi Abraham de Samuel Zacuto, the author of the Juchasin, was one of his pupils, and on his death delivered the funeral oration.

¹ Ephraim had evidently discarded his surname of “Ben-Israel” for “Soeiro,” that of his maternal grandfather, who probably left no male issue. In such cases, it was customary among Sephardi Jews for the second son of the eldest daughter to use his mother’s maiden surname exclusively, or add it to his own patronymic.

XXI.

Dr. Abraham Zacutus Lusitanus

He was one of the most eminent physicians of his time and the author of many valuable works in connection with his profession. He was a native of Lisbon and of marrano origin. In the year 1625, when Philip (1605–1665) IV. of Spain (1621–1665) and Portugal (1621–1640) banished the Jews from the latter kingdom, Zacutus escaped to Amsterdam from the clutches of the Holy Office. Here he was initiated into the Abrahamic covenant and lived as an exemplary Jew. He was one of the “Aprovaciones” of the first volume of the Conciliador “Sapientissimo Viro, Domino Menasseh Ben Israel, sacrorum librorum eruditissimo interpreti, Salvtem.... Amstelodami dié ultim. Mensis August. Anno. 1632.

Te summé colit, & observat,

Doctor Zacutus Lusitanus.”

Among his clientele he numbered the Elector Palatine Frederick V. (1596–1632), King of Bohemia (1619–1620), and his consort Elizabeth Stuart (1596–1662), eldest daughter of James (1566–1625) I., King of England (1603–1625). They were the parents of Sophia (1630–1714), Electress of Hanover, the mother of George (1660–1727) I. (1714–1727).

His great-grandfather was Abraham [Diogo Rodriguez] (1450?–post 1510) de Samuel de Abraham Zacut, the astronomer, mathematician and historian.

In 1473, while a professor in the University of his native town, Salamanca, he wrote his world-famous: ביאור לוחות׃ [B. M.] (Astronomical Tables), and here he became acquainted with Christopher Columbus (1446?–1506).

His pupil Joseph Vecinho (Vizino) [Diego Mendes], physician to João II., the Great (1455–1495), King of Portugal (1481–1495), translated the work into Latin. It was printed by a Jew, Samuel D’Ortas, at Leiria in 1496, and entitled “Almanach Perpetuum.” Dr. Vecinho presented a copy to Columbus, which he always carried with him and consulted on his voyages, deriving invaluable help from it.

It was this very book that he used to predict the eclipse of the moon, which so terrified the Indians in Jamaica that they became obedient to him, and furnished his party food. After his death it was found in his library. On the margins are calculations in his penmanship, which were doubtless made to verify those of Zacuth.⁠¹

¹ The Authentic Letters of Columbus. By William Eleroy Curtis, ... Chicago, ... 1895, pp. 115–116.

On the exile from Spain, 2 August, 1492, the author went to Lisbon, where he was appointed astronomer and historiographer to João II. He was of material assistance to the great navigator Vasco da Gama (1460?–1524), in preparation of his voyage to India. The ships were provided with Zacuto’s newly perfected iron astrolabes, which hitherto had been of wood. He was highly esteemed by da Gama, who took leave of him on the 8 July, 1497, in the presence of his entire crew.

Portugal also expelled the Jews, so he fled with his son Samuel to Tunis, and here in 1504 he wrote his famous ספר יוחסין which is a chronological history of the Jews from the Creation up to 1500.

It was first printed in Constantinople in 1566 [B. M.], and an issue edited by Herschell Filipowski (1817–1872) was published in London in 1857, some copies of which were printed on vellum [B. M.]. Tunis being invaded by Spain he emigrated to Turkey, where he died some time after 1510.

XXII.

Jacob Judah Aryeh d̅e Leon

Haham Jacob Judah Aryeh de Leon [Templo] of marrano origin, was born in Hamburgh in 1603. Here for some years he was teacher in Hebrew and Rabbinics to the Kahal Kadosh de Talmud Torah. Subsequently he was appointed Haham of Middelburgh in Holland, where in 1642 he published tracts in Spanish⁠¹ and Dutch,⁠² describing a model he had constructed of Solomon’s Temple. Shortly after he settled in Amsterdam and resumed his tutorial profession, and it was here that a French version⁠³ of the tract was published, and seven years later a Hebrew edition appeared,⁠⁴ translated by the Author from his original Spanish. Versions in German,⁠⁵ Latin,⁠⁶ and Ladino⁠⁷ have also been issued at various times. In anticipation of his visit to London to exhibit his model before Charles II. (1630–1685) and his Court, he prepared an essay in English, which was printed and published in Amsterdam,⁠⁸ describing the model of Solomon’s Temple, and also that of the Tabernacle of Moses, of which he had also constructed a model. It was again on view here in the years 1759 and 1760.⁠⁹ In 1778 it was in the possession of a Mr. M. P. Decastro, who claimed to be a near relation of Haham de Leon. He exhibited the model here, and translated and published the essay describing it,⁠¹⁰ which he tells us was “First printed in Hebrew and Spanish.”⁠¹¹

¹ Retrato Del Templo De Selomo.... Compuesto, por Iaacob Ievda Leon Hebreo, vezino de Middelburgo, en la Provincia de Zelanda.

En el Año de 5402 ala creacion del Mundo.

En Middelbvrgo, En Casa de la Biuda y Heredeos de Symon Moulert Imprimidor de los Estados de Zelanda. M.DC.XLII.

(4to. 4 ll. + 48 pp. [Bodleian.])

² Afbeeldinghe Vanden Tempel Salomonis, ... Door Iaacob Iehvda Leon Ebreo.

Tot Middelburgh, By de Weduwe ende Erfsgenamen van Symon Moulert, Ordinaris Drucker vande Ed: Mog: Heeren Staten van Zeelandt. Anno 1642.

(4to. 4 ll. + 49 pp. + folded etching “El Templo de Selomoh,” etc. etc. [B. M.])

Reissued at Amsterdam in 1644. [I. S.]

A fourth edition published at Amsterdam in 1669 [Bodleian].

³ Portraict dv Temple de Salomon, ... Composé par Iacob Iuda Leon Hebreu, habitant de Middelbourg en la Province de Zelande.

L’an de la creation du Monde 5403.

A Amsterdam, Imprimé chez Jean Frederick Stam, à l’Esperance,

ͻlͻ. lͻ. c. xliii. (4to. 6 ll. + 88 pp. [I. S.])

⁴ ספר תבנית היכל ... חברו בלשון לעז וגם העתיקו ללשון הקדש החכם ... כמהרר יעקב יהודה ארי ... נדפס פה אמשטרדם שנת ה׳ בהיכל קֹדֹשׂוֹ ה׳ בשמים כסאו לפ״ק ...

(4ᵗᵒ 2 + לח ll. [i.s])

Two hundred and ten years later, it was reissued at Warsaw with an “approbation” of Samuel Mohilewer, the great Zionist, who at the time was Chief Rabbi of Suwalk.

⁵ Traktat des Jak. Jeh. Leonis von dem Tempel Salomonis. Aus dem Holländischen ausgefertigt: Hannover, 1665, 8º.

(Bibliotheca Judaica.... Julius Fürst ... Leipzig ... 1849, p. 232.)

⁶ Jacobi Jehvdæ Leonis De Templo Hierosolymitano, ... ex Ebræo Latinè recensiti à Johanne Savberto ... Helmæstadt Impressit Jacobvs Mvllervs ϲlͻ. lͻ ϲ. lxv.

(4to. Eng. Frontis. [Augustus ... Dux Brunovicensis et Lunæburgensis ... Conr. Buno fec.] + Eng. Title-page + A–D in fours [c⁴: Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis Hebræi. Conr. Buno fec.] + ): (in fours + 211 pp. [incorrectly numbered 203 pp.] + at p. 35 folio folded sheet with Latin text + folio folded sheet of Temple plans + engraving of model of Solomon’s Temple, Palace and Fort Antonio, with explanatory details in Dutch + at p. 94, engraving of the “Priestly garments” + at p. 168, engraving of Holy Vessels, Candelabrum, etc. + at p. 179, engraving of “Ark of Testimony.” [I. S.])

It was reissued at Altdorph in 1674. [I. S.]

⁷ ליב׳רו די לה פ׳ורמה די איל פאלאסייו-לייאמאדו לשון הקדש תבנית היכל ... הרב יעקב יאודה אריה זצוק״ל תח״מ אדונינו המלך שולטן עבדול עז״ז סאן יר״ה שאלוניקו אין ד״ 5636 איסתאמפאריאה די קופת עץ החיים יב״ץ׃

(8º. 120 pp. [B. M.])

According to Text of Scripture. |

By Jacob Jehudah Leon, Hebr. |

Author of the Model of Salomon’s Temple. |

At Amsterdam, | Printed by Peter Messchaert, in the Stoof-steech, 1675. |

(4to. 4 ll. + 27 pp.) [I. S.]

⁹ Ahiman Rezon, Or a help to all that are or would be Free and Accepted Masons, ... the Second Edition. By Lau Dermott. Secretary.... London, 1764. (8º. Eng. Frontis. + xxxvi. + 224 pp. [Quatuor Coronati Lodge library]) p. xxxiv.

¹⁰ An Accurate Description Of the Grand and Glorious Temple of Solomon. In which are briefly Explain’d,

I. The Form of that Fabric.

II. The Vessels and Instruments belonging thereto.

III. The King’s Palace.

IV. Fort Antonio, built for the Defence of the Temple.

First printed in Hebrew and Spanish at Middleburgh, By that celebrated Architect, Jacob Juda Lyon, In The Year MDCXLII.

Translated by M. P. Decastro, (Proprietor of the said Model, and a near Relation to the Author.)

London: Printed for the above Proprietor, by W. Bailey, Wellclose-Square. M.DCC.LXXVIII.

(8º. Eng. Frontis. [Jacobi Yehudæ Leonis Hebræi ... Salom Italia Sculpsit] + 2 ll. + iii. pp. + 1 l. [etchings of “Temple,” “Cherubim”] + 48 pp.) [I. S.]

See “Jacob Jehudah Leon (Templo), by Israel Solomons,” Jewish Chronicle, 30 Oct., 1903.

¹¹ The tract was first printed in Spanish and Dutch in 1642, and not until 1650 did it appear in Hebrew.

Leon Templo,⁠¹ as our Haham is at times referred to, is supposed to have invented “The Arms of yᵉ most Ancient & Honorable Fraternity, of Free and Accepted Masons.” The original drawing was seen by Laurence Dermott (1720–1791) when he saw the model of the Temple in 1759–1760.⁠² He also wrote on the “Cherubim” and on the “Ark of the Testimony.” In 1671 he issued the Psalms in Hebrew, with a Spanish paraphrase and notes. This was his last published work, in the preface of which he tells us that although he was then sixty-seven years of age, he completed the work in seven months, at times that he could spare from his tutorial duties. Four works in manuscript are still unpublished. After his death, among his sketches were found over two hundred designs to illustrate and elucidate Biblical and Rabbinical passages. These his son Haham Solomon Raphael (ob. 1733 circa) de Leon Templo presented to Willem Surenhuis, who had them engraved for his edition of the Mishna.⁠³

¹ Templo was assumed as a surname by his descendants.

² Ahiman Rezon, ibid.

³ Mischna sive Totius Hebræorum Juris, Rituum, Antiquitatum, ac Legum Oralium Systema, ... Guilielmus Surenhusius.... Amstelædami, ... [1698–1703] (vi. vols. fol.)

Biographers do not seem to know when and where he died. David Franco Mendes (1713–1792) tells us that after his London visit he returned to Amsterdam, and although he gives a transcription of his epitaph, consisting of eight lines of Hebrew laudatory verse, no date is mentioned.⁠¹ Dr. M. Kayserling suggests that he died after 1675, that is after his London visit.⁠² There is, however, good authority to surmise that he died in London during his visit.

¹תולדות החכם מחו׳ יעקב יהודה ליאון זצ״ל by חפשי (Franco) המאסף חדש סיון תקמה .pp .רצז-שא

² Jewish Encyclopedia, 1904, vol. viii. p. 1.

XXIII.

Thesouro Dos Dinim

Thesovro Dos Dinim.... Composto por. Menasseh Ben Israel. Estampado em casa de Eliahu Aboab. An. 5405.

(8º. 16 ll. (one blank) + 625 pp. [in four sections])

*2 Muy Nobres, Magnificos, e Prudentes Senhores, Parnassim deste Kaal Kados de Talmud Torah.... o Sʳ David Abarbanel Dormido, Parnas da Sedaká, e Talmud Tora.... Menasseh ben Israel.

Amsterdam 15 de Hiyar, An. 5405. [B. M.]

Thesovro Dos Dinim ultima parte ... Economica ... Por Menasseh Ben Israel.

Amsterdā, na officina de Ioseph ben Israel seu filho.⁠¹ 5407.

8º 8 ll. (one blank) + 210 pp. + 4 ll.

A2.... Dedicatoria. Aos muy nobres, Magnificos e Prudētes Senhores, os Senhores Abrahā e Ishak Israel Pereyra....

A3. Este sen intimo, e affeiçoado amigo,

o Hahā, Menasseh ben Israel

Amsterdam 12 de Tamuz, An. 5407. [B. M.]

¹ The author, in his Nishmath Chayyim, 1651, folio 103, bewails the premature death of his son Joseph, the printer of this book. He was, he tells us, a keen Talmudist, and had a perfect knowledge of four languages. He had sent him on a voyage for the first time, and on returning to Amsterdam from Dantzig was shipwrecked. On his second journey the following year to Poland, on nearing Lublin, he died, being at the time about twenty years of age.

The two parts of Thesouro dos Dinim were subsequently reissued in one volume:⁠—

Amsterdam Anno 5470 (8º. 4 + 201 + 2 ll.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ This second issue is rarer than the first: 5470 is a misprint for 5407.

XXIV.

“Rettung der Juden,” by Manasseh Ben-Israel

Manasseh Ben Israel Rettung der Juden Aus dem Englischen übersetzt.

Nebst einer Vorrede von Moses Mendelssohn.

Als ein Anhang zu des Hrn. Kriegsraths Dohm Abhandlung: Ueber die bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden....

Berlin und Stettin bey Friedrich Nicolai. 1782.

(8º. lii. + 64 pp.) [I. S.]

XXV.

Newes from Rome.

Of two mightie Armies, aswell footemen as horsmen: The first of the great Sophy, the other of an Hebrew people, till this time not discouered, comming from the Mountaines of Caspij, who pretend their warre is to recouer the Land of Promise, & expell the Turks out of Christendome. With their multitude of Souldiers, & new invention of weapons.

Also certaine prophecies of a Iew seruing to that Armie, Caleb Shilocke, prognosticating many strange accidents, which shall happen the following yeere, 1607.

Translated out of Italian into English, by W. W.

❧ TO THE RENOWNED

Lord, Don Mathias de Rensie,
of Venice.

AFTER the particuler thinges alleaged in my former writings vnto your Lordshippe, I thought it good and conuenient by this my Letter, to aduertise your Lordship, of certaine great, horrible, and fearefull things that hapned in this quarter.

Purposing to certifie your Lordship of the pompe and great triumph at the presenting of the Captaines of the Sea, vnto the great Turke: the miserie and vnhappines of the poore prisoners: the discorde & contention that came by the sonne of the Vice Roy of Naples, being prisoner: the threatnings made to the Christians: the receiuing of the Ambassadors of the Soffy: the pompes, tryumphes, and entertainments made vnto them, and yet dissembled enough, with mocking one the other at their departing: the presents giuen: the going of the great Turke a hunting and all other thinges written at large, as your Lordship shall vnderstand.

But now your Lordship shall vnderstand at thys time, the greatest, the most wonderfull, and most strange thing that euer was heard of. The which partly hath so troubled the great Turke, and all the rest, that they haue left of all other affayres, to prouide for the perrill and danger that at this time hangeth ouer theyr heads.

Your Lordships to vse,

Signior Valesco.

Newes from Rome
⁂

The newes are come that the king of Hungarie maketh a great Army, which shall haue for his ayde the gallies of Buda, and of many other Princes of Christendome. And they say moreouer, that the king of Bohemia will helpe therein, and that the most part of Christian Princes will come and ayde him in this enterprise against the Turke, except the Signorie of Venice, which medleth nothing at all in it. These reporters of newes affirme, that there shal come aboue a hundred gallies, besides other Barks, ships, & Hulkes without number, which is occasion that they hasten the warre the more. Notwithstanding, men esteeme not so much hereof, as of the war that is made beyond the Mountaines, as you shall understand not without wondering at it. The Tartars make friendes upon the greater Sea, & haue made a league & friendship with the great Turke, requiring ayde, for they are molested with war by the great Emperour of Muscouia, & prince of Sagodie, of Pogore, of Smelengie, of Drossy, of Gazam, of Virgolosam, of Tartarie, of Cham, and of diuers other people and regions lying toward the South: they say that this Emperor or Duke hath two Armies, and is called Iohn Dwatillo, a young man, of the age of xxiiii. yeeres, noble and valiant, and a Christian, after the institution of the Greekes, and presumeth that by reason of his blood, the Empire of Constantinople doth belong to him, And these two Armies are about two hundred thousand horse.

They were not wont in time past to be so strong, nor so feared of the Turks, for they had not the use of artillarie in the warre: but nowe they haue meruailous great preparation in theyr warre. Hee hath in wages certaine Dutch Captaines, and about tenne thousand Maister gunners, and is meruailously well furnished with harquebushes, and artillery, and because men understand that hee hath so vanquisht the Tartarians, and brought thē to such a state, that they cannot much more resist him, and that if the saide Muscouite should be maisters ouer the Tartars, they should consequently be Rulers of the great sea, & the way should bee open and easie for them to come, not onely to Constantinople, but also to driue the Turke out of Europe: and because that the saide great Turke is assured of this enterprise and commotion of the Greekes: he hath cōcluded and determined, to send to the said Tartars a good assistance of fifteene thousand fighting men, and also for this purpose, hee hath sent to the sea ten Gallies to passe them ouer.

Men make mention and doubt of Mondaccio which is a great Prince and Ruler, and able to make foure score, or a hundred thousand horse: and yet men are uncertaine whose part he will take, because hee is tributarie unto the great Turke.

There is newes also from Affrica, that the king of Bugien, the king Tramece, the king of Tunis, the children of Serif. The Lord of Murocho, and of Gran, with the Arabians and other, haue taken in hand to driue and expulse the turke wholy out of Affrica, & to endomage him as much as they may. Men know not yet in what place they will war, but we shall know it shortly. The newes also is, that the Soffie is in Campe with a great Armie, and hath the Medes to helpe him, which border upon the Caspian Sea, and of one side neighbour to the Hircans, called at this day Correxans and Zecatans, with whom he hath made a league and peace. There are on his side also the Ibeians and Albians, and also the people of Melibar, which harbor upō the Indians, and likewise with the king of Bosphorus, all beeing people meruailous swift and nimble. In this so mightie an host and armie, is also Bascet the sonne of the great Turke, by meanes whereof, all in those parts is in great trouble, as well as heere. It seemeth that the Ienissaries bring him the lot of Turkie, as Baduget, Zermonia, Alepo, and all the Regions lying neere to the Soffi is reuolted, all the which particularities shall be understoode more at large.

This newes is great, and hath made the great turke to muse enough upon it, but aboue all these meruelous and dreadfull newes which are hapned, there is yet chaunced another, which hath greatly feared & abashed all men, which although it seemeth to be incredible, yet upon my credit it is most true, and that is, that a people heretofore unknowne, mighty, swift, and meruelous nimble, hath taken weapon in hand, to the disaduantage and losse of the house of Ottoman. They say that Alexander the great did in time past driue beyond the mountaine Caspe nine tribes and a halfe of the Hebrewes which worshipped the Calfe & Serpent of gold, and draue them away, that neuer since there was no newes of them, neither knewe any man if they were in the worlde or not: because the Sea of sand, or the sandie sea, by a certaine inconuenience of sand Grauel or Beche, swelled & rose so high, that it utterly tooke from them the way into this our Region. But now by the meane of the newe Nauigation that yᵉ Hollanders haue made, they are arriued in their country, and haue espied out all their dooings: and after yᵗ the said Hollanders had instructed and taught them in the science and knowledge of artillery, and gun=pouder for Harquebushes and dags, whereunto they are meruelous apt and ready, they are become in all thinges perfit. After this they egged them forward to take weapon in hand, and passe the saide mountaine by Land. And because the sandy sea did hinder their passage, it appeareth yᵗ some Duchman or Italian, which yet men knowe not, but notwithstanding some great Astrologian or Cosmographer taught them the way, making some hill plaine with fire, whereby they might easilie passe, which is a thing of great wonder.

These people haue two mighty great armies, and infinite store of victualls, by reason of the fruitfulnesse of theyr country, they are also well prouided of all manner of preparation for war, & cunning in the practise of theyr weapons. They say they will come & recouer the land of Promise, towards the which the first army is already very neere, to the great terror and dread of euery man which hath either seene or heard of them. The spyes which haue been sent out by the great turke to discry them, doe affirme, that beside a hundred and two armies, there followe an infinite number of people, as well footmen as horsemen, and theyr first armie is already arriued upon the limmits of Turkie, putting all to fire and sword. Theyr language is bastard Hebrew: & because men speake much of it heere, I will not forget to speake also something thereof woorthy to be noted, and well understoode: The Hebrewes of Constantinople say, that they haue certaine prophesies, among the which one maketh mention, that from the foure parts of the world, shall rise a people, and come into Gog and Magog, and then shall appeare (as they perswade themselues) their Messias in might and power, and then they shall haue dominion and rule in the world, whereof they secretly reioyce, & are wonderous glad. They say moreouer, that there is a prophecie grauen in a piller set at Podromo which saith thus: A mightie Prince shall rise, whose beginning shall be of small reputation, who by his Issue shal war of such force and strength (with the helpe of God) that he shall bring to nothing, the empire and rule of Ottoman, and shal be the right possessour and inheritor of the Empire of Constantinople, & they beleeue all that it shall be this Emperor and duke of Muscouia, which is alreadie in great estimation among the Greeks.

The Turks haue a prophecie, which they sing often, and weepe bitterlie the while, for it betokeneth and denounceth unto them, their utter ruine and destruction. And although it seeme strange, to say that the Turkes haue prophecies, it is no meruaile: for Balam was a false Prophet: the Sybilles also prophecied and were Pagans. For all these causes the great Turke hath forbidden wine & will that all men goe fiue times in a day to the Moschea, and pray to God for theyr health and saftie. And so hee prepareth three great armies, one against the Muscouites another against the Soffie, and the third for to goe against the Hebrewes of the Mountaines of Caspij. Within these fewe dayes you shall haue other newes, wherefore thus making an end, I commend me unto your good Lordship: from Rome, the first day of June, 1606. Your faithfull and trustie seruant, Signior Valesco.

The description of the first Armie, conducted

by Zoroam a Iew, Captaine generall
of the Armies.

First of all a Jew, of verie great stature, of a fleshlie colour, more red then otherwise, with broad eyes, called Zoroam, is Captaine generall of all the Armies, hee leadeth under his Ensigne twelue thousand horse, and twenty thousand footmen. The horsemen are armed after a light sort, but very good Harnes, almost after our fashion: they carrie Launces of long Reedes, very hard and light, yet so sharpe pointed, that they passe thorowe a thing with incredible lightnesse: they carrie also shields or targets of bone, and in steede of swords, they use certaine Courtilaxes.

They are apparrelled with the colour of their Ensigne, and all clothed with silke: the foote-men carrie Pikes of the same sort, with Helmet and Habergin: their Ensigne is of blacke silke and blew, with a dog following a Hart, or Bucke, and a saying written in it, which is in our language thus: Either quick or dead.

2. Of the Armie of Don Phares.

There is one called Phares, which is an Earle, yong and valiant, not regarding this present life: this man hath under his commaund fifteene hundred horsemen armed lightly, onely on the fore-part and head-peece: yet this Armour is so well tempered and wrought, that it keepeth out a Launce and Harquebush shot.

This manner of arming themselues, is to the intent they may neuer turne their backe to runne awaie: they have also fierce and light horses: there are eighteene thousand footemen, apparrelled with a kinde of sodden leather, made of the skinne of a certaine beast, so that no pike nor harquebush can pearse it. These men are beastlie people, & will neuer flie for any thing, they are very obedient and subiect unto their Prince, and their ordinarie apparell is silke. The Ensigne that they beare, is a falcon pecking or billing with another bird, with a sentence that saith, Either thine or mine shall breake.

3. Of the Marquesse of Galair.

There is a Marquesse of Galair called Goes, this man leadeth fifteen hūdred men of armes, which be all exceeding well armed & stout, strong, and rebust men: their horses are moriskes, the greatest, the strongest, the fairest, and the best that bee in the world: there are also seuenteene thousand souldiers, very wel appointed with Launce and harquebush: theyr Ensigne or armes is a redde field, with a maid clothed in greene, holding a Lion in her hand, with these words I hope to subdue a greater thing.

4. Of the Duke of Falach.

There is a Duke of Falach, called Obeth, who hath under his conduct xx. thousand footemen, armed with a certaine mettall like yron, but it is light and hard, they have many good swords, launces, and other force, harquebushes, and wiflers: their Ensigne or armes, is a mermaid in a blacke field, and the deuise thus, My singing shall not cease untill the end.

The description of the Armie conducted by
Captaine Nauison.

There is a captaine called Nauison, which hath under him xx. thousand men, appointed and armed with the skin of a serpent, most hard & stiffe, they haue Axes, pollaxes, pikes, harquebushes, and other kind of weapons: their Ensigne or armes, is a white snaile in a blacke fielde, with a deuise about it, By little and little, men goe very farre.

Of the tribe of Simeon there is a Prince of Arsay, whose name is not yet knowne, but they say he is a deuill, great, grosse, & thicke beyond measure, with a flat nose, and both he and his men are of the stature of Giants: he leadeth with him xx. thousand footemen, almost all Alfiers, which are also so swift & nimble that they will take horses running: they make a meruailous noise, such as no people use: their Ensigne is an Lute in a blacke field, and haue for their posy, Such is my government.

6. Of the Duke of Barsalda.

There is a duke of Barsalda, and he is the conducter of xiii. thousand footmen, which are all Harquebushers, & carry no fire matches, but strike it with a stone: they are apparrelled & armed with such a hard kind of leather, and so enchaunted, that no yron weapon in the world is able to perse it thorow. They bee also very swift and light: their Ensigne or armes, is a dry tree in a blew field, and their deuise thus, I hope to spread, and be greene againe.

7. Of the Armie of the Duke Passill.

There is a duke of Passill called Abia, he hath under his conduct a thousand footmen, very cruell, hauing all kind of weapons to push or pricke far off, and to strike nigh, but farre different from ours, they are very expert in artificiall fire, and make the greatest and most dreadfull thinges withall yᵗ a man can imagin: they do it either by arte or enchauntment, so that it seemeth that it raigneth fire upon their enemies, and yet notwithstanding hurteth not themselves at all, by reason they are apparalled with a certaine Serpents skin which preserueth them. Their Ensigne is a Cat holding a Rat in her paw in a blacke fielde, and theyr posie thus, Euen so hapneth it to him that is not gouerned.

8. Of the Army conducted by the Earle of Albary.

There is an Erle of Albary called Orut, which hath under his gouernaunce a thousand horse-men with Crosse-bowes, some of them weare certaine light armour of a kind of hard mettall, with Rapyers and daggers after theyr manner, they fight alwayes running and their horses are so swift that it is wonderfull. This man also hath xx. thousand horses barbed with very fine leather. Some carry pikes & Partisans, & such like weapons. Their Ensigne or armes is a man in chaines, in a field parted halfe with greene and purple, and this deuise withall, My chaines shall bind another man.

9. Of the Marquesse of Vorio.

There is a Marques of Vorio called Manasses, who hath under his conduct xvii. thousand footemen, armed with a very hard & strong leather, which men beleeue to be enchaunted, because that no weapon nor harquebush is able to perse it thorowe, yet it is as light as Linnen cloth, and a thing very fayre to see to. These now haue all sorts of weapons that an Armie may haue: and they are deuided and set in a very faire, comely, and decent order: their Ensigne is an old man in a chariot, in a blacke field, saying thus, After a long iourney, I shall be happy.

Caleb Shilock his prophesie, for the yeere, 1607.

Be it knowne unto all men, that in the yeere 1607, when as the Moone is in the watrie signe, the world is like to bee in great danger: for a learned Jew, named Caleb Shilock, doth write, that in the foresaid yeere, the Sun shall be couered with the Dragon in the morning, from fiue of the clocke untill nine, and will appeare like fire: therefore it is not good that any man doe behold the same, for by beholding thereof he may lose his sight.

Secondly, there shall come in the same yeere a meruailous great flood of water, to the great terror and amasement of many people.

Thirdly, there shall arise a meruailous great wind, and for feare thereof many people shall be consumed, or distraughted of their wits.

Fourthlie the same yeere, about the month of May, will arise another wonderfull great flood, and so great as no man hath seene since Noyes flood, which wil continue three daies and three nights, whereby many Citties and Townes which standeth uppon sandie ground will be in great danger.

Fiftly, Infidels and Hereticks, through great feare and dread, will flie, and gather together, and asmuch as in them lies, make war against Christian princes.

Sixtlie, in the same yeere after the great waters be past, about the end of the yeere will be very great and fearefull Sicknesses: so that many people are like to die by the infection of strange diseases.

Seauenthly, there will be throughout the Worlde great trouble and contention about matters of Religion, and wonderfull strange newes unto all people, as concerning the same.

Eightly, the Turke with his God Mahomet shall be in danger to lose his Septer, through the great change and alteration in his Regiment, by reason of famine and warres, so that the most part of his people will rather seeke reliefe from the Christian, then from him.

Ninthlie, there will also arise great Earth=quakes, whereby diuers goodly buildings & high houses, are like to be ouerthrowne and ruinated.

Lastlie, there will be great remoouings of the earth in diuers places, so that for feare thereof, many people will be in a strange amazement and terror.

These punishments are prognosticated by this learned Jew, to fall uppon the whole world by reason of sinne, wherefore it behooueth all Christian to amend their euill liues, and to pray earnestly unto God to with=hold these calamities from us, and to conuart our harts wholy to him, whereby we may find fauour in our time of neede, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FINIS.

COLLATION

A–B in fours; Black letter, with the exception of title-page and introductory leaf: Lowndes, p. 2749 notes “Valesco, S. Jewes Prophecy, &c. Halliwell, May, 1856, imprint cut into £10–5–0: No other copy known.” This is now in the British Museum, the fore edge of which is badly cropped, the name “Shilocke” on the title-page being cut down to “Shilo.” As in this copy, the imprint is cut off after “Pater,” but there is just visible the top edge of the next line, which may be “noster rowe at the signe of the Sunne,” but no indication of a date. These are the only two copies known of this remarkable tract. To students of Shakespeare, it is of considerable interest. James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, formerly Halliwell (1820–1889), the great Shakespearean scholar, in his introduction to the Merchant of Venice (Halliwell’s Shakespeare, vol. v., p. 277: London, 1853) maintains that the name of the predominant character of the play suggested itself to the author, from this tract. [Notes and Queries, 10s. ix. 269. April 4, 1908.]

XXVI.

“The World’s Great Restauration,” by Sir Henry Finch

Published by William Gouge, B. of D. and | Preacher of Gods Word in Black-fryers. London. |

(4to. 7 ll. + 234 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

This work has a second title page:⁠—

Published by William Gouge, B. of D. and | Preacher of Gods word in Blackefryers. London. |

¹ The Hebrew epistle referred to is a translation by the author of a section of this title page. It is printed by itself on one of the preliminary leaves in somewhat archaic characters, and reads as follows:⁠—

מזרה ישראל
יקבצנו׃ᵃ

מנחה היאᵇ
ליהודה ולבני ישראל חבריו וליוסף
אשר ביד אפרים וכל בית ישראל
הבריוᶜ׃ ימציאם אלהים חןᵈ וישבו
ובקשו את יהוה אלהיהם ואת
דויד מלכם באחרית
הימיםᵉ

עמוס חּ גּ אדני יהוהᶠ
דבר מי לא ינבא

ᵃ Jeremiah xxxi. 10. b Genesis xxxii. 19. ᶜ Ezekiel xxxvii. 16. ᵈ Proverbs iii. 4. ᵉ Hosea iii. 5. ᶠ Amos iii. 8.

The British Museum, and the Mocatta Library, in University College, have copies, without the first title page (The Worlds Great Restauration) and Gouge’s preliminary leaf “To the Reader.” Probably issued in this state after the incarceration of Finch and Gouge.

XXVII.

“The World’s Great Restauration”
(continued).

Contemporary reference to the book is to be found in letters from the Rev. Joseph Mead (Mede) (1586–1638), the eminent biblical scholar, to Sir Martin Stuteville.

(B. M. Add. 4176: 121, 123–6.)

Christ’s College Cambr. March 31. 1621.

Sr.

“... Sʳ Henry Finch was last week examined before the High Commission about the book I wrote of, but wonderful privately. He gave up his answer in writing, ch⁄w was sent to the King, & expected from him what should be his censure....”

Christ’s College, Apr. 7 [1621]

... I have seen Sʳ Henry Finch’s The World’s Great restauration, or Calling of the Jews, & with them of all the Nations of the Earth, to the Faith of Xᵗ. I cannot see but for the main of the discourse I might assent unto him. God forgive me, if it be a sin; but I have thought so many a day. But the thing, which troubles His Majesty, is this point, which I will write out for you verbatim; “The Jews & all Israel shall return to their land & antient Seats, conquer their foes, have their Soil more fruitfull than ever. They shall erect a glorious Church in the Land of Judah it self & bear rule far and near.” ... We need not be afraid to aver and maintain, that one day they shall come to Jerusalem again; be Kings & chief Monarchs of the Earth; sway & govern all, for the glory of Xᵗ; that shall shine amongst them. And that is it Lactantius saith Lib. 7. Cap. 15. “The Romans name I will speak it, because it must one day be shall be taken from the Earth, & the Empire shall return to Asia. And again shall the East bear dominion & the West be in subjection.” In another place Ashur & Egypt, all these large & vast Countries, the whole tract of the East & South, shall be converted to Christ; the chief Sway & sovreignty remaining with the Jews. All nations shall honour them.

Some say, the King says, he shall be a pure King, & he is so auld that he cannot tell how to do his homage at Jerusalem.

This with my best respect,

Yours ever,

Joseph Mead.⁠¹

¹ This letter has been transcribed, somewhat inaccurately in “The Court and Times of James the First;” ... [Robert Folkestone Williams.] ... London: ... 1848. Vol. ii., pp. 250–251. It is also to be found in (Notes & Queries, 2nd S. xi. 127., Feb. 16, 1861) “Modern Apocryphal Apocalypse,” by Moses Margoliouth, LL.D., PH.D.

Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, James I. 1619–1623.... Edited by Mary Anne Everett Green.... London ... 1851.

p. 247 April 18? (1621).

96. Petition of Sir Hen. Finch to the King. Disclaims the opinion which His Majesty thinks is asserted in his book; is sorry for having written so unadvisedly; begs liberty and restoration to favour.

p. 248 April 18, 1621 London:

Chamberlain [to Carleton.]

97. ... Serjeant Finch is committed for his book on the conversion of the Jews.

XXVIII.

Philip Ferdinandus

The Jew referred to was Philip Ferdinandus (1555?–1598), a native of Poland. He was converted to Roman Catholicism, but afterwards became a Protestant. He taught Hebrew at Oxford, and subsequently at Cambridge (D.N.B.).

His only publication is entitled:⁠—

Hæc sunt verba Dei, etc. |

Praecepta In Monte Sinai | data Iudæis sunt 613, quorum 365 negativa, & 248 af-|firmativa, collecta per Pharisæum Magistrum Abraha-|mum filium Kattani, & impressa in Bibliis Bomber-|giensibus, anno à mundo creato 5288 Vene-|tiis, ab Authore VOX DEI appellata: |

translata in linguam Latinam per Phi-|lippum Ferdinandum Polonum. |

His accesserunt nonnulla quæ sequens pa-|gina indicabit. |

Lex Dei integra est, Psal. 19. |

Aperi oculos meos, vt videam mirabilia legis tuæ. |

Vocem audivistis, et similtudinem non vidistis, | præter vocem. Deut. 4. 12. |

Vox Dei semel data est per Mosem in monte Sinai. |

Sed similitudinem videre. i. arcana, singulis diebus da-|tur. Ex Hazoar. |

Cum licentia omnium primariorum virorum in in-|clyta & celeberrima Cantabrigiensi Academia.

Cantabrigiae, | Ex officina Iohannis Legat. 1597. |

(4to. 3 ll. + A–H. in fours.) [B. M.]

XXIX.

Petition of the Jewes
Johanna & Ebenezer Cart[en][w]right

Presented to his Excellency and the | generall Councell of Officers on | Fryday Jan. 5. 1648. | With their favourable acceptance thereof. |

London, Printed for George Roberts, 1649. |

(4to. 1 l. + 6 pp.) [I. S.]

sig. A.2. “To the Right Honourable, Thomas Lord Fairfax, (His Excellency) Englanes (sic) Generall, And The Honourable Councel of Warre, Conveaned for Gods Glory, Izraells Freedom, Peace, and Safety, The humble Petition of Johanna Cartenright, Widdow, and Ebenezer Cartwright her Son, freeborn of England, and now Inhabitants of the City of Amsterdam.”

sig. A.3. “This Petition was presented to the generall Councell of the Officers of the Army, under the Command of his Excellency, Thomas Lord Fairfax, at Whitehall on Ian. 5. And favourably received with a promise to take it into speedy consideration, when the present more publike affaires are dispatched.”⁠¹

¹ American Elements in the Re-settlement. By Lucien Wolf. (Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England, vol. iii. 1896–8.... London, ... 1899.... p. 87.)

XXX.

“The Messiah Already Come,” by John Harrison

The | Messiah | Already Come. | ...

Written in Barbarie, in the yeare 1610, and for that cause directed | to the dispersed Iewes of that Countrie, and in them to all others now groaning under the heauy | yoake of this their long and intollerable captivitie, which yet one day shall have an end:...

Amsterdam, | Imprinted by Giles Thorp. Anno M.dc.xix. |

(4to. 5 ll. + 68 pp.) [B. M.]

sig. A3.—To The High And Mighty Prince Frederick King of Bohemia, &c.... This Treatise was published seven yeares agoe and Printed in the Low Countries.... Your Maᵗᶦᵉˢ most humble devoted seruant Iohn Harrison.⁠¹

¹ It appeared again under the following title:⁠—

A Vindication Of The Holy Scriptures....

By that Learned, and late Eminent Divine John Harrison.

London ... 1656.

(12mo. 11 ll. + 150 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

XXXI.

“Discourse of Mr. John Dury to Mr. Thorowgood—Jewes in America,” by Tho. Thorowgood—“Americans no Jews,” by Hamon l’Estrange

An Epistolicall Discourse Of Mr. Iohn Dury, To Mr. Thorowgood. Concerning his conjecture that the Americans are descended from the Israelites. With the History of a Portugall Iew, Antonie Monterinos, (sic) attested by Manasseh Ben Israel, to the same effect.... Your faithfull friend and fellow-labourer in the Gospel of Christ. J. Dury, St. Iames, this 27 Ian. 1649/50.

(sig. D–E, in fours.)

This will be found in the preliminary leaves of:⁠—

“The Epistle to the Reader” is dated Mar. 30. 1651.

London, Printed by W. H. for Tho. Slater, and are to be sold | at his shop at the signe of the Angel in Duck lane, 1650. |

(4to. 22 ll. + 139 pp.) [I. S.]

The Imprimatur signed Iohn Downame is dated Septem. 4. 1649.

pp. 129–(139) contain “The Relation of Master Antonie Monterinos, (sic) translated out of the French Copie sent by Manasseh Ben Israel.... J. Dvry Received this at London, 27 of Novem. 1649.”

This was the affidavit of Montezinos, superscribed by Manasseh Ben Israel, sent to John Dury at his particular request.

¹ A reply was made to this tract:⁠—

Americans no Iewes, | Or | Improbabilities that the | Americans are of that race | ...

By Hamon l’Estrange, Kᵗ. |

London, | Printed by W. W. for Henry Seile over against | St. Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet. 1652. |

(4to. 2 ll. + 80 pp.) [I. S.]

XXXII.

“Whether it be Lawful to Admit Jews into a Christian Commonwealth,” by John Dury

Resolved By | Mʳ John Dury: | Written To | Samuel Hartlib, Esquire. |

London, | Printed for Richard Wodenothe, in Leaden-Hall street, | next to the Golden Heart, 1656. |

(4to. 1 l. + 9 pp.) [I. S.]

p. 9: “... Sir! Your most affectionate and faithful servant ... John Dury. Cassell, in haste, Januarie 8 1656.”⁠¹

¹ John Dury and the English Jewry. By the Rev. S. Levy, M.A. (Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England, vol. iv. 1899–1901.... London.... 1903.... pp. 76–82.)

XXXIII.

“Life and Death of Henry Jessey”

With an Elegy upon the Death of Mr. | William Bridg. | ... Anno Domini 1671. |

(8º. 4 ll. + 108 pp.) [B. M.]

The author is unknown, but page 97 bears the initials “E. W.”

p. 67: “Towards the Jews his Charity was famous beyond President and many ways exprest,...”

p. 69: “3. His Charity was most eminently shewn to them in the great Collections, which through his importunity was made for the poor Jews at Jerusalem, who were reduced to extream poverty and misery; having lost, by reason of the Swedish Navies Wars, 15000000 of Rix Dollers; which their brethren of Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Prussia, were wont to send them yearly, for the maintenance of learned Rabbies and Students, and for the relief of antient Widows and decripid men, and other necessitous people, with which the Holy-Land doth abound; who (as we said) by cutting off their subsistance were brought (in 1657) into great extremity, not only of Famine and nakednesse (that of 700 Widows, 400 were famished out-right) but also by the imprisonment and scourgings of their Elders and Rabbyes, by their cruell Creditors, being the principal men of the Land to whom the Jews were indebted 20000 Rialls of Eight, which if the Ryall be 4s. 8d. a piece, it is 4666l. 13s. 4d. for the liberty of dwelling there, etc. which they extorted with great rigor and exaction, resolving to sell them all for slaves, in case payment was not speedily made.”

p. 70: “This befel the onely then Germane Jews at Jerusalem, for the Congregation of Portugal Jews were relieved by the Alms of their Rich Brethren in Portugal.”

p. 70: “4. The only Anchor the miserable Wretched and distressed Persons had, was to Implore succour from their Brethren in other parts, to which end they sent Letters to Venice, Amsterdam, and by Rabbie Nathan Levita, an Elder, and Cabalist: But all they got from them served only for payment of Interest of Debts: so that they had still perished, if the bowels of Christians in Holland, had not compassionated their State, who sent them 500. Rix Dollars, and by Letters did earnestly press Mr. H. J. to further a Collection in England.

“To which he made some demurs till he obtained full satisfaction of the truth of the Relation, and certainty of safe conveyance of the money that Charity might not be abused; for the first, the Messengers from Jerusalem brought Commissions signed by their Elders, which Commissions were sent to the Synagogues in Germany, and in the Netherlands to be examined; who assured that they knew the hands, and that those men would not subscribe to an untruth, and that they themselves had contributed upon the same Information.

“And as for Conveyance, two Noted Merchants of Francford, would return the mony, and give Bond for so much; till they procure a Receipt from the Elders of Jerusalem, as they had done for the above named summe of 500. Rix Dollars; and had a Letter returned from Jerusalem to the Charitable Christians of Amsterdam, both in way of Receipt and Gratitude with Original Hebrew Letter with the Messengers, Commissioners, and other necessary Instructions being sent to Mr. Jessey, removed all scruples, so that immediatly informed divers London Ministers, by whose assistance, together with his own private Friends and Interest, the some of 300l. Sterling was in short time gathered and sent, and a Bill of Receipt, with thankfulness returned: some of it being also sent to distressed Iews at Vilna and other places in Poland.”

p. 67: “When their liberty of returning and trading in England (as they did in Germany, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Netherlands etc.) was moved, disputed and debated for and against; He laboured that it might be granted, with such limitations, (as our Merchants yielded unto, viz) that they should be seated in some decayed Port Towns, and pay Custome for Goods, thence transported into other parts of the Nation, besides what they should pay there for exporting English, and importing forreign Commodities: such a tollerating of their trade might not onely be beneficial several ways to our selves, but be some satisfaction for the unhandsome dealings of our Nation against that people in the days of King Rich. I. King John and Edward the first, for the space of 100 years till their final Banishment, An. Dom. 1290. with those circumstances of cruelty, that our own Histories do not seem to approve of;...”

XXXIV.

“The Glory of Jehudah and Israel—De Heerlichkeydt ... van Jehuda en Israel,” by Henry Jesse.

The Glory of Jehudah and Israel is referred to in the concluding paragraph of “The Humble Addresses.”

Manasseh Ben Israel writes:⁠—

“... Now, having prooved the two former Points, I could adde a third, viz. of the Nobility of the Iewes: but because that Point is enough known amongst all Christians, as lately yet it hath bene most worthily and excellently shewed and described in a certain Booke, called, The Glory of Iehudah and Israel, dedicated to our Nation by that worthy Christian Minister Mr. Henry Iessey, (1653. in Dutch) where this matter is set out at large:...”

“The Life and Death Of Mʳ Henry Jessey,” page 79: “... Mr. H. J. seconded his Almes with divers Consolatory Letters to the dispersed seed of Jacob, having before in 1650. wrote a compleat Treatise yet extant, and called (the glory & Salvation of Jehudah, and Israel) tending towards the reconciliation of Jews and Christians,...”

J. C. Wolf, in his Bibliothecæ Hebræae, 1733, vol. iv., p. 901, in his biography of Manasseh Ben Israel, incidentally refers to “De Heerlickheid en heyl van Jehuda en Israel” written in Flemish (Belgice) by Henr. Jesse.

It is apparently very rare, the only copy that has been traced is mentioned in “Catalogue De La Bibliothèque de literature hebraique et orientale et d’Auteurs hebreux De Feu Mʳ Leon V. Saraval Trieste ... 1853.”⁠¹ [I. S.]

Nᵒ. 619 “Jesse Henry de Heerlichkeydt en Heyl van Jehuda en Israel (en langue flamande, traduit de l’anglais.) Amst. 1653 in 8º ... tres-rare....”

¹ In 1853 the Saraval library was purchased for the Breslau Jewish Theological seminary.

XXXV.

Of the Late Proceeds at White-Hall, concerning the Jews [Henry Jesse]

(4to. 1 l. + 14 pp.)⁠¹ [I. S.]

¹ A translation appeared in:⁠—

Neue Schwarmgeister=Brut Oder Historische Erzehlung....

IV. Die Wieder=Einnehmung der Juden in Engeland

V. Die Bekehrung der Indianer in New=Engeland ...

Gedrukkt im Jahr 1661. pp. 189–223.

(8º. 24 ll. + 223 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

p. 11: “Here followeth part of a Letter written at Ligorn, 1652. and sent by the Preacher in the Phœnix Frigot, to a friend in London.

Ligorn, aboard the Phœnix, 19 of the 1, 1652.

Dear Brethren:...”

p. 12: A Postscript, To fill up the following Pages, that else had been vacant: Containing,

1 The Proposals of R. Manasses ben Israel, more fully.

2 Part of his Letter written Anno 1647.

3 The late progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England.

A translation appeared in:⁠—

Neue Schwarmgeister=Brut Oder Historische Erzehlung....

IV. Die Wieder=Einnehmung der Juden in Engeland

V. Die Bekehrung der Indianer in New-Engeland ...

Gedrukkt im Jahr 1661. pp. 189–223.

(8º. 24 ll. + 223 pp. + 1 l.) [I. S.]

XXXVI.

Bishop Thomas Newton and the Restoration of Israel

“The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most signal and illustrious acts of divine Providence. They are dispersed among all nations, and yet they are not confounded with any. The drops of rain which fall, nay the great rivers which flow into the ocean, are soon mingled and lost in that immense body of waters: and the same in all human probability would have been the fate of the Jews, they would have been mingled and lost in the common mass of mankind; but, on the contrary they flow into all parts of the world, mix with all nations, and yet keep separate from all. They still live as a distinct people, and yet they no where live according to their own laws, no where elect their own magistrates, no where enjoy the full exercise of their religion.... No people have continued unmixed so long as they have done, not only of those who have sent forth colonies into foreign countries, but even of those who have abided in their own country. The northern nations have come in swarms into the more southern parts of Europe; but where are they now to be discerned and distinguished? The Gauls went forth in great bodies to seek their fortune in foreign parts; but what traces or footsteps of them are now remaining any where? In France who can separate the race of the ancient Gauls from the various other people, who from time to time have settled there? In Spain who can distinguish exactly between the first possessors the Spaniards, and the Goths, and the Moors, who conquered and kept possession of the country for some ages? In England who can pretend to say with certainty which families are derived from the ancient Britons, and which from the Romans, or Saxons, or Danes, or Normans? The most ancient and honorable pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain period, and beyond that there is nothing but conjecture and uncertainty, obscurity and ignorance: but the Jews can go up higher than any other nation, they can even deduce their pedigree from the beginning of the world. They may not know from what particular tribe or family they are descended, but they know certainly that they all sprung from the stock of Abraham. And yet the contempt with which they have been treated, and the hardships which they have undergone in almost all countries, should one would think, have made them desirous to forget or renounce their original; but they profess it, they glory in it: and after so many wars, massacres, and persecutions, they still subsist, they still are very numerous: and what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved?

“Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies, than in their preservation. For from the beginning who have been the great enemies and oppressors of the Jewish Nation, removed them from their own land, and compelled them into captivity and slavery? The Egyptians afflicted them much, and detained them in bondage several years. The Assyrians carried away captive the ten tribes of Israel, and the Babylonians afterwards the two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Syro-Macedonians, especially Antiochus Epiphanes, cruelly persecuted them: and the Romans utterly dissolved the Jewish state, and dispersed the people so as they have never been able to recover their city and country again. And where are now these great and famous monarchies, which in their turns subdued and oppressed the people of God? Are they not vanished as a dream, and not only their power, but their very names, lost in the earth? The Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians, were overthrown, and entirely subjugated by the Persians; and the Persians (it is remarkable) were the restorers of the Jews, as well as the destroyers of their enemies. The Syro-Macedonians were swallowed up by the Romans: and the Roman empire, great and powerful as it was, was broken in pieces by the incursions of the northern nations; while the Jews are subsisting as a distinct people to this day.”⁠¹

¹ Dissertations on the Prophecies ... By Thomas Newton, D.D., ... vol. i., London ... MDCCLIV. pp. 216–219.

XXXVII.

“A Call to the Christians and the Hebrews”

“You are at length to be restored to the land of your forefathers, where, after ages of dispersion and suffering, you will find rest and enjoyment; and will restore, surpass and enjoy, for ever, all that you have ever known, or conceived of happiness and glory.... Ye have sown in tears, ye shall reap in joy.” (Psalm cxxvi, 5.)

“They who deny that you will be restored and re-established in your ancient inheritance, may better deny that you are dispersed; for as certainly as the prophecies of your dispersion and preservation have been verified, so shall the numerous prophecies of your restoration be realized and fulfilled.”

“Will the British who preside over the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Seas assume the glorious enterprise, and conduct the Hebrews from Tarshish and the various coasts of their dispersion?

“This island has given birth to the Bible Society, through whose labours the glorious work has been undertaken and sustained of circulating the sacred scriptures, among the various nations of the earth in the respective languages.

“From this isle of ancient fame, the Hindoos and the lone isles of the Pacific and Atlantic Seas, again receive their Vedas and sacred scrolls.

“The uplifted shell sounded from this Arctic isle, will gain the ear of the wakeful Spirits of peace within it, and upon either Continent; of those watchers of the world, who listen to gather and transmit to all kindred and nations, the grateful sounds fraught with good tidings, which ascend ever and anon, as the all-presiding God calls them forth from some one of his train on Earth.”⁠¹

¹ A Call to the Christians and the Hebrews. By Theaetetus.... London MDCCCXIX. 8º. 1 l. + 35 pp. [B. M.] pp. 16–17, 33–34.

XXXVIII.

The Centenary of the British and Foreign Bible Society

Those who wish to read the full record of the Society’s work can do so in the two delightful volumes of Mr. William Canton. In his History of the British and Foreign Bible Society (London, Murray, 1904) he tells, in fine style, the story of the first half-century of the Society’s career. When the Society began its work, that is to say at the beginning of the nineteenth century, “all the Bibles in the world in all languages and in every land, printed or in MSS., did not greatly exceed 4,000,000 copies, and of the forty or fifty languages into which the Scriptures have been translated, several, like the Anglo-Saxon of Bede and the Mæso-Gothic of Ulfilas, were extinct tongues.” But now how stands the matter? “Under its auspices and mainly at its charges, scholars have been employed in translating the Scriptures into over 300 languages, including all the great vernaculars of the world. Neither expense nor labour has been spared in making these versions as perfect as possible; and when completed they have been printed, and thus placed within the reach of the poorest of those for whom they were intended. In 100 years over 180,000,000 copies of the scriptures, complete or in part, have been issued by the Society; and at the present time more than 6,000,000 copies per annum are being put into circulation.”

The well-known scholar, Dr. Israel Abrahams, after quoting this passage in the Jewish Chronicle, March 4th, 1904, rightly remarks: “... the Society is doing a noble work, with much of which Jews must completely sympathise. With some of its work we do not sympathise; but this reservation does not prevent us from offering cordial congratulations to the Society on its centenary,...” This is our point of view with regard to non-Jewish activities on behalf of Zionism, as well as on behalf of the Bible.

XXXIX.

Lord Kitchener and the Palestine Exploration Fund

Dr. Samuel Daiches read a paper on the 7th February, 1915, to the Jews’ College Union Society about Lord Kitchener’s work in Palestine. Sir Edward Pears, who is a member of the Council of the Palestine Exploration Fund, presided. Dr. Daiches pointed out that there was an early period in Lord Kitchener’s life which provided him with work in which he developed his great capacities—the period of his work in Palestine—nearly forty years ago, when he was engaged for four years (from 1874 to 1878) in exploration work in the Holy Land. He first took up the work (at the age of twenty-four) as second-in-command under Lieutenant Conder, and later, owing to the ill-health of Conder, took command of the survey party of the Palestine Exploration Fund. The lecturer made it clear that the real underlying motive which induced Lord Kitchener to take up this work was a love for the Bible and the land of the Bible. Kitchener left for Palestine in command of the Survey in January, 1877. By the beginning of July the survey of Galilee was completed, 1000 square miles having been added to the map. Four weeks later he went with a reduced party to the south country and surveyed 340 square miles in the desert around Beer Sheba. The survey of the whole of Western Palestine was thus completed. Then the revision work was done. In January, 1878, Kitchener was back in England, and after a short leave he joined Conder at the South Kensington Museum, and arranged and wrote the Memoirs for the sheets of the map executed by himself. In September he formally handed over to the Committee the whole of the Maps and Memoirs complete. As a result of the work of Conder and Kitchener we now have the large map of Western Palestine in twenty-six sheets, three volumes of Memoirs on the topography, orthography, hydrography and archæology, and the volume of Arabic and English name lists. A volume of Special Papers (vol. v. of the series) contains contributions from Conder and Kitchener. Kitchener’s contributions concerning the ancient Synagogues in Galilee are very valuable, and his reports show a sympathetic understanding of Jewish traditions in Palestine.⁠¹

¹ Lord Kitchener and his work in Palestine. By Dr. Samuel Daiches. London ... 1915. (8º. 88 pp.)

XL.

Bonaparte’s Call to the Jews (1799)

Gazette Nationale ou Le Moniteur Universel.

No. 243. Tridi, 3 prairial an 7 de la république française une et indivisible.

[Page] 987. Politique. Turquie. Constantinople, le 28 germinal.

“Bonaparte a fait publier une proclamation, dans laquelle il invite tous les juifs de l’Asie et de l’Afrique à venir se ranger sous ses drapeaux pour rétablir l’ancienne Jérusalem. Il en a déjà armé un grand nombre, et leurs bataillons menacent Alep.”

No. 279. Nonidi, 9 messidor etc.

[Pages] 1136–1137. De la conquête probable de-l’empire ottoman par Bonaparte.

“... Attendons la confirmation de ces heureuses nouvelles. Si elles sont prématurées, nous aimons à croire qu’elles se réaliseront un jour. Ce n’est pas seulement pour rendre aux juifs leur Jérusalem que Bonaparte a conquis la Syrie;...” (David.)

XLI.

[A Zionist] Letter, addressed by a [French] Jew to his Co-religionists in 1798

“Brothers,

“You who have groaned for so many ages under the weight of the cruelest persecutions, do you not wish to burst from the state of degrading humiliation in which intolerant and barbarous religions have placed you? Contempt accompanies us everywhere. Our sufferings are unpitied and despised. The unshaken constancy with which we have preserved the faith of our ancestors, far from procuring for us the admiration due to such a conduct, has only increased the unjust hatred which all nations bear towards us. It is only by affecting the exterior of baseness and misery, that we are enabled to secure our property and preserve our unhappy existence. It is at least time to shake off this insupportable yoke—it is time to resume our rank among the other nations of the universe. Vile robbers possess that sacred land which our ancestors were compelled to yield to the Romans. They profane the holy City which we defended with so much courage. Posterity has preserved a dreadful remembrance of the struggle—we, surely, have not forgotten it. That courage has only slumbered: the hour to awaken it is arrived. O my brethren! let us rebuild the temple of Jerusalem!

“An invincible nation, which now fills the world with her glory, has shewn us what the love of country can perform. Let us implore her generosity—request her assistance; and we may be assured that the philosophy which guides the chiefs of that nation, will induce them to give our demand a favourable reception.

“We are more than six millions of people scattered over the face of the earth; we possess immense riches: let us employ the means that are in our power to restore us to our country. The moment is propitious, and to profit by it, is our duty. The following are the means best suited for carrying this holy enterprize into execution:—There shall be established a Council, the members of which shall be elected by the Jews, who are spread over Europe, Asia, and Africa.”

[Here the writer divides the Jews into the 15 following tribes, viz. The Italian, Helvetic, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Northern, British, Spanish, Gallic, Dutch, Prussian, German, Turkish, Asiatic, and African. These the author proposes shall each form a body of electors in the capitals of the respective districts; and then he proceeds.]

“The fifteen deputies of these tribes shall form the Council, which shall hold its sittings at Paris. When they shall have assembled to the number of nine, they may begin to deliberate on the object of their mission. Their decisions will have with all the Jews the force of laws; they shall be obliged to submit to them. The Council shall appoint an agent, to communicate to the Executive Directory of France the propositions which it may think proper to make to the French government.”

“The country we propose to occupy shall include (liable to such arrangements as shall be agreeable to France) Lower Egypt, with the addition of a district of country, which shall have for its limits a line running from Ptomelais or Saint John D’Acre, to the Asphaltic Lake, or Dead Sea, and from the South point of that Lake to the Red Sea. This position, which is the most advantageous in the world, will render us, by the navigation of the Red Sea, masters of the commerce of India, Arabia and the South and East of Africa; Abyssinia, and Ethiopia, those rich countries which furnished Solomon with so much gold and ivory and so many precious stones, will trade the more willingly with us, that the greater part of their inhabitants still practise the law of Moses. The neighbourhood of Aleppo and Damascus will facilitate our commerce with Persia; and by the Mediterranean we may communicate with Spain, France, Italy, and the rest of Europe. Placed in the centre of the world, our country will become the entrepôt of all the rich and precious productions of the earth.

“The Council shall offer to the French government, if it will give us the assistance necessary to enable us to return to our country, and to maintain ourselves in the possession of it,

“1. Every pecuniary indemnification.

2. To share the commerce of India, &c. with the merchants of France only.

“The other arrangements, and the propositions to be made to the Ottoman Porte, cannot yet be rendered public: we must, in these matters, repose on the wisdom of the Council, and the good faith of the French nation. Let us choose upright and enlightened deputies, and we may have confidence in the success of this undertaking.

“O! my brethren! what sacrifices ought we not to make to obtain this object? We shall return to our country—we shall live under our own laws—we shall behold those sacred places which our ancestors illustrated with their courage and their virtues. I already see you all animated with a holy zeal. Israelites! the term of your misfortunes is at hand. The opportunity is favourable—take care you do not allow it to escape.”⁠¹

¹ The Restoration of the Jews the Crisis of all Nations;... Second Edition. By J. Bicheno, M.A.

London:... 1807.... (8º. 2 ll. + 235 pp. [I. S.]) pp. 60–62.

See Appendices XLIII.–XLVI.

This appeal—a prototype of Pinsker’s Autoemancipation and of Herzl’s Judenstaat—produced a deep impression, but since the whole expedition proved a failure, Jewish opinion—not on the principle, but on the opportunity and the means—was divided.

XLII.

“Transactions of the Parisian Sanhedrim,” by Diogene Tama

Transactions Of The Parisian Sanhedrim,

Or Acts Of The Assembly Of Israelitish Deputies of France and Italy, Convoked At Paris By An Imperial And Royal Decree, Dated May 30, 1806.

Translated From The Original Published By M. Diogene Tama,

With A Preface And Illustrative Notes By F. D. Kirwan, Esq.

London;... Published by Charles Taylor, Hatton Street. 1807.

(8º. xvi. + 334 pp.) [I. S.]

XLIII.

“Signs of the Times”—“A Word in Season”—“Commotions Since French Revolution”—“History of Christianity”—“The German Empire”—“Fulfilment of Prophecy,” by Rev. James Bicheno

The Signs of the Times:... By J. Bicheno ...

London: Printed For The Author; And Sold by Parsons, Paternoster-Row; Wayland, Holborn, London; and James and Cottle, Bristol.

Price 1S. 6D. [1793]

Of whom may be had the Author’s Friendly Address to the Jews, and a Letter to Mr. D. Levi. Price 1s. 6d.

(8º. 4 ll. + 67 pp.) [B. M.]

A Word in Season:... To Stand Prepared For The Consequences Of The Present War ...

By J. Bicheno,... London ... 1795.

(8º. 2 ll. + 53 pp.) [B. M.]

The Probable Progress And Issue Of The Commotions Which Have Agitated Europe Since The French Revolution,...

By J. Bicheno ... London ... MDCCXCVII.

(8º. 2 ll. + 94 pp.) [B. M.]

A Glance At The History of Christianity,...

By James Bicheno, M.A., Newbury ... MDCCXCVIII....

(8º. 28 pp.) [B. M.]

The Destiny Of The German Empire;...

By J. Bicheno, M.A.... London:... 1801....

(8º. 2 ll. + 96 pp.) [B. M.]

The Fulfilment of Prophecy Farther Illustrated By The Signs Of The Times;...

By J. Bicheno, M.A. London ... 1817.

(8º. xvii. + 254 pp.) [B. M.]

XLIV.

“Restoration of the Jews”—“Friendly Address to the Jews,” by Rev. James Bicheno—“Letter to Mr. Bicheno,” by David Levi

The Restoration of the Jews, The Crisis Of All Nations;

Or, An Arrangement Of The Scripture Prophecies, Which Relate To The Restoration Of The Jews, And To Some Of The Most Interesting Circumstances Which Are To Accompany And Distinguish That Important Event;

With Illustrations And Remarks Drawn From The Present Situation And Apparent Tendencies Of Things, Both In Christian And Mahomedan Countries.

By J. Bicheno, M.A.... London ... 1800. [Price Two Shillings And Sixpence.]

(8º. 2 ll. + 115 pp.) [B. M.]

The Restoration Of The Jews The Crisis Of All Nations;

To Which Is Now Prefixed, A Brief History Of The Jews, From Their First Dispersion, To The Calling Of Their Grand Sanhedrim At Paris, October 6th, 1806.

And An Address On The Present State Of Affairs, In Europe In General, And In This Country In Particular.

Second Edition.

By J. Bicheno, M.A.

London:... 1807. (Price 5s.—Entered at Stationer’s-Hall.)

(8º. 2 ll. + 235 pp.) [I. S.]

He also wrote:⁠—

A Friendly Address To The Jews....

To Which Is Added, A Letter To Mr. D. Levi; Containing Remarks On His Answer To Dr. Priestley’s Letter To The Jews; Shewing, That however his Arguments may affect the Opinions of Dr. Priestley, they form no Objection against the Christian Religion.

By J. Bicheno, Newbury. London:...

(8º. vi. pp. + 1 l. + 88 pp.) [I. S.]

Which occasioned the following reply:⁠—

A Letter To Mr. Bicheno, Occasioned By His Friendly Address to the Jews, And A Letter To Mr. David Levi, Containing Remarks On Mr. Levi’s Answer To Dr. Priestley’s First Letters To The Jews.

By David Levi, Author Of Lingua Sacra, The Ceremonies Of The Jews, etc....

See pp. 127–134 in “Letters To Dr. Priestley, In Answer To His Letters To The Jews, Part II.” Occasioned By Mr. David Levi’s Reply to the Former Part. Also Letters 1. To Dr. Cooper, ... 2. To Mr. Bicheno, 3. To Dr. Krauter, 4. To Mr. Swain, And 5. To Anti-Socinus, alias Anselm Bayly. Occasioned By Their Remarks On Mr. David Levi’s Answer To Dr. Priestley’s First Letters To The Jews. By David Levi, ... London: ... M,DCC,LXXXIX.

(8º. 2 ll. + 159 pp.) [I. S.]

XLV.

“Attempt to Remove Prejudices Concerning the Jewish Nation,” by Thomas Witherby

An Attempt To Remove Prejudices Concerning The Jewish Nation. By Way Of Dialogue.

By Thomas Witherby.

Part I.⁠¹

London: Printed For The Author, ... 1804. (Entered at Stationers-Hall.)

(8º. xx. + 511 pp.) [I. S.]

¹ The pagination is consecutive, but Part II. is dated 1803.

XLVI.

“Observations on Mr. Bicheno’s Book,” by Thomas Witherby

Dedicated to the Jews.

Observations on Mr. Bicheno’s Book, Entitled The Restoration Of The Jews The Crisis Of All Nations:

Wherein the revolutionary Tendency of that Publication is shewn to be most inimical to the real Interest of the Jews, who are not to expect the Restoration to their own Land until they are, by the free Grace of the God of their Fathers, enabled to acknowledge his Justice, Righteousness, and Mercy, in their long-continued Dispersion, and in the Preservation of their Nation amidst those awful Sufferings which they have endured under his righteous Judgments.

Together With An Inquiry Concerning Things To Come;...

London: Printed For The Author ...

(8º. xx. + 323 pp.) [I. S.]

Page iii.: (Dedicated) “To The Jews. Distinguished Nation.... Thomas Witherby. Enfield, Middlesex, Aug. 22, 1800.”⁠¹

¹ Gentleman’s Magazine, 1801, vol. lxxi., pp. 830–836.

XLVII.

“Letters to the Jews,” by Joseph Priestley

Letters To The Jews; Inviting Them To An Amicable Discussion Of The Evidences Of Christianity.

By Joseph Priestley, LL.D., F.R.S....

Birmingham, ... MDCCLXXXVII. [Price One Shilling.]

(8º. 2 ll. + 54 pp. + 1 l. (Catalogue.) [I. S.]

Letters To The Jews. Part II. Occasioned By Mr. David Levi’s Reply To The Former Letters.

By Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S.... Birmingham, ... MDCCLXXXVII. [Price One Shilling.]

(8º. iv. + 56 pp.) [I. S.]

Page 56: “Your brother in the sole worship Of the one only true God, Joseph Priestley. Birmingham, July 1, 1787.”

XLVIII.

“An Address to the Jews on the Present State of the World,” by Joseph Priestley

A Comparison Of The Institutions of Moses With Those Of The Hindoos And Other Ancient Nations;

With Remarks on Mr. Dupuis’s Origin of all Religions,

The Laws and Institutions of Moses Methodized,

And An Address to the Jews on the present state of the World and the Prophecies relating to it.

By Joseph Priestley, LL.D. F.R.S. &c....

Northumberland:⁠¹ ... MDCCXCIX.

(8º. xxvii. + 428 pp. + 2 ll. (catalogue).) [B. M.]

pp. 393–428: “An Address To The Jews.”

¹ Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

XLIX.

“Letters to Dr. Priestley,” by David Levi

Letters To Dr. Priestly, In Answer To Those He Addressed To The Jews; Inviting Them To An Amicable Discussion Of The Evidences Of Christianity.

By David Levi, ... London, ... MDCCLXXXVII.

(8º. 2 ll. + 99 pp.) [I. S.]

Second Edition MDCCLXXXVII. (103 pp.) [I. S.]

Third Edition, M,DCC,XCIII. (2 ll. + 99 pp.) [I. S.]

L.

“A Famous Passover Melody,” by the Rev. F. L. Cohen

“... Isaac Nathan, a fashionable singing master of London ... conceived the idea of imitating the ‘Irish Melodies’ of Thomas Moore (batches of which had been published since 1807, with the greatest success).... Less fortunate than Moore, Byron’s verses were not wedded to melodies of the national type they professed, because even before Nathan had thus exhausted his choice, he had made a most superficial search through the repertory of the Anglo-Jewish synagogues of his day, which, by the way, had not yet experienced the inspiringly melodious influence of ‘Polish’ Chazanuth.... The opening poem, ‘She walks in beauty,’ for example, he set to a tawdry Lecha Dodi.... But among the six actually ‘Hebrew’ melodies, there were one or two exceptions to the general inferiority of the music; and prominent among these was the tender and expressive air to which, by a happy inspiration, Nathan set the verses:⁠—

‘O weep for those that wept by Babel’s stream.’

Here, at least,

‘Music and sweet poetry agreed,

As well they should, the sister and the brother’;

and the result became world famous as a type of what Hebrew melody might be. It has often been republished; and has also appeared in other settings, as by the Rev. M. Hast to Ibn Gabirol’s hymn:⁠—

‘At morn I beseech Thee,’

or by Ernst Pauer in his Traditional Hebrew Melodies. But what is more especially known to and prized by musicians, it forms the only pianoforte composition of Robert Franz, the great songwriter, under the title

‘Beweinet, die geweint an Babel’s Strand,’

and as such, it has become famous.... The origin of the melody is ... simply the old chant of the Cohanim on the Festivals, as it used to be sung in London synagogues on the Passover a hundred years ago, with a joyous touch of Pesach tune....”⁠¹

¹ Jewish Chronicle, 1st April, 1904, page 21.

LI.

“Reminiscences of Lord Byron ... Poetry, etc., of Lady Caroline Lamb,” by Isaac Nathan

Fugitive Pieces And Reminiscences Of Lord Byron:

Containing An Entire New Edition Of The Hebrew Melodies, With The Addition Of Several Never Before Published;

The Whole Illustrated With Critical, Historical, Theatrical, Political, And Theological Remarks, Notes, Anecdotes, Interesting Conversations, And Observations, Made By That Illustrious Poet: Together With His Lordship’s Autograph.

Also Some Original Poetry, Letters And Recollections Of Lady Caroline Lamb.

By I. Nathan, Author Of An Essay On The History And Theory Of Music, The Hebrew Melodies, &c. &c....

London: ... 1829.

(8º. xxxvi. + 196 + 11 pp.) [I. S.]

LII.

“Selection of Hebrew Melodies,” by John Braham and Isaac Nathan

A Selection of Hebrew Melodies Ancient and Modern with appropriate Symphonies & accompaniments.

By I. Braham & I. Nathan.

The Poetry written expressly for the work By the Right Hon. Lord Byron....

Published & Sold by I: Nathan Nᵒ 7 Poland Street Oxford Strᵗ. and to be had at the principal Music and Booksellers. [Price One Guinea. (1815.)

(4to. 4 ll. + 133 pp.) [I. S.]

A second edition was published in 1861.

(4to. 2 ll. + 218 pp.) [B. M.]

LIII.

Earl of Shaftesbury’s Zionist Memorandum Scheme for the Colonisation of Palestine

Lord Ashley⁠¹ to Viscount Palmerston.

“St. Giles House,

“September 25th, 1840.

¹ Succeeded his father in 1851 as the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury.

“My Lord,

“The Powers of Europe having determined that they will take into their own hands the adjustment of the Syrian Question, I venture to suggest a measure, which being adopted will promote the development of the immense fertility of all those countries that lie between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean Sea.

“The consideration of the person or the authority to whom these territories may be assigned by the award of the contracting Powers is of no importance. The plan presupposes simply the existence of a recognised and competent Dominion; the establishment and execution of Laws; and a Government both willing and able to maintain internal peace.

“These vast regions are now nearly desolate; every year the produce of them becomes less, because the hands that should till them become fewer. As a source of revenue they are almost worthless, compared, at least, with the riches that industry might force from them. They require both labour and capital.

“Capital, however, is of too sensitive a nature to flow with readiness into any country where neither property nor life can be regarded as secure; but if this indispensable assurance be first given, the avarice of man will be a sufficient motive, and it will betake itself with alacrity to any spot where a speedy or an ample return may be promised to the speculator.

“An inducement such as this is sufficient to stimulate the mercantile zeal of every money-maker under Heaven, and it would be advisable that the Power, whoever he may be, to whom these provinces may fall, should issue and perform a solemn engagement to establish, in his laws affecting property, the principles and practices of European civilisation: but, in respect of these regions now under dispute, there are, so far as a numerous, though scattered, people is concerned, other inducements and other hopes, over and above those which influence the general mass of mankind.

“Without entering into the grounds of the desire and expectations entertained by the Hebrew Race of their return ultimately to the land of their fathers, it may be safely asserted that they contemplate a restoration to the soil of Palestine. They believe, moreover, that the time is near at hand. Every recollection of the past, and every prospect of the future, animates their hope; and fear alone for their persons and their estates represses their exertions. If the Governing Power of the Syrian provinces would promulgate equal laws and equal protection to Jew and Gentile, and confirm his decrees by accepting the four Powers as guarantees of his engagement, to be set forth and ratified in an article of the Treaty, the way would at once be opened, confidence would be revived, and, prevailing throughout these regions, would bring with it some of the wealth and enterprise of the world at large, and, by allaying their suspicions, call forth to the full the hidden wealth and industry of the Jewish people.

“There are many reasons why more is to be anticipated from them than from any others who might settle there. They have ancient reminiscences and deep affection for the land;—it is connected in their hearts with all that is bright in times past, and with all that is bright in those which are to come; their industry and perseverance are prodigious; they subsist, and cheerfully, on the smallest pittance; they are, almost everywhere, accustomed to arbitrary rule, and being totally indifferent to political objects, confine their hopes to the enjoyment of what they can accumulate. Long ages of suffering have trained their people to habits of endurance and self-denial; they would joyfully exhibit them in the settlement and service of their ancient country.

“If we consider their return in the light of a new establishment or colonisation of Palestine, we shall find it to be the cheapest and safest mode of supplying the wants of those depopulated regions. They will return at their own expense, and with no hazard but to themselves; they will submit to the existing form of Government, having no preconceived theories to gratify, and having been almost everywhere trained in implicit obedience to autocratic rule; they will acknowledge the present appropriation of the soil in the hands of its actual possessors, being content to obtain an interest in its produce by the legitimate methods of rent or purchase. Disconnected, as they are, from all the peoples of the earth, they would appeal to no national or political sympathies for assistance in the path of wrong; and the guarantee which I propose, for insertion in the Treaty to be carried out by the personal protection of the respective Consuls and Vice-Consuls of the several nations, would be sufficient to protect them in the exercise of their right.

“The plan here proposed may be recommended by the consideration that large results are promised to the application of very small means; that no pecuniary outlay is demanded of the engaging parties; that while disappointment would bring no ill-effects except to those who declined the offer, the benefit to be derived from it would belong impartially to the whole civilised world....

“I have the honour to be, my Lord,

“Your Lordship’s most obedient, humble servant,

“Ashley.

“The Viscount Palmerston, M.P.

Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.”⁠¹

¹ The Life and Work of the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G., by Edwin Hodder, 1866, vol. i., pp. 313–315.

LIV.

Restoration of the Jews

[The annexed documents have just appeared in a periodical entitled Memorials concerning God’s Ancient People of Israel, and are probably as yet but little known to the world at large:⁠—]

Memorandum.

To the Protestant Powers of the North of Europe and America—Victoria, by the grace of God, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland; Frederick (William) III. King of Prussia; William (Frederick), King of Netherlands; Charles (John) XIV., King of Sweden and Norway; Frederick VI., King of Denmark; Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover; William, King of Wurtemberg; The Sovereign Princes and Electors of Germany; The Cantons of the Swiss Confederation professing the Reformed Religion; and the States of North America, zealous for the Glory of God; grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

“High and Mighty Ones,

“The Most High God, who ruleth in the kingdoms of men (Dan. iv. 32), by whom kings reign and princes decree justice (Prov. viii. 15), having in these days granted a season of repose to his witnessing church (Acts ix. 31; Rev. xii. 16), planted in the lands whereof ye are kings and governors (Isaiah xlix. 23); the vine of His planting among the Gentiles (Acts xxviii. 28) hath extended her boughs unto the seas and her branches unto the rivers (Isa. xlix. 6), that now in nearly all the world the gospel of the kingdom is being lifted as a witness unto all nations (Matt. xxiv. 14), and in the isles afar off. The days are drawing near (Rev. xxii. 20) when the dominion, and the glory, and the kingdom, with all people, nations and languages, shall serve Him, who cometh in the clouds of heaven (Dan. vii. 14, Rev. i. 7), whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed (Psalm xlv. 6). Blessed be He! He hath given his waiting people to hear the sound of His approaching footsteps, and to mark the signs of His drawing near (1 Thess. v. 4). The fig-tree putteth forth her leaves again (Matt. xxiv. 32). Israel’s sons are asking the way to Zion, by which we know that summer is at hand. Blessed are all they that wait (2 Thess. iii. 5), and hold fast (Rev. iii. 11), for quickly He cometh. Amen.

“In the prospect of the Christian Church, of the speedy appearing of her glorified head, the zeal of the Lord’s servants hath been stirred up (Rev. iii. 2) to a multiplied diligence in those labours of faith and love which were devolved upon her (Matt. xxviii. 19), when the Son of God, as a man taking a journey into a far country, bade his servants occupy, until he returned again (Luke xix. 13). With other responsibilities, the circumstances of one peculiar people, whom the Most High hath separated (Gen. xii. 1) and taken into covenant with him (Gen. xvii. 7; Exod. xxxiv. 7), and which covenant no act of theirs, however iniquitous or rebellious, can repeal or destroy (Mal. iii. 6), whom he hath scattered in all lands as witnesses of his unity and power (Isa. xliii. 9), connected with whom the welfare of mankind is bound up, and in the lifting up of whose head the most stupendous consequences are made to depend (Rom. xi. 15), are presented at this eleventh hour for the repentance and faith of Christendom, that the blood of our brethren of circumcision which has been unjustly shed may be atoned for in the blood of the Lamb (Isa. i. 18), and the fruits of forgiveness be manifested (Matt. iii. 8) in presenting the children of this people continually at the throne of grace (1 Pet. ii. 5; Ps. cxxii. 6) for the atoning sacrifice of Christ to cover them (Joel ii. 17); and as the Almighty, in his providential appointments, shall make the way plain to present the children of Israel who may be willing to go up (Ps. cx. 3) as an offering to the Lord of Hosts in Mount Zion (Isa. xxviii. 7).

“For 300 years the testimony of the churches, planted in the lands over which Almighty God hath made you rulers, hath been lifted up against that apostacy which hath usurped the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in the earth (Rev. xxii. 5, and xxiii. 5) daring presumptuously to assert power over nations (Rev. xviii. 7), and over kingdoms, to root up and to pull down, to build, to plant, and to destroy (Dan. vii. 20, Rev. xiii. 2, 7). The millstone which shall sink the Great Babylon in the abyss of an unfathomable perdition (Rev. xviii. 21) when her hour arrives (and it is very near!) with the judgment under which she hath long lain, for being drunken with the blood of the saints and of the martyrs of Jesus (Rev. xvii. 6), shall include the avenging of the wrongs of God’s ancient people (Isa. li. 22, 23), and a terrible account it is; and the issue shall be joy and gladness to the whole earth, for it is written, ‘Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people; for He avengeth the blood of His servants, and shall render vengeance unto his adversaries, and will be merciful to His land and to His people’ (Deut. xxxii. 43). ‘Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help and the sword of thy excellency? and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread on their high places’ (Deut. xxxiii. 29).

“In the events, on which the eyes of nations are fixed, taking place around, whilst the continuance and stability of your thrones and sway, O kings, is the earnest prayer of the Christian church (1 Tim. ii. 2), she cannot but uphold the witness that the days draw nigh, when, under the hallowed sway of Messiah the Prince, the now despised nation of the Jews shall possess the kingdom (Dan. vii. 27), and she directs, with reverential awe, your eye to that mighty empire in the east which is crumbling to dust, and drying in all her streams (Rev. xvi. 12) to make way for the event. Palestine hath been a burdensome stone (Zech. xii. 2) unto the followers of the false Prophet (Rev. xvi. 13), as it was to the ancestors of many of you, O Princes, when, under the banner of the Popish Antichrist, their mistaken zeal sought to recover the Holy City from the Saracen’s grasp. But the fulness of the Gentiles is at hand (Romans xi. 21) and unto Israel the dominion shall return (Micah iv. 8).

“The apostate Julian sought to plant the children of this people in the seats of their fathers, in despite of the holy faith, one of the external evidences of whose trust was, that their house was left unto them desolate, until they should say ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord’ (Matt. xxiii. 38, 9). But is it anywhere declared in the word of our God, that the children of Israel, scattered and peeled, humbled and dispirited, impoverished and broken down, should not be presented as an offering in faith to Jehovah of Hosts in Mount Zion? that there they may be pleaded with face to face by the God of their fathers (Ezekiel xx. 13), that there the veil may be rent (Isaiah xxv. 7) which is over their hearts (2 Cor. iii. 15), that there they may look on him whom they have pierced (Zech. xii. 10). Your attention, high and mighty ones, is directed to the recorded fact that such an offering is expected. And before that full and final gathering which follows the judgments poured out on all the earth (Isaiah lxiii. 15, 16, 20), a power, and that power a northern one (Jer. iii. 12, xxxi. 6, 9, xxxiii. 7, 8—Isaiah xliii. 6, xlix. 12), shall be employed to lead a people wonderful from their beginning hitherto—a nation expecting and trampled underfoot—whose land rivers have spoiled, unto the name of the Lord of Hosts in Mount Zion (Isaiah xviii.). These designs and purposes of the Lord God of Israel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, are declared unto you, high and mighty ones, his servants (Dan. v. 23), that you may ponder them, and know His will, from the voice, with which He is about to speak unto nations and unto men (Haggai ii. 6—Isaiah i. 10), for the time is at hand (Rev. i. 3).

“Your wisdom hath been exercised to mark the boundaries of kingdoms, and to define the limits of empires; and has not the aggressor overleaped all barriers, and the strength of treaties snapped asunder as tow? And why? Because when the Almighty awarded to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel (Deuteron. xxxii. 7, 8). By an unrepealed covenant, the Lord God declared unto Abram, concerning the land of Palestine, ‘Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates’ (Genesis xv. 18). This gift was ratified unto him for an everlasting possession, and to his seed after him, when the Almighty gave him the covenant, and changed his name to Abraham (Genesis xvii. 4, 8). For the purposes of infinite wisdom fast hastening to maturity, the Lord God hath scattered his inheritance to the four winds of heaven. But hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off. He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock.

“As the spirit of Cyrus, King of Persia was stirred up to build the Lord’s Temple, which was in Jerusalem (ii Chron. xxxvi. 22, 23), who is there among you, high and mighty ones of all the nations, to fulfil the good pleasure of the holy will of the Lord of Heaven, saying to Jerusalem, ‘Thou shalt be built’ and to the Temple, ‘Thy foundation shall be laid’? (Isaiah xliv. 28). The Lord God of Israel will be with such. Great grace, mercy, and peace shall descend upon the people who offer themselves willingly; and the fire offerings of their hearts and hands shall be those of a sweet-smelling savour unto Him who hath said, ‘I will bless them that bless thee (Genesis xii. 3), and contend with him who contendeth with thee’ (Isaiah xlix. 25).

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. Signed and sealed in London, 8th of January, in the year of our Lord, 1839, in the name of the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, on behalf of many who wait for the redemption of Israel.”

(Copy 1.)

“London, January 22nd, 1839.

“May it please your Majesty,—I have the high honour of laying at your Majesty’s feet the accompanying memorandum relating to the present condition and future prospects of God’s ancient people, the Jews. Your Majesty’s pious feelings, I doubt not, will be excited to give the Scriptural hopes and expectations therein set forth your earnest attention, considering the high station it hath pleased Almighty God to call this Protestant land to, as the great seat of the church.

“According to the petitions of this peculiar people at a throne of grace, that in your Majesty’s reign ‘Judah may be saved and Israel dwell safely,’ is the prayer of your Majesty’s dutiful subject and servant.

“Her most Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen of
Great Britain and Ireland.”

(Copy 2.)

“January 19th, 1839.

“My Lord,—I have the honour of transmitting through your Lordship a document which it is the desire of some of her Majesty’s subjects should be laid at her Majesty’s feet, relating to the Scriptural expectations of the church, connected with the restoration of the Jews to Palestine, the land of their fathers.

“I am induced to solicit your Lordship’s good offices in being the medium of communicating this document to her Majesty, as the substance of it relates to the present rights of an ally of this country—namely, the Sublime Porte.

“But I would respectfully press upon your Lordship’s attention, that, in holding forth the Scriptural hopes of God’s ancient people, those who emanate the accompanying document never for one moment dream of political force to accomplish the end desired. When the hour comes of Israel’s planting in, doubtless Almighty God will not fail to raise up chosen instruments, who, with willing hands and hearts, shall accomplish the good pleasure of His will.

“If we are wrong in the course we have taken to bring the memorandum before Her Majesty, we will be happy to be set right. Should your Lordship undertake the duty, desiring the glory of God in this matter to be furthered, the Lord God of Israel will not be slack to reward the labour of faith and love proceeding from a desire to honour His name.

“I have the honour to be, &c.,

“The Right Hon. Lord Viscount Palmerston.”

Lord Palmerston’s Answer.

(Copy 3.)

“Foreign Office, March 14, 1839.

“I have to acknowledge your letter of the 19th January, enclosing a letter and a memorandum from some of Her Majesty’s subjects, who feel deeply interested in the welfare and future prospects of the Jews; and I have to acquaint you that I have laid those documents before the Queen, and that Her Majesty has been pleased graciously to receive the same.

“I am, &c.,

“Palmerston.”⁠¹

¹ The Times, Wednesday, August 26, 1840, pp. 5–6.

LV.

Another Zionist Memorandum—Restoration of the Jews

“To the Editor of The Times.

“Sir,—The extraordinary crisis of Oriental politics has stimulated an almost universal interest and investigation, and the fate of the Jews seems to be deeply involved with the settlement of the Syrian dilemma now agitating several Courts of Christendom.

“... The peace of Europe and the just balance of its powers being therefore assumed as the grand desideratum, as the consummation devoutly to be wished, I peruse with particular interest a brief article in your journal of this day relative to the restoration of the Jews to Jerusalem, because I imagine that this event has become practicable through an unprecedented concatenation of circumstances, and that moreover it has become especially desirable, as the exact expedient to which it is to the interest of all belligerent parties to consent.

“The actual feasibility of the return of the Jews is no longer a paradox; the time gives it proof. That theory of the restoration of a Jewish Kingdom, which a few years ago was laughed at as the fantasy of insane enthusiasm, is now calculated on as a most practical achievement of diplomacy.

“It is granted that the Jews were the ancient proprietors of Syria; that Syria was the proper heart and centre of their kingdom. It is granted that they have a strong conviction that Providence will restore them to this Syrian supremacy. It is granted that they have entertained for ages a hearty desire to return thither, and are willing to make great sacrifices of a pecuniary kind to the different parties interested, provided they can be put in peaceful and secure possession.

“It is likewise notorious, that since the Jews have been thrust out of Syria that land has been a mere arena of strife to neighbouring Powers, all conscious that they had no legitimate right there, and all jealous of each other’s intrusion.

“Such having been the case, why, it may be asked, have not the Jews long ago endeavoured to regain possession of Syria by commercial arrangements? In reply it may be said, that though they have evidently wished to do so, and have made overtures of the kind, hitherto circumstances have opposed their desires....

“Now, however, these obstacles and hindrances are in a great measure removed; all the strongest Powers in Europe have come forward as arbitrators and umpires to arrange the settlement of Syria.

“Under such potent arbitrators, pledged to the performance of any conditions finally agreed on, I have reason to believe that the Jews would readily enter into such financial arrangements as would secure them the absolute possession of Jerusalem and Syria.

“I know no reason, under such powerful empires, why the Hebrews should not restore an independent monarchy in Syria, as well as the Egyptians in Egypt, or the Grecians in Greece.

“As a practical expedient of politics, I believe that it will be easier to secure the peace of Europe and Asia by this effort to restore the Jews, than by any allotment of Syrian territories to the Turks or Egyptians, which will be sure to occasion fresh jealousies and discords....

“I believe that the cause of the restoration of the Jews is one essentially generous and noble, and that all individuals and nations that assist this world-renounced people to recover the empire of their ancestors will be rewarded by Heaven’s blessing. Everything that is patriotic and philanthropic should urge Great Britain forward as the agent of prophetic revelations so full of auspicious consequence....

“Your very obedient servant,

“F. B.⁠¹

“Aug. 17.”

¹ The Times, 26 Aug., 1840, p. 6.

LVI.

Extracts from Autograph and other Letters between Sir Moses Montefiore and Dr. N. M. Adler

My hearty thanks are due to my friend Mr. Elkan N. Adler for giving me access to his father’s letters. It may be mentioned that, although Dr. N. M. Adler was never able to visit Palestine, all his three sons went there. Palestinian activity has practically been a tradition of the Adler family. Mr. Elkan Adler originally visited Palestine in 1888, 1895, 1898 and 1901, in connection with the Montefiore work. His first visit was a professional one, undertaken on the instructions of the Council of the Holy Land Relief Fund. Its object was to clear up certain legal difficulties which had arisen on the land at Jerusalem and Jaffa purchased in 1855 by his father and Sir Moses Montefiore out of the funds of the Holy Land Appeal Fund and the Judah Touro Bequest. At that time their only buildings in Jerusalem were the Judah Touro Alms-houses and the Windmill. The vacant land adjoining had been jumped after the death of Sir Moses Montefiore by about three hundred poor and desperate Jews, who claimed that it had been originally intended for the poor, and they were poor.

The journey was successful. The squatters were removed, and their place was taken by industrious settlers, who, through the agency of the building societies, financed by the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Committee, erected hundreds of pleasant little dwellings in the place of the rude, uninhabited shanties which stood there in 1888.

In 1894 Mr. Elkan Adler became a member of the “Water for Jerusalem Committee,” of which Sir Charles W. Wilson, K.C.M.G., was Chairman and Sir Edmund A. H. L. Lechmere, Bart., M.P., and Sir (then Mr.) Isidore Spielmann, C.M.G., Honorary Secretaries. The Turkish Government and the Jerusalem Municipality had sanctioned the scheme, but bureaucratic dilatoriness prevented its ever maturing. Its object was to secure, under a concession, for purely philanthropic purposes, a modern water supply for Jerusalem from King Solomon’s Pools.

Mr. Adler was also one of the founders of the London Chovevé Zion, and as Honorary Solicitor drafted its Constitution, which was settled by the Right Hon. Arthur Cohen, K.C.

“Grosvenor Gate, Park Lane,
“London, 28th Hesvan, 5602.

“12 November.

“My dear and much esteemed Sir,

“... I am most highly gratified, my dear Sir, by the very kind manner in which you have been pleased to notice my feeble exertions in favour of our unfortunate and persecuted Brethren in the East....

“Believe me to be,

“With sincere Respect and Esteem,

“My dear Sir,

“Your obedient Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“The Reverend

Doctor N. Adler, Chief Rabbi, &c. &c. &c.”

“Alliance Office,

“Bartholomew Lane,

“31 May, 5614.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“... I hope to find the amount of Contributions much increased from your admirable Letter having at last found its way in the hands of the several Seat-holders of each Synagogue, and I am sure if they respond to it with the same liberality as our Christian fellow-subjects have evinced for our suffering Brethren in the Holy Land I am confident you will rejoice at the success which has attended your benevolent exertions....

“I am with great respect and esteem,

“Your faithful Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“The Revd. Dr. Adler,

Chief Rabbi, &c. &c.”

“East Cliff Lodge,

“Ramsgate,

“17th August, 5614/1854.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“... I am obliged to you for the information which Mr. Albert Cohn’s letter has afforded me and believe me I am most truly thankful to the God of Israel that my days should have been prolonged to see the welfare of our unfortunate Brethren in Jerusalem cared for by so wealthy and powerful a family as the Barons de Rothschild. May the institutions which they propose diffuse all the advantages we hope for. I will endeavour to write this evening to Lord Clarendon and will take the earliest opportunity to communicate the result after I shall have had an interview with his Lordship. I have requested Mr. Green to forward all the letters to you that have arrived from the Holy Land. I shall take no step regarding the Hospital but with your concurrence. You may rely that there will be no opposition in any way on my part, and I am only too happy to see that Jerusalem is not forsaken....

“Believe me,
“With the greatest esteem and respect,

“Your faithful Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“To the Reverend

Doctor Adler,

Chief Rabbi.”

“Alliance Office,
“Bartholomew Lane,

“Wednesday Morn,

“23 Augt., ’614.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“... I now beg to trouble you with the enclosed letters which Dr. Lowe has written to the Holy Land with a remittance of £1200 divided in the following manner.... I have not thought it proper to send anything to the Portuguese at Jerusalem as they have not yet complied with your request in the mode of distribution or forwarded any particulars whatever. I therefore hope you will be satisfied with the arrangement that this will bring the Portuguese to a sense of the necessity they are under to conform to your instructions, or they will receive no more money from England....

“To the Revd.

Dr. Adler,

Chief Rabbi.”

“Buxton, 15th Septr., 5614/1854.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“... I have felt much vexed at M. Albert Cohn’s having taken the liberty of using your name as well as mine as having deputed him to carry out his schemes in the East....

“Believe me to be,
“With great regard and respect,

“Your faithful Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“The Revd. Dr. Adler,

Chief Rabbi, &c. &c.”

“Alliance Assurance Office,
“Bartholomew Lane,

“Monday Evening,

“26 Jany., 5617.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“Having this moment heard from Lady Montefiore that you expressed a desire to Visit the Holy Land, and well knowing the lively interest you have ever evinced in promoting the prosperity of Jerusalem, I beg to assure you that nothing could be more gratifying to my feelings, than to be honored with your Company during our intended Tour. We had fixed in our minds the 10th day of February for our departure, but to enjoy the honor of your Society, we would postpone it to meet your Convenience to any day that would enable us to reach Jerusalem for Passover.

“Hoping to have the gratification of a favorable reply from you.

“Believe me to be,

“Your faithful Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“To the Reverend

Dr. Adler,

Chief Rabbi.”

“East Cliff Lodge,

“Ramsgate,

“14th September, 5619.

“My dear and respected Sir,

“... With respect to the Jaffa farm I hope in a few days to have an opportunity of speaking with you. I think it was your wish that our co-religionists should be employed on it....”

“Believe me with great esteem,

“Your faithful Servant,

“Moses Montefiore.

“To the Reverend Dr. Adler,

Chief Rabbi.”

“To the Rev. Dr. Adler, Chief Rabbi, etc. etc.

“East Cliff Lodge, Ramsgate, May 15th, 5614–1854.

“Reverend and Respected Sir,

“For the sake of Zion I cannot remain silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I cannot rest, until the whole house of Israel have been made acquainted with the lamentable condition of those of our brethren who devotedly cling to the soil, sacred to the memory of our patriarchs, prophets and kings.

“Thrice having visited the Holy Land, it was my earnest desire to fully inform myself as to the condition of our brethren there....

“Aware, however, reverend Sir, of your great anxiety for the physical amelioration of our suffering brethren, and how watchfully you note their spiritual welfare, I am induced to put you in possession of the documents and appeals which I have received from the Holy Land, with the assurance that your powerful co-operation, in the shape of a pastoral letter addressed to the Jews of Great Britain and America—or the exercise of the same in any other mode your wisdom may dictate—will, with God’s blessing, not only tend to remove the present appalling misery of our starving brethren in Zion, but spare us the humiliation of its recurrence.

“I have the honour to be, reverend and respected Sir,
“Your faithful servant,

“Moses Montefiore.”

“To Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., etc. etc.

“Office of the Chief Rabbi, London, 18th May, 5614.

“My dear and esteemed Sir,

“.... Although I should have much preferred that the duty of addressing our co-religionists on behalf of the afflicted had been assumed by yourself, as you would have made a far deeper impression than I can hope to do, from the well-known fact that you have devoted a great portion of your life to the amelioration of the condition of our brethren in Palestine, and this, too, at the risk of much personal suffering and danger, yet, to avoid all delay in the present emergency, I have to-day written a letter to the congregations under my charge, a copy of which I beg to enclose; and I fervently pray that the Lord may strengthen my feeble words, and incline the hearts of our brethren to this good work of charity.

“I am, my dear Sir Moses,

“Yours very faithfully,

“N. Adler, Dr.”

“PASTORAL LETTER

“To the Wardens, Members, and Seat-holders of the United Congregations of Great Britain.

“Office of the Chief Rabbi, London, May 18th, 5614.

“Beloved Brethren,

“... the present condition of our poor brethren scattered through the four cities of Jerusalem, Zaphed, Hebron and Tiberias, is absolutely heart-rending. This is no exaggeration but a stern and dreadful reality. The almost total failure of the last harvest, which raised the price of all the necessaries of life to an unparalleled height; the present war and general political disturbances; the diminution of the usual resources for the poor, especially those derived from Russia, which has hitherto contributed the most, have brought about an awful famine.... While all surrounding nations make that spot the object of their deepest concern, expending vast sums thereon, should we be unmindful of that land with which our past glory and future hope are inseparably connected? ... It may be thought by some that the unfortunate state of the Jewish residents of Palestine might have been brought about ... by their reliance on fixed pensions and casual alms without the exercise of industry, either in agriculture, commerce or other employments;... Why, therefore, continue a life of pauperism, which will endure until the springs of poverty are stopped—and what will be the use of a collection, which can but mitigate the evil for a moment?

“My dear brethren,—Before you accuse the sufferers of indolence, and their leaders of neglect, let us assure you that the people are most anxious to free themselves from the thraldom of dependence; that the Rabbis and the heads of the Congregations have proved to Sir Moses Montefiore, who has been at all times the strenuous advocate of industrial pursuits, the willingness of the people to till the soil, if only it could be done with security. But hitherto the great impediment to agriculture has been not alone the want of pecuniary means, but the want of protection on the part of the Government, it being absolutely impracticable to labour outside the walls of the cities, owing to the depredations of the roving and lawless Bedouins, for whatever the inhabitants sow is speedily seized by others.

“Without, however, alluding to the happy restitution that we anxiously look for, which lies in the hand of the Lord who commandeth us ‘not to stir, neither to awake His love, until He please’—the present war may, by the Divine blessing, bring about a great and beneficial change in the Holy Land. It is more than probable that the Government of the Porte will concede to our brethren in Palestine the right of holding land; and that this right will be placed under secure protection. It will then become the duty of our leading men to organise a proper plan of operations, put themselves into communication with the different Committees abroad, to raise the necessary means, to send men of ability, properly authorised, to Jerusalem, to bring about a unity of action among the different congregations there, to purchase land, to establish farms and factories, and to devote a portion of the money annually collected, as wages to those who will labour therein under the charge of the persons superintending those undertakings. The time for the realisation of such a scheme may not be remote, as the munificent legacy of the philanthropist Judah Touro, New Orleans, was bequeathed for this very purpose, which bequest will have an important bearing on the improvement of the Holy Land.

“... I remain, yours very faithfully,

“N. Adler, Dr., Chief Rabbi.”⁠¹

¹ An Appeal on behalf of the famishing Jews in the Holy Land. Donations will be thankfully received by The Rev. The Chief Rabbi, 4, Crosby Square, and Sir Moses Montefiore, Bart., Alliance Assurance Office, Bartholomew Lane. Rev. Aaron Levy Green, Hon. Sec.

London: Printed by Wertheimer and Co., Circus Place, Finsbury Circus.

1854 (8º. 16 pp. in printed wrapper), pp. 3–7.

In February, 1855, Dr. Adler and Sir Moses published their first Report enumerating the appropriations of money they had made and the sums set apart for the establishment of institutions designed to relieve distress, and to encourage and promote industry.

In May, 1856, Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore set out on a mission to the Holy Land to organize means for the appropriation of the funds “with a view to the utmost benefit of the supplicants.”

The Trustees resolved to attempt the organization of some industrial scheme, and, says their Second Report, dated 1856: “In a land naturally so fertile as Palestine, offering so prolific a return for industry, but altogether wanting in commercial resources, agriculture must of necessity be the first object of attention, as likely to prove the most powerful auxiliary in bringing about a healthful reaction, by alleviating distress, by promoting industry, and by exciting a feeling of self-reliance.” The Trustees were confirmed in their views by the opinion of experienced agriculturists in the Holy Land, and by the valuable suggestions of munificent donors.

“On the 17th June Sir Moses had an audience with the Sultan, and on the 27th July the first meeting was held with the representatives of Zapphed.

“The desirability of cultivating land was discussed at this sitting, and the great probabilities of success in the undertaking were shown by the mention of numerous well-authenticated facts. The views entertained by the Trustees having been confirmed by the best evidence, a Committee of practical agriculturists—men distinguished by their probity, and of acknowledged skill—was, without further delay, appointed to aid in the selection of land, and to advise as to the fitness of the parties to be employed in its cultivation. Assisted by this Committee, Sir Moses selected thirty-five families from the Holy City of Zapphed, provided them with means to commence agricultural pursuits, and also secured for them local governors. Some orphan lads were also provided for, by being placed under the care of the Committee, to be trained as agriculturists. A district in the vicinity of Zapphed, called the Bokea, having been pointed out as a most desirable spot for agricultural purposes, sufficient means were granted to give employment to fifteen families, to be engaged in the cultivation of that fruitful district; the whole being placed under the supervision of the Agricultural Committee at Zapphed. The claims of Tabaria were next considered ... and means afforded to thirty families to enable them to engage in agricultural pursuits. At Jaffa some land, with a house, and well affording an abundant supply of excellent water, was purchased, and a number of our poor co-religionists are already engaged upon such land.” An establishment for weaving was instituted.

“Sir Moses eventually succeeded in purchasing a tract of land to the west of the Holy City, in a most beautiful and salubrious locality, within a few minutes’ walk from the Jaffa and Zion Gates. Here a considerable number of our co-religionists and others at once found employment on the land and in the building of the boundary wall.” A windmill was erected on this site to supersede the expensive method used at Jerusalem for grinding corn.

LVII.

The Final Exodus

“And what now is the aspect of Palestine? Still, truly, it is a land rich in the grandeur and beauties of nature’s handiwork—still, in some parts, ‘... hills, plains, and valleys, fields of wheat and barley, vineyards and olive-yards, are spread out before you as on a map’—still does the benign influence of the sun’s warmth engender in the bosom of the earth the germs of fruits and flowers, that languish for want of culture, and never arrive at perfection—still do the hills uplift their heads amid the clouds, which drop down, as though with tears of sorrow, upon their barren and exposed sides, once covered with artificial soil and by the hands of a favoured race rendered fruitful as the vale beneath. The mountains remain unshaken, but where are the countless flocks? the stones of the water-course are there, but where is the limpid stream? Alas! the promised blessing has been withdrawn from the land; the flocks no longer multiply as heretofore, neither as in former days do springs and fountains burst forth everywhere out of the valleys and the hills; and her cities are desolate and forsaken, and of many even the site is not accurately known; literal, indeed, has been the fulfilment of the prophetic declaration ‘the land shall be desolate.’ Solitude now reigns where once the busy hum of voices enlivened many a glad city, ay, even in the wilderness—ruins now mark the spot where once rose the sound of harp and tabret, and where heart joined with hand in mocking with merriment the threatened desolation....”

“... But more than this—Britain! rejoice! it is for you to lead back to their beautiful land the long-dispersed members of Judah’s neglected race, and by planting in their native country a colony of whose attachment to its protectors there could be no doubt,...”

“... Jerusalem shall, indeed, become again the glorious city among the nations: no longer shall her name be Jerusalem, but ‘the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel,’ for there shall be holiness,’ and in the midst of her ‘the King of Israel, even the Lord;’ ... Her walls shall be called ‘Salvation,’ and her gates ‘Praise’; and her children shall enjoy the former and the latter rain; ‘the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them....’

“Among these there are many whose wealth—... has caused the name of the Jew too often to be coupled with the idea of sordid gain...: but it will be well for the few, who by ... prosperity, ... occupy now an elevated ♦position, ... prepare to head with energy every warrantable occasion for furthering the restoration of their unhappy people to Palestine. Providential is it for them, that among them are men possessing influence and wealth sufficient to become their leaders....”

♦ “postion” replaced with “position”

“Once again—Britain, beware! and hasten to exert the means which, lying at your disposal, may be made use of as a defence for your valuable possessions in the East, and for the advancement of God’s glory, by the return of His people to the land whither He has said He would bring them again ‘that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.’”⁠¹

¹ The Final Exodus; or, the Restoration to Palestine of the lost Tribes, the result of the present crisis; with a description of the battle of Armageddon, and the downfall of Russia, as deduced wholly from prophecy. London ... 1854.

[8º. 30 pp.] pp. 4–5, 13–14, 27, 30.

LVIII.

Disraeli and the Purchase of the Suez Canal Shares

The story of the purchase of the Suez Canal shares by Lord Beaconsfield has been told many times, but Mr. [afterwards Sir] Henry Lucy, in “Sixty Years in the Wilderness,” throws fresh light on the subject.

“On a certain Sunday night in the spring of 1875 he⁠¹ chanced to be dining in Bruton Street with Henry Oppenheim, one of the original proprietors of the Daily News. During a residence in Paris and Egypt that gentleman, just settling down in London, was brought into close connection with Egyptian financial affairs. On the previous day he heard of the intention of the impecunious Khedive to sell en bloc his holding in the capital of the Suez Canal. Greenwood instantly saw the opportunity for a great stroke of State. On leaving Bruton Street he went direct to the private residence of the Foreign Secretary (Lord Derby) and told him of the rare chance. Lord Derby informed the Prime Minister, whose Oriental mind glowed at the prospect of so stupendous a deal. Inquiry secretly made at Cairo disclosed the fact that the Khedive would ‘part’ for a sum of four millions sterling. But it must be money down.

¹ Frederick Greenwood, one of the ablest journalists of his day.

“It was, Greenwood told me, on Lord Beaconsfield’s personal suggestion that the difficulty, at the moment apparently insuperable, was overcome. The consent of Parliament was necessary to confirmation of the deal. That involved both delay and publicity, either fatal to success. Late on the Thursday night following the Bruton Street dinner, the Premier sent his private secretary, Monty Corry,⁠¹ to call upon Baron Rothschild, the Sidonia of ‘Coningsby,’ at the time head of the great financial house. Even a Rothschild did not happen to have about him at the moment a trifle of four million sterling. Nor was it possible, in accordance with the traditions of the house, that such a transaction should be entered upon without having been considered in family council. Corry accordingly returned to the Premier without definite reply. It came promptly on the following morning, the terms being that the money would be advanced on a commission of 2½ per cent.

¹ Afterwards Lord Rowton.

“These terms were pretty stiff, involving a payment of £100,000. The City heard of them with envy, and they were discussed with much severity when the matter came before the House of Commons. The Rothschilds and their friends defended them on the ground that the colossal transaction involved a certain measure of risk. There was absolutely no security beyond the influence of the Premier, still master of a majority in the House of Commons, and pledged to invoke its aid in order to obtain Parliamentary sanction. The whole thing happened between two Sundays. On the first Greenwood dined at Bruton Street; on the second, calling on Lord Derby, he learned that the transaction had been successfully carried through, and was invited to say what form his personal recompense should take. He declined to specify a request, protesting he had done nothing but his duty, and was content that its accomplishment should be his reward....”⁠¹

¹ Cornhill, January, 1912, pp. 64–65.

LIX.

Cyprus and Palestine

The Anglo-Turkish Convention had given a new and unexpected addition to the already extensive list of British territorial responsibilities. It is true that a “conditional” element ... enters into the connexion formed with the Turkish Government; and the claims to interpose between the Sultan and his subjects, as well as the circumstances which would render interference necessary, are not very clearly defined. But the British Government, not only by entering into the Convention, but by the prominence with which important events invested that treaty, as also by its positive acquisition of the island of Cyprus, stand pledged before Europe and the world to secure to the populations of Asiatic Turkey a deliverance from the corrupt rule which has hitherto burdened them....

“In the minds of all thoughtful men there is a strong belief that this country is the instrument by which freedom, peace and true religion will be carried to the uttermost ends of the world. If that be so, there is assuredly no portion of the earth’s surface which more needs the possession of these blessings, or from which can come in keener despair the cry ‘Come and help us.’ The countries of Asia still remaining ... include those whereon the earliest progenitors of the human race appeared, and those which are familiar to us in Biblical records, or interesting as the platform upon which mighty nations strove, and empires fell in the strife which was raging then as now between the powers of Good and Evil.”⁠¹

¹ Cyprus and the Asiatic Turkey, by J. M. London, 1878, pp. v.–vii.

LX.

Disraeli and Heine

“Deux noms, dont le rapprochement peut sembler d’abord inattendu, me viennent sans cesse à l’esprit lorsque j’embrasse d’un coup d’œil cette physionomie singulière d’homme d’état et d’écrivain, et ils aident, si je ne me trompe, à en démêler la signification. M. Disraeli me fait souvent penser à Henri Heine. Chez tous les deux, en effet, même vivacité d’intelligence, même pénétration, même promptitude à saisir toutes les idées et à s’approprier pour un instant toutes les doctrines, même vagabondage d’imagination, même indiscipline de génie, même mélange bizarre de fantaisie et de pensée, de frivolité et de profondeur.... M. Disraeli a eu la chance, qui n’échut pas à H. Heine, de vivre dans un milieu oû certains excès n’eussent jamais été tolérés.... Il n’a pas connu non plus les souffrances morales, les âpres soucis, les angoisses, les sérieuses épreuves, qui répandent l’amertume dans l’ironie du poête allemand, et lui arrachent, parmi ses éclats de rire, des cris si poignans: mais comme il tranche néanmoins sur la société anglaise,... Quelle perturbation il jette dans son parti, quelle inquietude il y sème par les saillies de sa verve goguenarde,... De quel doigt irrespectueux il lève tous les voiles et touche aux institutions qu’il prétend défendre! Ici, comme chez H. Heine, on ne saurait méconnaître l’influence persistante de la race. L’un a fini par embrasser le catholicisme, l’autre est né dans l’eglise anglicane; mais ils restent Juifs, et pour sa part M. Disraeli, courageux avocat des Juifs à la chambre des communes et dans ces livres, n’a jamais désavoué sa parenté avec eux. L’eût-il essayé d’ailleurs, que le sceau de la race, vivement empreinte dans son génie et dans son caractère, l’aurait trahi. Malgré son torysme d’emprunt, on sent, il faut le dire à son honneur, dans le langage de M. Disraeli une sympathie de cœur pour les déshérités qui n’est guère une disposition anglaise et aristocratique: c’est bien plutôt un souvenir de l’égalité juive et un sentiment puisé dans la législation républicaine de Moïse; mais ce qui est plus juif encore, c’est ce fonde de cynisme, dernière défense d’une race trempée de longue date par la persécution et le mépris, bronzée par l’habitude de l’outrage. M. Disraeli n’est pas plus exempt que H. Heine de cette audace qui défie le ridicule et qui même sait en tire parti....”⁠¹

¹ Le Roman Politique en Angleterre: Lothaire de M. Disraeli, par M. P. Challemel-Lacour, pp. 445–447. Revue des Deux Mondes ... 15 Juillet ... Paris ... 1870.

LXI.

Disraeli’s Defence of the Jews

Disraeli supported the emancipation of the Jews in England on religious grounds:⁠—

“... The very reason for admitting the Jews is because they show so near an affinity to you. Where is your Christianity if you do not believe in their Judaism?... The Jew was necessarily a religious being, but not a proselytising one, and so would support and not undermine the Christian Church.... What possible object can the Jew have to oppose the Christian Church? Is it not the first business of the Christian Church to make the population whose minds she attempts to form, and whose morals she seeks to guide, acquainted with the history of the Jews? Has not the Church of Christ—the Christian Church, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant—made the history of the Jews the most celebrated history of the world? On every sacred day you read to the people the exploits of Jewish heroes, the proofs of Jewish devotion, the brilliant annals of past Jewish magnificence.... Every Sunday—every Lord’s day—if you wish to express feelings of praise and thanksgiving to the most High, or if you wish to find expressions of solace in grief, you find both in the works of Jewish poets.... In exact proportion to your faith ought to be your wish to do this great act of national justice. If you have not forgotten what you owe to this people, if you were grateful for that literature which, for thousands of years, has brought so much instruction and so much consolation to the sons of men, you as Christians, would be only too ready to seize the first opportunity of meeting the claims of those who profess this religion.”⁠¹

¹ The Life of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, by William Flavelle Monypenny and George Earle Buckle. Volume iii. ... London ... 1914, pp. 68–69.

LXII.

A Hebrew Address to Queen Victoria (1849)

Translated Extract from an Address of Russian Jews in Safed on their coming under England’s protection, 1849.

(After compliments to the Consul in Jerusalem.)

“We acknowledge to the Lord and praise Him that He has put it into the heart of the Glory the Pity of the mighty Crowned Queen, the pious, the precious, the upright who reigns over the provinces of England and its dependencies, to do good to the people of Israel and to succour them with every kind of aid, for great and small, and to defend them from those that rise up against them.

“With a perfect heart

Of mercy and loving kindness;

And with the tips of the wings of Mercy

And the grace of her Righteousness

She has extended and caused to shine upon us,

Who dwell in our own land,

The holy (be it established in our days,)

Us, who are burdened with troubles—

Sinking into distress,

Poverty and calamity,

But loving the land of our Fathers,

The place of our honour.

We here are those

Who are the sons of the provinces of Russia,

And this is the day we have looked for:

We have found it, we have seen it—

For she has bent down her pity to receive us

Under the shade of her wings of compassion,

And to comfort us with shade of her mighty rule,

For a name, for a praise, and for glory!

Yea, our souls within us are bound

To implore Him, who is fearful in mighty acts,

With praises and prayers,

That He may prolong her days

In rest and satisfaction;

That the Lord may hedge her in,

And all that are hers:

The princes around her,

With her nobles,

And all those comforted in her shadow

May they rise on wings of elevation, of prosperity,

In fulness of joy;

And may her kingdom be established

Like the Moon, for ever and ever,

Until the coming of Messiah!

May the Lord bless their lives and their substance,

And increase their honour,

And crown their praise!

Amen, so be Thy will!”⁠¹

¹ Stirring Times ... of 1853 to 1856, by the late James Finn ... vol. i. London ... 1878, pp. 130–132.

LXIII.

An Appeal by Ernest Laharanne (1860)

“Oh! que de proscriptions, que de larmes, que de sang dans cette période de 18 siècles, et vous êtes encore, fils de Juda!

“Contre la haîne, le mépris, le dédain, le dégoût vous avez franchi ces obstacles, sans nombre, que les bourreaux des siècles d’aveugle foi tendaient à votre passage, et l’éternelle main vous conduisait sans cesse!

“Mais la France vous a faits libres!...

“Vous avez été citoyens et vous êtes nos frères!

“L’an 1789 a été pour vous la première étape de la réhabilitation, si la réhabilitation est là où il n’y a pas la honte et infamie, mais là où il y a eu un malheur!

“Marchez alors sous l’égide sacrée de cette France émancipatrice! Dans sa mission libérale, son étoile de salut distingua échelonnés, sur la route des peuples, toutes les races proscrites et tous les parias du monde. Et vous étiez sur ce grand chemin, et l’opprobre et les malheurs ombrageaient seuls l’épineuse et brûlante voie!”

“Elle vous appella dans ses assemblées, dans ses triomphes, dans ses joies, dans ses malheurs; et au jour des délibérations, vous avez parlé, et au jour des marches triomphales vous avez applaudi, et au jour de nos malheurs, vous avez pleuré!...”

“Nous nous inclinons devant vous, hommes forts! Car vous fûtes forts durant votre histoire antique; vous fûtes forts, depuis le drame de Jérusalem; vous fûtes forts au temps du moyenâge, alors qu’il n’y avait que deux noires puissances: l’inquisition avec la croix, les pirates avec le croissant!

“Mais vous ne nous êtes pas arrivés tous jusqu’à nous. Combien n’en a-t-il pas fallu pour payer l’immense tribu de 18 siècles!

“Mais, ceux qui restent, vous pouvez grandir encore et rebâtir la porte de Jérusalem.

“C’est votre tâche. Dieu ne vous aurait pas conduits jusqu’à nos temps s’il n’avait pas voulu vous réserver la plus sainte des missions....”

“Une haute mission vous est réservée. Placés comme un vivant trait d’union entre trois mondes, vous devez amener la civilisation chez les peuples inexpérimentés encore, vous devez leur porter les lumières d’Europe que vous avez recueillies à flots.”

“Vous servirez d’intermédiaires entre l’Europe et l’extrême Asie, et vous ouvrirez les grandes voies qui mènent aux Indes et à la Chine et aux archipels encore inconnus, mais qu’il faudra explorer.

“Vous arriverez aux champs de Juda, avec la couronne du martyre et les cicatrices des longues douleurs, et le monde s’inclinera et les fronts se découvriront, comme devant un aîné des peuples!...”

“Vous avez assez aidé à civiliser les peuples, en Europe, à faire avancer le progrès, à faire et à favoriser les révolutions; vous devez maintenant songer au vallées du Liban et aux grandes plaines de Génézareth.

“Marchez! Dans votre œuvre rénovatrice, nos cœurs vous suivront et nos bras vous serviront d’aide!

“Nous le ferons! Vous avez en vous-mêmes de ces hommes si rares en nos temps, qui out fait appel à vos sympathies, et à vos secours, pour venir soulager nos frères dans le malheur!⁠¹

¹ “L’illustre M. Crémieux, dont le nom, en ces circonstances, ne saurait être jamais assez, non pas glorifié, mais béni....”

“Cette voix que nous entendons encore a retenti d’un bout à l’autre du monde. Et qui ne serait pas reconnaissant aujourd’hui du généreux élan qu’a provoqué le grand homme?

“Marchez, Juifs de tous les pays!... L’antique patrie vous appelle, et nous serons fiers de venir rouvrir vos foyers!”

“Marchez, fils de martyrs!...”⁠¹

¹ La Nouvelle Question d’Orient. Empires d’Egypte et d’Arabie. Reconstitution de la Nationalité Juive. Paris ... 1860. (8º. 47 pp.) pp. 39–41.

LXIV.

Statistics of the Holy Land

A folded page with which the Addenda (Extracts from some of the reports, letters, and addresses on agriculture in the Holy Land received by Sir Moses Montefiore, F.R.S., etc. etc., during his sojourn there. Translated from the originals, by Dr. L. Loewe) to Lady Montefiore’s Notes from a Private Journal, 1844, concludes, is entitled:⁠—

“A form of the lists giving a statistical account of the Children of Israel dwelling in the Holy Land. In the Year 5599/1839.” These are the names of the worthy persons fearing God, who resided in the Holy City, in the year 5599–1839.

The form is divided into seventeen columnar sections, headed with the following queries:⁠—

Number in Family—Names—Where born—Age—Date of arrival in the Holy Land—How Situated—Occupation—Married—Single—Names and number of children—Age above 13—Age under 13—Names of Widows—Age—Names of Orphans—Age—Remarks.

Sir Moses, accompanied by his wife, first visited the Holy Land in 1827, and the urgent necessity and vast importance of statistics must have deeply impressed him, for we find that on his second pilgrimage, eleven years later, he caused forms similar to the above, which were also in Hebrew, to be distributed in the Holy Cities of Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias, Hebron, and in other towns and villages. The information furnished was signed, countersigned and sealed by the Heads of each Kahal.

Forms applicable to synagogues, colleges, schools, and various other institutions were also circulated, requesting particulars as to situation, the names of the ecclesiastical and lay heads, and other officials. The purpose of each organization, its income and expenditure, and a number of other minor details.

This information—collected for thirty-six years 5599–5635 = 1839–1875—was compiled and arranged by Dr. Louis Loewe (the life-long friend of Sir Moses, whom he accompanied on thirteen of his missions abroad) and transcribed in fifteen imperial folio volumes, a model of Hebrew calligraphy.

In addition to these particulars of a personal nature, this invaluable thesaurus contains information dealing with land, agriculture, buildings, industries, cotton, oil, fruit-trees, and the condition of the country in general. The volumes are now deposited at the Jews’ College, Queen Square House, London, but form part of the Library of the Judith, Lady Montefiore Theological College of Ramsgate.

A wealth of material lies at the disposal of future historians and statisticians, and it is devoutly to be hoped, that this great work will find its proper resting-place in the Archives of Jerusalem.

LXV.

An Open Letter of Rabbi Chayyim Zebi Sneersohn of Jerusalem (1863)

“There were hundreds of Jews, preferring labour to starvation, to be seen working for their daily bread at one shilling per day in the fields of the so-called ‘Industrial Plantations for Jews,’ then under the auspices of Mr. Finn, late English Consul for Palestine, and up to the present time there are many Jews engaged in performing even the most menial offices and doing their best to provide food for their families. The other day a meeting was held by the Chief Rabbi, Haim David Hassan, and many other notabilities of the different congregations, at which I also attended. The subject proposed was an enquiry to ascertain the number of those who are likely to devote themselves to agricultural pursuits and to draw up a plan in which way they could be helped in order to attain the object desired. The result was that up to the present about one hundred heads of families declared their readiness to go and till the ground of their fathers. The result of the preliminary discussion on the plan to be adopted was to get a hodjet, or secure possession from the Government or possession of cultivated ground, consisting of gardens, olive trees, vineyards and fields.”

Palestinian Rabbis were quick to recognize the activity of the British Consul. James Finn was indeed an English pioneer of the idea of colonization of Palestine and of Britain’s protection of Palestinian Jews. He was appointed Consul before the death of Bishop Alexander (who was a converted Jew and the first Bishop appointed by the British Government in Jerusalem), in 1848, and the chief reason for his appointment was his known love of the Jewish cause. He was at the time a member of the London Society’s Committee, had published an interesting and learned work on the History of the Spanish Jews, as well as a tract upon the Chinese Jews, had devoted himself with great zeal and rare success to the study of Hebrew, which he spoke and wrote with fluency, and was considered on this account to be particularly well qualified for the post of Consul at Jerusalem (another proof of the great appreciation of the national Jewish character of Palestine on the part of the British Government at that time). Finn went out as a devoted friend to the Jewish cause, and such he proved himself throughout. Though an ardent Christian, he won the sympathy of the most orthodox Jerusalem Rabbis, and their moral support for the colonization of Palestine.

Palestinian Jews themselves advocated the establishment of Jewish agricultural colonies in 1863:⁠—

“Behold, we are now awaking to a sense of the profound degradation which systematic dependence on charity must produce and to the awful demoralization which must be the necessary consequence of its precariousness. The increasing prosperity of those around us makes us the more deeply feel our own unutterable misery: while European ideas, gradually penetrating to us, are rousing us from our apathy and inspiring us more and more with the wish to wipe away from us the disgrace of sloth, with which we are but too often stigmatized. We want to work, and to work hard, in order to support ourselves by the sweat of our brows. But there is in Palestine no other source of employment capable of giving bread to a community consisting of thousands of individuals, save agriculture. You dole out to us annually thousands of pounds, just enough to keep us, year after year, on the brink of starvation. This has now been going on for centuries, with the result which we have seen. Now try whether a change for the better could not be brought about. Lay out, by way of experiment, and on a small scale, just to begin with, a portion of the funds destined for the Holy Land in productive labour. Some of us, at least, will, instead of being maintained in involuntary idleness, see what our handiwork can produce, whereby you give the mere consumer of to-day a chance of becoming the producer of to-morrow, and in time you may have the satisfaction of seeing the country dotted with self-supporting agricultural colonies of happy Jews—the very same who are now a burden to you, and whose cry of distress every now and then resounds through the countries of the West.”

Rabbi Sneersohn was on a visit to Melbourne in 1861, and addressed (in Hebrew) a “Meeting of the members of the Jewish Faith (to which persons of other denominations were also invited) for the purpose of adopting measures to assist in building houses of refuge on Mount Zion” (The Salvation of Israel, an address, etc., by Rabbi Hayim Zwi Sneersohn, Melbourne, 1862).

LXVI.

The Tragedy of a Minority, as seen by an English Jewish Publicist (1863)

“The whole Tragedy of our People is to be found in the fact that we must everywhere be in the minority: and no matter how just our cause may be, we shall always have to complain of slights and insults, of being overlooked by accident or design, of being scorned by many, and denounced by zealots or infidels, all for the sake of being a minority.... But once again blessed with a Government of our own, though only a small portion of Israelites should be found in their own land, while the many would prefer to remain in the countries where they now sojourn, and the advantages of which they might not wish to give up, the feelings of the world would necessarily undergo a great change, and the treatment meted out to us would not be what it is now. If we have our agriculturists, our statesmen, our mechanics, our public teachers, equal to the best found anywhere, who would dare to insult us by stating that he knows us only as pedlars, bankers and merchants: and class us as a whole among petty traders and men of low pursuits? No effort which we can make, situated as we are all over the world, will readily change the long habit which was forced on us to depend on commerce, large and small, in all its branches, in which the meaner necessarily predominated, owing to the exclusive laws to which we were subjected: and therefore it will be centuries before the unjust prejudices against us die out, if ever they can, in case we ever succeed in divesting ourselves of that habit. If our land be restored to us, and we to it, how nobly will our character, which is now concealed and obscure, burst forth in all ancient vigour and beauty, and we shall naturally present to the world again examples worthy of imitation, and the harp of Judah, which has so long hung mute on the willows of many a Babylon, will again resound to the master-touch of the inspired poet. He will again sing aloud the praises of the Most High. Our judges will sit on the judgment-seat of our ancient counsellors, and decide for the lofty and the lowly according to the demands of the Mosaic legislation: and the wisdom which had its chief residence on the hills of Jerusalem will evermore be diffused to enlighten a suffering world, and will prove its strength in contrast with the failures of antagonistic systems.... Will this dream be speedily realized? We cannot tell indeed: events occasionally creep slowly over the face of the world, but at other times they rush rapidly forward, and one great development follows closely on the heels of the other. The same may be the case with the now apparently distant restoration of Israelites to Palestine. The world is becoming rapidly peopled: the boundaries of nations in the meanwhile are frequently changed: jealousies of one people against another are constantly developed: the balance of power, a vain desire to preserve peace among men, is constantly vibrating to and fro. Is it then so unlikely that an effort will be made to place in Palestine and the neighbourhood an enterprising race which shall restore it?”

LXVII.

הברת ישוב ארץ ישראל ודרישת ציון בלאנדאן הבירה׃
London Hebrew Society for the Colonization of the Holy Land

Plans

“The London Society for the Colonization of the Holy Land intends:⁠—

“1. To collect funds for the purchase of deserted and desolate towns, and fields and vineyards in the Holy Land, and to prepare Hebrew Persons able and willing to work, so as to fit them for agricultural labour in the Holy Land.

“2. All Israelites, expert in sacred scripture and the Hebrew language, who are members of this society for six years, and prove their ability in agriculture, honest, and of respectable behaviour, able and willing to work, will be sent out to the Holy Land by this Society.

“3. On those sent out by the Society the sacred duty devolves to fulfil faithfully the commandments of the תורה not to work—or cause to work—on Sabbath, Festivals, Schemita, and Jobal, as well as to observe לקט שכחה ופאה and all other commandments relating to the cultivation of the soil in the Holy Land.

“4. All Israelites having lived uninterruptedly for three years in the Holy Land will be considered as free members, and, after passing proper examination, can enjoy the same rights as those who have contributed.

“5. A house, with adjoining land, and cattle, implements and all other requirements for agriculture, and all necessaries for himself and his family shall be provided by the Society until the soil is fertilised and productive.

“6. In each colony the Society shall establish a Synagogue with all its requirements as ס׳ת, etc., schools for children and adults, appoint and pay Rabbis, readers and the other officials, provide books, &c.

“7. The Rabbi must not only have thorough knowledge of the Hebrew language and Theology, but must also be expert in other sciences and languages, especially the language of the country.

“8. Every colonist has the preference, after the stipulated time, to farm the land fertilised by his labour, which land remains the property of the society.

“9. The colonists will be placed under the protection of the great European powers.

“10. Co-religionists trained to the use of arms will be appointed by the society, to protect the colony from the attacks of the Bedouins; also police to enforce the laws and to maintain order.

“11. Israelitish co-religionists of all countries and of either sex will be accepted as members of the society.

“12. Those of other religions can only be accepted as honorary members.

“13. Boys and girls from 13 to 20 years of age, and persons more than 50 years of age can be members of the second class only.

“14. Children under 13 years of age are members of the third class.

“15. Communities forming societies among themselves will be accepted as branches of this society.

“16. Members, who bequeath money or property, according to their means, for the benefit of the society will be constituted perpetual members.

“17. Any member desiring to perpetuate the memory of deceased relations or friends, can do so by paying a certain sum, according to his means, to have them inscribed as perpetual members.

“18. Each member to pay an entrance fee of not less than 1s. 6d., one-third of which fee must be paid at the time of entrance.

“19. This third part will be used to meet the expenses of stationery, printing, advertising, rent of lecture hall, management, &c., and for the assistance of those persons preparing themselves for agriculture.

“20. Each member agrees to pay a certain voluntary contribution towards the funds of the society, which sum has to be paid to the committee every ראש חדש for which he will receive a receipt.

“21. A public meeting will be held every ר׳ח when the names of the members and the amount of their contributions will be published.

“22. General meetings will be held three times during the year, at such time and place as the monthly meetings shall appoint.

“23. Admission of non-members to the monthly meetings by ticket, to be had gratis.

“24. None but members will be allowed to address the meeting. Non-members can submit any question in writing, which will be communicated, and if necessary discussed at the meeting.

“25. To explain and to illustrate the principles of the society, lectures will be delivered every Sabbath in the hall of the society, to which members have free admission, non-members by ticket, sold for the benefit of the society.

“The land will be divided by ballot, for which members of the first class only are qualified. For assistance and for instruction every member of six months standing, in the first and second class, has a claim.

“Members who shall have obtained a plot of land and should not desire to emigrate, can convey the same to another person, provided he be qualified as described in Rule 2.”⁠¹

¹ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל The Hebrew National. A weekly Journal [Edited by Herschel Filipowski] ... London, vol. i., No. 2, Feb. 22nd, 1867, pp. 29–30.

An appeal from this Society “By order of the Committee, E. I. Polak, Secretary (pro tem.),” appeared in a specimen of a unique newspaper lent to me by Mr. James H. Lowe, entitled יידיש דייטשע צייטוננ׃ London Jews’ Weekly Times, No. 4, 31st May = 26 Iyar, but the year is omitted. The advertisements were printed, but the news was lithographed. The offices were situated at 4 Sun street, and the paper was published by Harris Leyserowich of No. 3 Sweedland Court, Bishopsgate Street, City.

LXVIII.

An Open Letter of Henri Dunant (1866)

“The disquieting circumstances in which Europe finds itself should not let us forget that the Eastern question, which has already troubled the Governments and peoples, may speedily reappear and complicate a position grave enough in itself. Instinctively every one feels that the day when this question will call for a definite solution, all Europe will perhaps be in inextricable difficulties.

“Diplomatic difficulties can only end in barren expedients, but the present, which is averse to a system of forcible conquest by fire and sword, has a much more powerful weapon at its disposal—that of pacific conquest by civilization.

“What is therefore to be done in order to prevent grave complications, and regenerate the East by rousing its vital forces and infusing into it the spirit of Western civilization?

“One of the most powerful means would be the formation of a large society, having an eminently international character, and which would have thereby the merit of reconciling the particular interests of the several European Powers with those of civilization. This Society would open for the West new and abundant sources of wealth: it would become for the East an efficient means of moral regeneration: and lastly would be for all nations co-operating in the matter a great honour and a great profit.

“The following is the manner in which such an association may be presented to the European public:⁠—

“Objects of the Eastern International Society:⁠—

“To promote the development of agriculture, industry, commerce, and public works in the East, and especially in Palestine. To obtain from the Turkish Government privileges and monopolies, whether in Constantinople or the rest of the Empire: notably the concession and the gradual abandonment of the soil of Palestine. To distribute for pecuniary considerations such portions of the land, the concession whereof might have been acquired or received by the Company, and to colonize the more fertile valleys of the Holy Land.

“The Turkish Empire contains virtues of all kinds, which, if they were utilized by a powerful company, would yield considerable results; but the Porte neither possesses the resources nor the necessary forces in order to create and lead to a favourable issue the works of public utility, which the internal development of the Ottoman Empire so urgently demands: left to her own resources she can neither augment her revenues nor form new ones, she is unable to give energetic support to either agriculture or industry, which are the only means of increasing public wealth and prosperity.

“It is therefore for the West, which possesses the capital and where the creative forces are superabundant, to turn to an account the real advantages presented by Turkey, and to take in hand a work capable of yielding excellent results. Skilfully conducted, operations in this new country bring in a very high interest: but new combinations must be devised, which should enjoy both the approval of the European Powers, and the support of the Sultan’s Porte. Therefore, in order not to weaken its forces, the Society must utilize certain special circumstances in which Turkey is now placed, and Palestine offers itself at first sight to the mind as the earliest field of activity.

“Palestine, as known, only wants human labour in order to produce abundantly: it is one of the most remarkable and fruitful countries on the globe: products of all latitudes are to be met with there, and emigrants from Europe find there the climate of their country. Commerce and private industry completing the work of agriculture, will draw hither in numbers merchants, colonists and capitalists. This resurrection of the East, uniting with the new rise of religious sentiment, will be aided by the co-operation of Israelites, whose valuable qualities and remarkable aptitudes cannot but prove very advantageous to Palestine.

“Having established commercial undertakings at Constantinople and other cities of the Turkish Empire, the Society will construct at Jaffa a port and a good road, a railway from this city to Jerusalem. The territory through which the railway runs should be granted by Turkey to the Society, which might sell it to Israelitish families. These in their turn would create colonies and make them prosperous, with the help and the labour of those of their Eastern brethren whose love for their ancient country has maintained itself as ardently as formerly. Special committees might at their cost send Israelitish emigrants from Morocco, Poland, Moldavia, Wallachia, the East, Africa, etc.

“The result pursued and obtained by the Society by means of a sincere international understanding, the co-operation of those interested in Turkey, and the establishment of Western populations in Palestine, will infallibly be in a less distant future than might be imagined.

“The reconstruction of Holy Places at Jerusalem, which might be carried out internationally, and in a manner worthy of Christendom: the end of conflicts which are being incessantly renewed between the Great Powers on account of the Holy Places: the transformation of ancient Jerusalem into a new city which shall rival in importance the finest cities in the West: the creation of European colonies which in time will become centres when Western civilization will spread into Turkey and penetrate the extreme East.

“Under the nominal suzerainty of the Sultan the Society will administer with intelligence and equity the territories that might develop upon it. Thus India has long been administered and governed by an English company. The Sultan, grateful for the financial support which will be given to him, might, perhaps, grant to the Holy Land a special administration, which, under the high direction of the Porte, would offer real security to the populations that might repair thither, and guarantees for the funds that might be employed there. Thanks to this combination, which would procure for her valuable resources, Turkey would not be obliged to contract new loans in order to pay the interest on previous ones.

“The rising colonies might diplomatically be neutralized, like Switzerland, and by a treaty which would have some analogy to the Convention signed at Geneva in favour of the amboulance, sanitary bodies, and wounded soldiers. It would not, moreover, be so difficult to neutralize Palestine by an agreement among the Powers, since there exists a remarkable precedent, which is the neutralization of the Lower Danube officially obtained from the Seven Powers, who signed the treaty at Paris. Now the Commission of the Lower Danube has created its flag and a small fleet, it possesses a numerous staff and revenues: it actually seeks to contract a loan, the same as an independent state.

“In order to prepare the organization of an International Eastern Society, it is necessary that the minds should be induced to occupy themselves with these great and interesting questions. It is indispensable for this purpose to form a committee composed of influential and honourable men of different nations and different opinions, having at heart the success of these views in the general interest. For the rest the elements of such a committee are quite clear.

“Its programme, at the same time economic, humanitarian, scientific, etc., is also international: it cannot hurt the susceptibilities of any nation. Influential men in France, England, and elsewhere are favourably disposed to the scheme.”⁠¹

¹ Société Nationale Universelle pour la Renouvellement de l’Orient [Henri Dunant] Paris ... 1866.

LXIX.

An Appeal of Rabbi Elias Gutmacher and Rabbi Hirsch Kalischer to the Jews of England (1867)

Appeal to Our Brethren

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall eat them as common things. Jeremiah, chap. xxxi.

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land. Ezekiel xxxiv.

Hear ye generous people, learn ye who take an interest in holy matters, show your tender feelings towards our brethren in the holy land! Think of the abandoned, devastated, sacred soil. Thus voices and signs urgently warn you, pointing out to you that the time long ago vouchsafed has arrived to render them effectual help.

Destructive epidemic diseases and famine ravage in that land in the same awful way this year as they did in the past one and your ever so abundantly flowing gifts and donations are not efficient to alleviate the misery, to satiate the hunger; upon us the needy cast their looks and crave for relief. But there is only one way, one remedy to prevent a recurrence of such distress, and that is: colonization, cultivation and improvements of the Palestine soil.

This proposal, suggested already many years ago, urges now more than ever upon final realization, the soil must be redeemed. The society, “Alliance Israélite,” in Paris, so great in its activity, at the head of which M. Adolphe Crémieux stands as president, has declared itself in favor of this idea and promised its own assistance and interference (sic) elsewhere, to accomplish the object, as we have seen from that society’s recently published half-yearly report.

A letter Sir Moses Montefiore addressed to us after his safe return from Palestine states that the idea has been approved of there also. Sir Moses in the same letter says that from Zephat alone sixty Jewish families addressed to him personally the fervent prayer for a grant of land for agricultural purposes. That the hard tried Israelitish inhabitants of Schabatz in Servia have declared themselves ready to emigrate for the purpose of cultivating the Palestine soil, is known to us already, through the medium of Hebrew periodicals.—To realize the idea in question, money must be raised before anything can be done: the funds in hand are not sufficient, the number of Subscribers must increase, and the subscriptions be permanent. The leaders of congregations should take the matter in hand and every member of a congregation in good circumstances ought to join the society, with a yearly contribution of two Thalers (six shillings), by which they would be instrumental in the performance of the religious commands attached to the sacred soil just as if they themselves had been performing it. To enable members in more humble circumstances to contribute, quarterly payments might be received. But he whom the Almighty has blessed with earthly fortunes and who has the heart for the sufferings of his co-religionists anywhere in the Universe—he should not fail to join the “Alliance Israélite” of Paris, as a member with a yearly contribution of 1 Thaler 10 Sgr. (4 Shillings), and thus further the great aim. Two treasurers have been appointed by us to receive contributions. The well-known Banker, Mr. Seegall, in Posen, is Chief Treasurer, and Mr. S. Fuerst, in Schmiegel, Special Treasurer for amounts up to 100 Thalers (£15). The latter Gentleman has offered to pay all postages out of his own private pocket, and is resolved to go at his own expense to Palestine and to make a beginning with the colonization; perhaps the undersigned Mr. Hirsch Kalischer may take upon himself the expense and hardships of such a voyage, to see there after the strict observance of the religious commands connected with agriculture in Palestine. Were there one at least in every congregation that would zealously take the matter in hand; we would willingly confer upon him the diploma of a Governor of the society and give him the necessary instructions. We are also ready to purchase a priceworthy piece of land in Palestine on account and in the name of any of our wealthier brethren in faith that would remit to us a sum for the purpose, and to have it administered according to their instructions. We hope that with the proper assistance from the congregations of Israel and by the aid of the Omnipotent we shall in a very short time be able to give effect to the idea of Colonization.

Thorn in the month of Marcheshvan 5627. “Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God” (2 Samuel x. 12).

Elias Gutmacher, Rabbi in Graetz.

Hirsch Kalischer, Rabbi in Thorn.⁠¹

¹ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאַל The Hebrew National, vol. i., No. i., Feb. 15th, 1867, p. 6.

LXX.

Alexandre Dumas (fils) and Zionism

In La Femme de Claude, pp. 50–51, Daniel says:

“Nous sommes dans une époque où chaque race a résolu de revendiquer et d’avoir bien à elle son sol, son foyer, sa langue et son temple. Il y a assez longtemps que nous autres Israélites, nous sommes dépossédés de tout cela. Nous avons été forcés de nous glisser dans les interstices des nations, d’où nous avons pénétré dans les intérêts des gouvernements, des sociétés, des individus. C’est beaucoup, ce n’est pas assez. On croit encore que la persécution nous a dispersés, elle nous a répandus; et nous tenant par la main, nous formons aujourd’hui un filet dans lequel le monde pourrait bien se trouver pris le jour où il lui viendrait à l’idée de nous redevenir hostile ou de se déclarer ingrat. En attendant nous ne voulons plus être un groupe, nous voulons être un peuple, plus qu’un peuple, une nation. La patrie idéale ne nous suffit plus, la patrie fixe et territoriale nous est redevenue nécessaire, et je pars pour chercher et lever notre acte de naissance légalisé.”

Isidore Cahen writes, Le Daniel de la Femme du Claude “... prévoit et prédit une restauration matérielle de la grandeur de Juda, la reconstitution d’un Etat politique juif! M. Dumas va jusqu’à citer le vœu célébre de la Hagadah: ‘L’année prochaine à Jérusalem....’

“Dans ces vœux qui contiennent nos livres traditionelles il n’y a qu’une espérance allégorique un vœu mystique: c’est une Jérusalem idéale, ... et non pas une Jérusalem politique....”⁠¹

¹ Archives Israélites, 1ᵉʳ Fevrier, 1873, p. 86.

... Il faut que je sois bien maladroit et que je dise bien mal ce que je veux dire pour qu’il y ait erreur sur mon appréciation des Israélites. Le jour où j’ai écrit la Femme de Claude, j’ai cru les glorifier. Je ne vois pas que Daniel et Rebecca ne représentent pas un idéal supérieur et si Daniel menace un moment ceux qui pourraient se montrer hostiles ou ingrats de la puissance que ses coreligionnaires out acquise, il a parfaitement raison. Ce n’est pas quand depuis près de deux mille ans une race subit l’injustice et la persécution comme l’a fait votre race, qu’elle va, après de grands services rendus, supporter l’ingratitude et l’hostilité de ceux qu’elle a tirés d’affaire. Il n’en est pas moins vrai que lors de l’apparition de la Femme de Claude, beaucoup de vos co-religionnaires se sont trompés sur mes intentions et que quelquesuns ont organisé une cabale contre la pièce. Je ne leur en veux pas. Je ne ferai jamais entrer une question personnelle dans ce jugement que je puis avoir à porter historiquement et philosophiquement sur toute une Nation.

... Comme j’assiste pendant le temps que je passe sur la terre aux évolutions de l’humanité à laquelle j’appartiens, je m’amuse quelquefois à essayer de prévoir et même de prédire la direction qu’elles peuvent prendre. Comme j’ai bien étudié celles de votre race, que je l’ai vue asservie et persécutée de tous temps et en ces mêmes temps toujours patiente et laborieuse, je me suis, dans mon intérieur, pris de sympathie pour elle, et si j’avais été capable de pratiquer une religion c’est à celle de ces persécutés et de ces laborieux que je serais allé. Quand un peuple a établi toute la morale humaine sur dix petits versets, il peut vraiment se dire le peuple de Dieu, étant donné la conception que les hommes les plus éclairés peuvent se faire, derrière Moise d’un Dieu personnel. Seulement j’ai le tort d’appliquer à ceux que j’étudie et qui m’intéressent les idées que j’aurais si j’étais à leur place..., quand j’ai vu les évènements politiques nous apporter en 1870, en établissant la République et en nous retirant de Rome, vous apporter la revanche de tant d’injustices et d’humiliations patiemment supportées, je me suis demandé quelle mission je me donnerais, si dans les idées où je suis, j’étais membre de ce peuple particulier. Je me suis dit alors que je n’aurais qu’une idée, ce serait de reprendre possession de mon sol d’origine et de tradition et de rebâtir le temple de Jérusalem, sinon sur la place du tombeau du Christ, du moins en face. C’est cette idée que j’ai incarnée dans Daniel. On m’a dit souvent depuis, que je me trompais sur les ambitions des Israélites, qu’ils ne pensaient plus à ces représailles-là, que leur idéal était de vivre en paix avec les différentes nations qui leur out donné droit de cité et qu’ils out renoncé à finir leurs jours dans un foyer à eux. Tant pis pour eux, si c’est vrai. Il est bon d’avoir un idéal, même quand il est irréalisable. Voilà mon cher ami, aussi brièvement que possible, mes idées sur vos coreligionnaires. Ils m’ont toujours inspiré les sentiments que leur courage, leur persévérance, leurs malheurs, leurs efforts de toutes sortes doivent inspirer à des esprits de bonne foi et à des consciences désintéressées....⁠¹

¹ The foregoing are extracts from a hitherto unpublished letter sent by Alexandre Dumas (fils) to a prominent French Jew. It is dated 1873.

LXXI.

Appeal of Dunant’s Association for the Colonisation of Palestine (1867)

Palestine Colonisation

To the Editor of the Jewish Chronicle.

“... International undertaking for the Rejuvenescence of Palestine.—Palestine is a rich and fertile country, although now little populated, and therefore uncultivated. A soil greatly subject to a variety of circumstances is the cause of a great variety of meteorological conditions. Hence a great variety of productions peculiar nearly to every latitude; hence also a great facility for every colonist to find in his new country a climate approaching that of his native land.

“It is not to be feared that the colonisation of the Holy Land, judiciously carried on, can lack warm sympathies or labour under a want of colonists. Numerous adhesions from emigrants by the thousand, easy in circumstances and willing to work, have already addressed themselves to the founders of the undertaking for the rejuvenescence of Palestine.”

“The new reforms introduced by the Ottoman Government, the law which authorised strangers to purchase and hold real estate in the Turkish empire, the road now being constructed from Jaffa to Jerusalem, the works projected in the port of Jaffa, the improvements effected in the great lines of communication—all these undertakings and circumstances united seem to indicate that the moment could not be better chosen for commencing the colonisation of Palestine....”

“The capital required for such an undertaking would not long remain unproductive; indeed, the financial operation of the company that should be formed for this purpose would be one of the simplest.

“The uncultivated land in Palestine purchased of the Ottoman Government at a comparatively small price, and with facilities for payment, resold at a higher figure, would bring in an important profit. The increase in the value of this land—a direct result of the colonisation—would be an additional guarantee for the realisation of this expectation.

“The supply to the colony of agricultural and industrial tools, a trade of importation organized on a scale strictly proportionate to the acknowledged wants of the new settlement, would offer to the company a field for a second operation, which, presenting neither risk nor peril, would nevertheless insure from the very beginning undoubted profits.

“The life which begins to stir in the port of Jaffa will take a fresh rise with the development of agriculture and manufacture in colonised Palestine. The rejuvenescence of Central Asia, which England on the one hand and Russia on the other pursue with so much vigour—the former in the way of peace and the latter in that of war—will not fail favourably to react on the trade of the coast of Syria, once so flourishing, and the decline of which only dates from the fall of the great empire of Persia.

“Ancient Phœnicia, the cities of Tyre and Sidon, the richest of antiquity, owed their prosperity only to the intermediate trade carried on between the east and the west. The fall of the empire founded by Cyrus produced in Central Asia so great a moral and material decay that the trade and industrial pursuits of these immense regions perished from inanity. Tyre and Sidon had no longer any basis for existence; their grandeur accordingly gradually declined. Alexander, after these splendid and proud cities, succeeded in forming direct relations with India, which the founder of this empire had brought nigh to Europe. But Alexandria in its turn had to experience fortune’s inconstancy. Since the discovery of the route to India to the day when steamers and the railway to Suez restored to it some life, desertion and oblivion were its lot. The piercing of the isthmus of Suez will end by restoring to Alexandria its pristine importance. The trade of India will once more completely come back to it, but the cities on the coast of Syria and Jaffa in particular will not the less remain mistresses of every commercial market of Central Asia, upon which a new destiny is dawning.

“A great economical revulsion in the old world is preparing, and the coast of Palestine will again become as in days of old, in common with that of Lower Egypt, the centre of all exchange between the old continents.

“The Palestine Company has therefore an immense future, which it is easy to foresee even now, but we must allow events to proceed in the development of its activity beyond the modest limits which we at present mark out for it.

“Paris and Jerusalem, March, 1866 and September, 1867.”

The address of the secretary-general of this undertaking is Paris, 24, Rue de la Paix.⁠¹

¹ Jewish Chronicle and Hebrew Observer, December 13, 1867, p. 6.

LXXII.

Edward Cazalet’s Zionist Views

“It was through the armed intervention of England, that, in the year 1841, Syria was transferred from Egyptian to Turkish rule. At that time Lord Palmerston was in office; and his policy, as he explained to the French Ambassador, M. de Bourgoing, was to turn Syria into a desert under Turkish rule, and interpose this desert between the Sultan and his Egyptian vassal. In confirmation of this, which may seem to some an astounding statement, I can only refer you to ‘Guizot’s Memoirs,’ vol. 2, p. 525 ... to Syria assuredly reparation is due on the part of England.... To attempt to improve the Turkish Government of Syria is, for obvious reasons, a hopeless task.... No other country has anything like the same interest in Syria, that we have; besides which, it is to the English nation alone that the population of Syria look for protection and support....

“It was England who handed this country over to the Turks in 1841. Turkey has ever since abused her charge, and it is only just that she should be now called upon to transfer it into more capable hands.”

“The Arabs, who form two-thirds of the whole of the population of Syria, and are for most part lords of the soil, are with very few exceptions completely illiterate, regardless of truth, dishonest in their dealings, and immoral in their conduct. In large towns the greater proportion of the upper classes are both physically and mentally feeble, owing to the effects of polygamy, early marriages, and degrading vices. Out of such elements there is no possibility of creating a ruling class. The other sects are too few in number, and too bigoted and superstitious, to be of any assistance in the government of the country. If, then, the regeneration of Syria is to be attempted, it must of necessity come from without, and can only be brought about by an influx of an industrious and more enlightened people. Fortunately this last resource is not denied to us. The restoration of the Jews to their own land, seems to me the only practicable means by which the regeneration of Syria can be effected. You must not imagine that this event, important though it unquestionably must be, need cause any great perturbation in Europe, or prove in any way a strain upon the resources of England. All that is required is that England should create the conditions under which a large number of Jews would gradually migrate on their own account to Syria and Palestine. The first condition of such a movement is that law and order should be introduced under our Protectorate....

“But there is another influence which would greatly assist the colonization of the country. It has long been a cherished project with the Jews to establish a college in the Holy Land, which would serve as a centre of Jewish philosophy and science. Such an institution would readily meet with support, and incalculably quicken the pulses of their national life. With an extensive literature in their own language, in which every branch of philosophy and science is represented, the Jews would be able to make such an institution a genuine centre of intellectual activity. The leading learned men of the Jewish race would be naturally attracted to such a national centre, and would form a nucleus round which all the intellect of the nation would gather, by means of which the necessary elements of the future government of the country might be formed. I understand that the most suitable site for this college has already been generally agreed upon.

“I have still to show you that these attractions would be sufficient to induce numbers of Jewish families to migrate to Syria. The total number of the Jews throughout the world is variously estimated from eight to ten millions. Of those the greater number—probably six millions—inhabit Russia and the old Polish provinces which now belong to Austria, Germany and Roumania. The condition of the Jews in Russia is deplorable in the extreme. They are denied civil rights. They are forbidden to hold landed property. They are treated as aliens, and are restricted to limited areas in which they suffer from the evils of over-population. These conditions have induced no fewer than 250,000 Jews to emigrate to America within the last thirty or forty years, and it may be confidently predicted that Syria under our protectorate would offer still greater attractions. The land of Palestine alone, is capable of supporting ten times its present population. It may seem strange to say of the Jews who are scattered throughout the world, that they still consider this to be their fatherland. But, if they are denied the actual possession of it, they still bear it in their hearts. Three times a day every Jew offers up a prayer for the restoration of his race to the land and the temple, from which he has been exiled for eighteen centuries. It is a remarkable fact that this scattered and downtrodden people possess within themselves all the elements which go to form a united nation. They have a code of laws for their own government; they have a literature, a history, a language and a religion, which are peculiar to them. Their education is, with some exceptions, on a par with that of the most civilized nations. Numbers of them excel in all the different branches of mechanics and art; and in trade and finance they are, as we all know, unrivalled. Though last, not least they are a people who would fight bravely in the defence of their country.

“During the last twenty years of the reign of the Emperor Nicholas, the military conscription fell heavily upon the Jews. In proportion to their numbers, for every Russian that was enlisted, five Jews were compelled to enter the service; and during the late Turkish war they bore themselves bravely in the face of the enemy. No one who has any knowledge of the Jewish character can for a moment doubt that if the Jews were restored to their country under an English protectorate they would prove true to our nation, and that Syria would become as firmly united to England as if it were peopled by our own countrymen.”⁠¹

¹ England’s Policy in the East: our Relations with Russia and the Future of Syria. By Edward Cazalet. Second Edition. London: ... 1879. [8º. iv + 32 pp. in printed wrapper.] pp. 22–26.

LXXIII.

A Collection of Opinions of English Christian Authorities on the Colonization of Palestine

1. General Sir Charles Warren’s Views

“My proposal is simply an arrangement by which, ... Palestine, this unfortunate land may yet be placed in ... a position which may enable her again to take a place socially among the kingdoms of the earth....”

“It will probably at once occur, ‘And what of the Arabs of Palestine?’ I ask in reply, ‘Who are the Arabs?’ They are certainly not Turks in any degree; they are for the most part not Arabs of Arabia, of the Desert. Then who are they? It has long been known, and no person has thrown more light upon the subject than M. Ganneau, that the people of Palestine are of a very mixed race: some of Canaanitish descent, some Jewish, some of Arabia. It is evident that many of them being Moslems are so for convenience,... We cannot, therefore, look upon the natives of Palestine as rigid Moslems of one race; but we must recognize them as descendants of Canaanites, Israelites, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Crusaders, now professing the Moslem or the Christian faith, according to circumstances, but retaining above everything the ancient traditions—yes, and in some instances, I have little doubt, their veritable old religion.”

“Palestine is about the size and shape of Wales, and has now a population of about one and a half millions. Give her good government, and quicken the commercial life of the people, and they may increase tenfold, and yet there be room. The soil is so rich, the climate so varied, that within ordinary limits it may be said that the more people it contains, the more it may. Its productiveness will increase in proportion to the labour bestowed on the soil, until a population of fifteen millions might be accommodated there.

“Let us observe how the country may be improved. It consists of the hill country, or mountain districts; the Shephalah or swelling hills, or wolds; the maritime and Jordan plains, and the tablelands of Arabia.

“All these are most productive naturally; but are, for the most part, at present enjoying a long Sabbath.

“In the hill country, even now the white skeletons of the old system of terracing are visible in parts; but the rich loamy soil is washed down into the wadies, leaving the hillsides bare and desolate, and glaring in their nakedness. A cultivated strip may be seen at the bottom of the wady, subject to being swept away by any storm of rain forming a torrent down the bare hillsides, or withered before its time by the reflection of the sun from the bare rocks.

“Place the valley in proper hands, and note the results. The earth from the bottom will be carefully carried up the hillsides, and laid out in terraces, on which are planted young trees—those of a more delicate nature being placed on the northern declivity, in order that they may suffer less from the sun’s rays. The trees thrive rapidly, as they will do in Palestine; the rain falls, but not as heretofore, rushing fiercely down the bare rocks, and forming a torrent in the valley. No; now it falls on the trees and terraces, percolates quietly into the soil and into the rocky hillside, and is thus absorbed, scarcely injuring the crops at the bottom of the valley. The rain that sinks into the rocks will shortly reissue in perennial springs, so refreshing in a thirsty land. The trees, having moisture in the soil at their roots, spread out their leaves in rich groves over the land. The sun’s rays now do not fall on the ground, but on the green leaves and fruit, by which they are intercepted and absorbed, giving no glare or reflection. The heat of the sun causes a moisture to rise from the trees and soil beneath them, which, on reaching the higher and cooler winds, is condensed into visible vapour, constantly forming as the breeze passes over the grove, so that each grove, so to speak, supplies its own umbrella. The climate is thus changed. Where were hot, glaring sun, dry wind, dry earth, stony land, absence of vegetable products, are now to be found fleecy clouds floating through the balmy air, the heat of the sun tempered by visible and invisible vapours, groves with moist soil, trickling streamlets issuing from the rocks, villages springing up apace, Palestine regenerated.

“This is no dream. I have seen this change take place in Palestine in three years, on a small scale. Why is the Lebanon so different to the hill country of Palestine? In a great measure, because, by reason of its position and conformation, its woods have not been cut down....

“Again, on the east of Jordan, in Gilead, I have seen the same. After riding for miles through the ruins in the glaring summer atmosphere, through a country denuded of trees, nearly choking with the scorching wind, I came upon a district where the ancient woods had not been cut down. Immediately a change was felt: clouds were seen hanging over the woods, the air became soft and pleasant, the sun’s rays beat less fiercely, flowers were seen under the trees, blackberries on the brambles, water gushing out from the hillsides, birds chirping in the shade. This was not due to any change in the atmosphere generally, but was entirely local, and due to the presence of trees. In fact, there are spots where you can, on the same level, change the climate in an hour by passing from the bare land to that which is well wooded.

“This matter I have frequently examined into in Palestine. I mention one particular instance. During the prevalence of hot winds at Jerusalem, I noticed two clouds constantly stationary a few miles off, in an otherwise cloudless sky. On riding over towards them, I found them to be hanging over two large olive groves about seven miles off, recently planted by the Greek convents. Although the wind was blowing briskly, the moisture ascending was condensed as quickly as it rose, and formed an umbrella over these groves.

“In the wolds of Palestine the same process may be continued. Not so much terracing is wanted, but much planting of wood, particularly on the south side—trees of a hardy growth; so that, with a green southern slope opposite, the delicate fruit trees planted on the northern slopes may bring their fruit to perfection.

“The water, which will now be found gushing from the rock, from springs which have long been silent, will be carried in ducts along the hillsides, and used for irrigation purposes, passing thence into the plain, where it can still be used for irrigation, or else assist in filling up the wells near to the surface of the ground—wells which have hitherto been between thirty to ninety feet deep.

“Now again we shall find a difference in the crops in the plain. Hitherto there has been but one season, and then a long interval of desolation, from July to November, when the heaven is of brass and the earth iron. During this long period, scarcely a green blade can be seen over the vast plains—nothing but sticks, and stones, and dust; the monotony relieved only by the noise of the gulgul careering on the wings of the whirlwind....

“The presence of water brought down on the surface from the hills, together with the vast groves of trees to be planted, causes a change. The latter rains of June will be found to fall, giving a second season—a never-ending succession of crops. The fulfilment of the Prophecies will commence taking place—when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed....

“The advance of the rolling sand-hills, which is now overwhelming the fairest of the maritime plains, may now be arrested. The rich ground between Gaza and Ascalon, which the sand has swallowed up, must again be recovered. This can easily be effected, by the planting of coniferæ along the sea coast, as has been done already at Beyrout.... If we examine the Jordan valley, we find even greater changes can be effected: it can be made far more fertile than it ever was....

“The whole valley, however, may be made one vast garden, not merely by rebuilding the great aqueducts, remains of which still exist, and by means of which the great cities were watered, but by means of the Jordan river itself. The Jordan, out of Tiberias, falls ten feet to the mile, or 600 feet in sixty miles.... The waters of the Jordan might be brought out of Tiberias in aqueducts falling one foot to the mile, and thus be brought over the great plain of Basan and of Jericho, and be made to irrigate all the lands which the streams have not touched. At the same time, the streams themselves will have increased exceedingly from the development of the country in the high lands.

“The country can thus be transformed.”⁠¹

¹ The Land of Promise; or, Turkey’s Guarantee. By Charles Warren. London: George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 1875. (8º. 24 pp. in printed wrapper) pp. 5–6, 8, 14–20.

2. The Rev. James Neil on the Colonization Movement

“At a moment when all eyes are turned to the East, it cannot be unimportant to learn that, after the slumber of ages, Palestine is awakening to new life, and Israel are actually returning to its shores in such numbers, and at the same time in such a way as they have never been known to do, or could have done, since their formal banishment by the Emperor Hadrian, in the year A.D. 135. Many Jews, it is true, driven ruthlessly out of Spain in 1492, found a home in the Holy Land. To go still further back, the celebrated Hebrew traveller, Benjamin of Tudela, tells us in the twelfth century that he found considerable numbers residing in the various towns of Palestine which he visited—descendants, perhaps, amongst others, of some of the 30,000 who joined the arms of Chosroes the Persian in his capture of Jerusalem, A.D. 616, or even of the Jews whom Julian the Apostate restored, A.D. 363, when he vainly endeavoured to discredit Christianity by rebuilding the Temple. But there is this all-important difference between what happened in the case of those who then returned, and those who are now flocking back to the land of their forefathers. While in the former instances, whether under Pagan, Christian, or Moslem masters, they were, as all history shows, equally the subjects of extortion, oppression and contumely: now they are beginning to hold a position of comfort, independence, and power. This remarkable change is in itself significant, and the whole movement should surely be watched by the student of prophecy with eager and expectant attitude....

“... The feeling everywhere seems abroad that the time has at last arrived to restore the desolations of Zion, and to rebuild the waste places of the land of Israel. The very existence of ‘The Syrian and Palestine Colonisation Society,’ which is about a year old, constitutes a striking expression of such a sentiment. This society, according to its prospectus, has ‘been formed to promote the Colonisation of Syria and Palestine and the neighbouring countries by persons of good character, whether Christians or Jews.’ This it proposes to effect by obtaining information for intending settlers, and making arrangements for their transport and reception; by assisting approved applicants with advances; and by making arrangements for the purchase of land by the emigrants, or securing suitable tracts of Government waste lands, under certain guarantees; and by exerting themselves to improve the communications. Having mentioned this association, let me plainly say, from an intimate experience of this matter, that there are at present a variety of reasons why emigration to Palestine by English people cannot possibly be undertaken with any hope of success, in the same way as emigrants to the United States or to a British Colony. In the first place, the heat of the plains is too great to admit of their labouring during summer with their own hands. The German colonists in attempting this have suffered a fearful mortality. Again, to employ Arab labour to advantage, and to hold any dealings with the people, the peculiar manners and customs of the East must be known, and colloquial Arabic to some extent be mastered. But, above all, the want of thorough protection to life and property so long as Palestine remains in Ottoman hands is greatly against any emigration scheme that does not include European government for the whole colony. Hence the evident wisdom in such a case of the plan put forth by Captain Charles Warren, R.E., in a pamphlet, published last year, entitled ‘The Land of Promise, or Turkey’s Guarantee.’ This officer, who has an intimate acquaintance with Syria, derived from his able work there on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund, proposes that, if only as a solution of the pecuniary embarrassments of the Porte, Palestine should be handed over to a company similar to the old East India Company, to be farmed and governed by such an association for a period of twenty years. He suggests that such a Company should pay to Turkey its present revenues, and to the creditors of Turkey a proportion of the interest due to them, taking for itself six per cent. on its capital and expending the remaining revenue in improving the country. What he considers the ultimate future of the land we learn from his own words. ‘Let this’ (the above arrangement), he says, ‘be done with the avowed intention of gradually introducing the Jew, pure and simple, who is eventually to occupy and govern this country.... Concerning what that settlement is in part to be, I can profess no doubt, because I feel none. It is written over and over again in the Word of God.... Israel are to return to their own land. This event, in its incipient stage, I have shown to be now actually taking place. That which is yet to be looked for is the public recognition of the fact, together with the restoration, in whole or part, of Jewish national life, under the protection of some one or more of the Great Powers....’”⁠¹

¹ Palestine Re-Peopled; or, Scattered Israel’s Gathering. A Sign of the Times. By the Rev. James Neil, B.A.... Third Edition, Revised. London.... 1877. pp. v.–vi. and 34–37.

3. Colonel C. R. Conder on Palestinian Colonization

The greatest authority on Palestine in our generation, Claude Reignier Conder, wrote:⁠—

“It has always seemed to me that the future element of prosperous colonisation is to be found among the Jews of Eastern Europe. The thrift and energy of the race are not their only qualifications. Those who mean to thrive in Palestine must not only be prepared to work on the land, but they must be accustomed to the harder conditions of existence which are common in uncivilised countries, and almost unknown in the west. It is true that they will have to encounter the evils due to bad government and corruption, which are mitigated by civilisation; but if the accounts received from America are credible it is doubtful if these evils are less apparent in South America than they are in Turkish dominions. A people which has not only been able to live, but which has prospered more than the native born population, under Russian tyranny, will not find it difficult to prosper as subjects of the Sultan. A people which has lived under one form of Oriental despotism will be less discouraged by another similar condition than Europeans would be. It is from the Oriental, Jewish, agricultural class, expelled from Russia for their religion, that the colonists most naturally fitted for agriculture in Syria may evidently be drawn.

“I have often thought that the words of that famous passage in the Law, which predicts the future of Israel, must have come home with a sad and overwhelming force to the Jews in Russia during the last few years:

“‘And among these Goim shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest, and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night; and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even; and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning; for the fear of thy heart wherewith thou shalt fear; and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.’

“But what is the other picture which the Law presents of Israel in its own land? ‘Blessed shalt thou be in basket and in store.’

“The proposal so to settle agriculturists, as freeholders tilling their own lands, is in accord with the general tendency of all enlightened statesmanship of the present age. We have too many artisans starved by competition, and too few tillers of the earth. Whether is it better for a man to sell penny toys in the streets of a foggy metropolis, or to till the red corn lands, and make food for himself, for his wife and for his children, for the citizens beyond the seas? Even if the whole of Palestine east of Jordan were covered with cornfields and vineyards, with mulberry and fig gardens, with cotton and maize, and pot herbs, and fruit orchards, there would not be too much produce useful to man. There would be markets in which the growers could compete with ease; and towns would grow up, where manufactories of silk and cotton might arise. There would be rice and indigo grown in the Jordan Valley, where now there are only flowers, and there would be petroleum and bitumen, and other minerals, to be worked near the Dead Sea shores. There would in short be a return of the old prosperity, which once covered this country with great Roman cities, and a prosperity yet greater because of the facilities offered by modern science.

“If then I were asked for advice on this subject I would say: Buy all the land you can get at moderate prices in Bashan and in Northern Gilead, and buy it soon, for the price will go up. Promote as far as possible the making of a railway, which is practicable, and which will bring this region within the pale of civilization. Send out as many fit men as you can, to till the land; and send their wives and children after them. They will be happy, and, if they work, they will be rich. The difficulties are less than those to be expected elsewhere, and the advantages are greater. The movement is not artificial, not merely due to religious sentiment, or to visionary philanthropy. It is a natural and healthy one, which ought to be encouraged, by giving power and money to the organization which seeks to aid it, and to control its direction in a wise course. The case has been laid before you fairly, and the details and precedents have been sufficiently studied. The experience of ten years will be of high value; and the consent of the Sultan, whose country it is, has been gained, both to the construction of a very important line of railway, and to the settlement of Jews, willing to abide by the law of that land as they have obeyed the much more tyrannical laws of the Czar.

“I confidently expect therefore, within a few more years, to see prosperity increasing in Palestine, and the empty lands filling up with an industrious population. And if this be so the Jewish people will have reason to remember with gratitude the name of Baron Rothschild as a generous benefactor, and the Society of the Chovevi Zion, as an organisation which undertook a very important work at a time when help was sorely needed.”⁠¹

¹ Eastern Palestine. A Lecture delivered for the Western Tent of the Chovevi Zion Association. By Claude Reignier Conder ... Chovevi Zion Association.... 1892. (8º. 36 pp. in printed wrapper) pp. 5–6 and 35–36.

4. Sir John William Dawson on the Future of Palestine

Sir John William Dawson, Professor of Natural History at Montreal University, the worthy disciple of Lyell and Darwin, in a description of the Holy Land, writes:⁠—

“From the higher parts of Jaffa one may obtain a good idea of the physical characters of the maritime plain of Southern Palestine. Along the shore stretch banks and dunes of yellow sand, contrasting strongly with the deep blue of the sea, and shading off on the east into the verdure of the plain. Near Jaffa this is covered with orange orchards, laden in February with golden fruit of immense size, and which forms one of the most important exports of the place. To the south the plain spreads into the fertile flats of ancient Philistia, interspersed in the distance with patches of sand, the advanced guards of the great Arabian desert. To the north it constitutes the plain of Sharon, celebrated in Hebrew song, and extends for fifty miles to where Mount Carmel projects its high rocky front into the sea. On the inland side, the plain is bounded first by the rolling foot-hills of the Judean range, the Shephelah or low country ... and then by the hill country proper, which, clothed in blue and purple, forms a continuous range, limiting the view eastward from Jaffa....

“The maritime plain was also a granary ... and it still produces much wheat and barley, though large portions of it are neglected and untilled, and the culture carried on is by means of implements as simple and primitive as they could have been in the days of Abraham. In February one found it gay with the beautiful crimson anemone (A. coronaria), which may have been the poetical ‘Rose of Sharon,’ while a little yellowish-white iris represented the ‘lily of the valley’ of Solomon’s Song....

“... Along the shores of the Dead Sea there are springs which produce petroleum; and this when hardened becomes Asphalt.

“Now the valley of the Dead Sea is an ‘oil district,’ and from the incidental mention of its slimepits, or literally asphalt pits, in Genesis xiv., was apparently more productive in mineral pitch in ancient times. It is interesting in connection with this to notice that Conder found layers of asphalt in the mound which marks the site of ancient Jericho, showing that the substance was used in primitive times for roofs and floors, or as a cement to protect brick structures from damp; and it is well known that petroleum exudes from the rocks both on the sides and in the bottom of the Dead Sea, and, being hardened by evaporation and oxidation, forms the asphaltum referred to by so many travellers.

“... Palestine, to the ordinary traveller, appears, especially in the drought of summer, a bare and barren country. Yet the climate and rainfall of Palestine, with the chemical quality of its rocks and soils, rich in lime, alkalies, and phosphates, render it productive to a degree which cannot be measured by our more northern lands. Its plains, though limited in extent and often stony, have very fertile soil. The olive, the vine, and the fig-tree will grow and yield their valuable fruit in abundance on rocky hills which at first sight appear barren and worthless. Whenever culture has been undertaken with skill and vigour, it has been well rewarded. In the olden times the Tirosh (often incorrectly translated ‘wine’), as the Hebrews called the fruit of their hill orchards and vineyards, was one of the main sources of wealth; and the vineyards, with their vines trailing over the warm rocks and clothing the ground with their leaves and fruit, realize the prophetic description of hills running with the grape juice, and of a land flowing with milk and honey, if by the latter we understand the ‘dibs’ or syrup of the grape. In Palestine a few olive-trees on a rocky hill, that in colder climates would be worthless, may maintain a family. There is also an abundance of nutritious pasturage, more especially for sheep and goats, all the year round, on the limestone hills....

“Palestine must originally have been a well-wooded country, and its forests are mentioned in the historical books of the Bible; but they have for the most part perished, and this had tended to make the climate more arid. The wild hill-sides are, however, often covered with an exuberant growth of bushes and young trees, which, if permitted to grow, or if replaced by cultivated trees, would soon clothe the land with verdure, and tend to produce a more abundant summer rainfall. With just laws, well administered, there is nothing to prevent Palestine from becoming as wealthy and populous as we learn from the Bible it was in the days of the Jewish kings, and it seems to have been at a later time under the Roman government....

“In Palestine, ... the country is gay with flowers, especially in early spring, and the conspicuous objects of culture are the vine and the olive. Even in the plains, cultivated fields are few, and much is merely wild pasture. The palm-tree is rare, though it still grows in the plain of Jericho and the sheltered valleys throughout the country, yielding dates smaller than those of Egypt, but of very pleasant flavour....

“That the future of these old lands may be more important than their present, it requires little penetration to see; and the old Book, whose history of these lands in the past we have been considering, has something to say of their future as well. Whatever belief men may repose in prophecy, they cannot doubt that the word of God has committed itself to certain foreshadowings of the future; and though some of these are shrouded in a symbolism to which varied interpretations have been given, others are sufficiently plain....

“We know, however, that physically these lands are still young, and capable of greater things than those of the past, and we may content ourselves with repeating the inspired words of an older Jewish prophet:⁠—

‘For the Lord will comfort Zion:

He will comfort all her waste places,

And will make her wilderness like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of the Lord:

Joy and gladness shall be found therein,

Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.’

Isaiah li. 3.

“The Holy Land is a fine tract of country well defined by natural boundaries, extending from the shore of the Mediterranean to the Syrian desert. It is a compact district, distinct and complete in itself, enclosed by mountain and sea, and consequently offering great facilities of defence against invasion. It has its highlands and its lowlands, its hills and its valleys, its streams and its lakes, its hot springs and its cold springs, a fine sea coast broken by bold promontories, cliffs towering above, beaches spreading out below, and is replete with all the capabilities essential for civilized life. The Holy Land is rich in vegetation, from the time-honoured ‘cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop on the wall.’ Groves of olive and mulberry trees, vineyards of grapes of extraordinary size and richness, interspersed with fields of golden grain, with magnificent hedges of the cactus almost reaching the height of trees; the sycamore with its thickness of foliage—these, and more can be enumerated in a brief outline, are there for the endowment and adornment of the Holy Land. Nevertheless, the wealth of nature is in a great measure of a passing character. The sloping terraces of the hills, made fertile by means of artificial irrigation, and now deprived of the help of the tending hand of man, no longer display that fruitful aspect which was formerly their glory. The land mourns under its present masters. The tillers of the soil do not even sow in tears to reap in joy. With listless fatalism they cast into the ground the seeds of a harvest which they know, as they watch it come into being, shall minister mostly, not to their wants or wealth, but to the greed of unrighteous local administration. And, wherever these people are crowded together in their miserable villages, all is mud, slum, penury, depression, chaos and picturesque misery. A goodly land, the almond tree white in bloom, orange and olive, everywhere lilies, the scarlet anemone; but no system, no industry, no skill, no capital. No nation has been able to establish itself as a nation, in Palestine, up to this day, no national union, and no national spirit have prevailed there. The motley, impoverished tribes which have occupied it, have held it as mere tenants at will, temporary landowners, evidently waiting for those entitled to the permanent possession of the soil.”⁠¹

¹ Modern Science in Bible Lands. By Sir John William Dawson, G.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., etc.... London: ... MDCCCLXXXVIII. pp. 449–450, 487, 522, 524, 527, 533, 536.

LXXIV.

Petition to the Sultan

The following is the text of a petition to His Majesty the Sultan of Turkey, which was presented by Mr. Samuel Montagu, M.P. (afterwards Lord Swaythling), to Lord Rosebery, with the request to transfer the same to Constantinople. The petition was signed by the officers of the Executive Committee and by the Commander and Secretary of each Tent:⁠—

“To His Imperial Majesty Abdul Hamid Khan, Sultan of
The Ottoman Empire.

“May it please your Majesty,

“The undersigned Association of Chovevi Zion (Lovers of Zion) beg humbly to submit to your Imperial Majesty that this Association has been founded to assist a limited number of worthy and industrious Jews to purchase and cultivate land, and to earn their living by agriculture. The Association has purchased some portions of land in your Imperial Majesty’s Dominions on the eastern side of the Jordan, and desires to acquire such other portions of land in the same region as may be for sale, and suitable for the cultivation of corn, vines, fruits, and silk, or to the raising of cattle and horses.

“And the Association desires to send to this land fitting colonists, industrious and peaceable men, provided by the Association with sufficient means to till the land and to erect for themselves houses, and to sink wells and construct roads so that they may be able to reach markets.

“The Association wishes thus to send to your Imperial Majesty’s dominions only such men, with their families, as will with God’s help and under your Imperial Majesty’s protection, increase the prosperity of your Imperial Majesty’s dominion, and become faithful subjects to your Imperial Majesty.

“The Association therefore humbly begs your Imperial Majesty to grant the Association of Chovevi Zion a Firman with the following privileges.

“First: that such persons as may be selected by the experienced men who conduct the affairs of the Association may, when provided with proper certificates that they have been so selected, and that land has been purchased for them, be allowed to settle in your Imperial Majesty’s dominions, and to cultivate land there, and that the privilege be granted to them of becoming naturalised as your Majesty’s subjects.

“Second: That in view of the great expenses attending the beginnings of cultivation, the building of houses, the sinking of wells, and the making of roads, the agriculturists be relieved from the tax of the ‘Tenth’ for a period of seven years.

“Third: that it be graciously permitted to them, under the direction and on the lands of the Association, to build houses and stables, schools for their children, and temples in which to worship the Most High, to construct roads, drainage and irrigation works, and to sink wells, without having to crave special permission in each case.

“Fourth: that on condition that the Association send only men free from disease or illness and approved by experienced Doctors, such persons may freely travel in your Imperial Majesty’s dominions.

“And the Association, reckoning on your Imperial Majesty’s benevolence and wisdom, believes that your Imperial Majesty will confer these benefits on deserving and industrious people, and your Imperial Majesty’s most humble petitioners invoke on your Imperial Majesty, the blessing of the Most High.

President.

Honorary Secretary.”

The following reply was received:⁠—

“Foreign Office,

“11th March, 1893.

“Sir,—I am directed by the Earl of Rosebery to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd inst., forwarding a number of petitions, addressed to the Sultan, by the ‘Lovers of Zion’ in favour of the colonization of certain lands on the East of the Jordan by Jewish emigrants.

“His Lordship will enquire of Her Majesty’s Ambassador at Constantinople whether the fact of these petitions being sent in through the British Embassy would be likely to lead to a relaxation of the regulations affecting immigration to Syria.

“I am, Sir,

“Your most obedient, humble servant,

“(Signed) T. V. Lister.⁠¹

“Samuel Montagu, Esq.”

¹ Palæstina, The Chovevé Zion Quarterly, No. 3, 1893, p. 7.

LXXV.

(1) Chovevé Zion and Zionist Workers

A great deal of idealism, energy and capacity has gone to the making of the Zionist movement in its earlier and its more recent form. It would be outside the scope of a history of Zionism dealing mainly with England and France to attempt to do justice to the work of all those individuals—mostly Russian Jews—who have devoted themselves to the national revival, in Palestine or in the Diaspora. The purpose of this Appendix is to place on record the services of some of the most prominent workers (not mentioned in the text of this book) in the field of organization, of propaganda or of Palestinian colonization.

Young men of ability and studious habits founded the Bnei Zion Association at Moscow. This Society had indeed concentrated upon and developed most strongly the national and Zionist ideal. The position of the Moscow Bnei Zion was so conspicuous, because that organization was the headquarters of prominent Zionist workers who played a distinguished part in the national revival in Russia and in other countries. Among these the most active and important leaders were: E. W. Tschlenow, M. Ussischkin, J. Maze, A. Idelsohn, T. Brutzkus, B. Mintz, S. Mintz and M. Rabinovitz.

E. W. Tschlenow’s life of strenuous work was characterized by calmness and steadfastness on the one hand, and gentleness and high virtue on the other. Since his earliest youth he combined within him the noble spirit of idealism and great capacity for precise work. As a young student, he soon won his way to the foremost rank among the Chovevé Zion workers. The soundness and farsightedness of his views were remarkable. Simple but impressive as a writer, as well as platform orator, his generosity and devotion soon made him a favourite of the Bnei Zion, and brought him prominence as organizer, leader and orator. He graduated at the Moscow University in medicine, and distinguished himself, after further study at other universities abroad, in a special branch of his science. He then settled in Moscow. His successful medical career, however, never prevented him from devoting a considerable part of his time, and when necessary all of it, to useful Jewish public work in general, and to Zionism in particular. After his important and fruitful work in the Chovevé Zion movement he entered the Zionist Organization. He was in Palestine twice, not as a mere tourist but as an investigator. He wrote a great number of pamphlets, reports and articles, and a very good book against Territorialism (Zion and Africa, in Russian, 1903). His second journey to Palestine enabled him to increase his already extensive knowledge of colonization, and he laid down his observations and conclusions in another excellent work, which he wrote in Russian, and which has been translated into other European languages. The conspicuous service which he rendered amid formidable difficulties to the Jewish National Fund, of which he was the manager in Russia, his tact, his calm energy and his counsel were of inestimable value to the Zionist cause. After having been for many years a member of the Greater Actions Committee, he was elected at the Vienna Zionist Congress of 1913 a member of the Inner Actions Committee. He then gave up his brilliant medical career in Moscow to undertake a work of singular complexity and extreme heaviness. In this he won the same measure of confidence as that he enjoyed in Russia, and provided the most important personal link between the East and the West. In 1914 he was delegated, together with the author, for Zionist political work in this country; and he came here again in 1918 notwithstanding his failing health. During his brief but momentous excursus into the regions of politics and diplomacy he revealed the same high qualities which had elsewhere marked his mind and character. In consequence of his efforts, his health, which had some years ago been weakened, broke down, and his tragic death took place on the 31st of January, 1918, in London—the greatest loss Zionism has sustained since the death of Wolffsohn.

M. Ussischkin’s career as Chovevé Zionist and modern Zionist is unique as well as remarkable. In some respects, and in some quarters, his influence was far greater than that of anyone else. A strong, perhaps the strongest organizer, possessed of deep nationalistic convictions and of intense Jewish feeling, and endowed with the wonderful gift of being able to impress the masses, he succeeded in establishing a very high reputation when a mere student, and later on as one of the founders and leaders of the Bnei Zion, and subsequently among the Chovevé Zion leaders. He was also a founder of the Bilu. On his long visits to Palestine, in propaganda work for the purpose of raising funds for colonization, and throughout his whole long and fruitful career of nationalist work, he exhibited the most indefatigable activity and greatest courage. Having graduated at Moscow in Technology and Engineering, he settled in Ekaterinoslaw, where his strong, unbending personality, his power of leadership, and the general respect he commanded, soon brought him into prominence, and gained for him a high reputation in Russia, in Palestine, and elsewhere. The very strength of mind, energy, outspokenness and self-reliance, combined with inflexible determination and ardent zeal, distinguish his untiring efforts on behalf of the Zionist Organization. While others faltered and failed, he remained firm; while others despaired, he remained confident, and his zeal and perseverance gained for him the respect even of those who opposed some of his methods, while it increased the admiration in which he was held by many of his adherents. He greatly distinguished himself in his strenuous work for the Zionist financial institutions, and was also the most influential champion of the idea of immediate practical work in Palestine. His pamphlets on Palestine and the Zionist programme are written with admirable cleverness. He has lived now for some years in Odessa, where he is the Chairman of the Society for the promotion of Jewish colonization work in Palestine. Being Jewish Nationalist to the backbone, he naturally takes a great interest in the revival of the Hebrew language.

A. Idelsohn is the most modern and the most ingenious Zionist publicist in the Russian language. His influence has been underestimated rather than justly appreciated. While, on the one hand, the pathetic devotion and enthusiasm of others are undoubtedly most useful and indispensable conditions for the success of the movement, an analytical mind, as a temporizing element and corrective, is of no less importance. This mind was devoted to the cause by Idelsohn since his youth, and found expression in his writings in the Zionist organ, written in the Russian language, its name being Razswiet and Ievreiskaiu Shisn. A critic, and a somewhat ironical thinker, he never permits an emotional effort to mar his clear intellectual discrimination. In later years he formed, with M. A. Soloveitschik, A. Goldstein, J. Klebanow, A. Seidemann, M. Aleinikow, D. Pasmanik, S. J. Janowski, J. Brutzkus, Ch. Grinberg, J. Eljaschew, I. Gruenbaum, and others who comprised the editorial staff of his paper, a brilliant ensemble of Zionist intellectuals which has recently been augmented by L. Jaffe, who sometimes acted as editor. Idelsohn is an eminent Zionist and a member of the Actions Committee.

Julius Brutzkus was an active and highly appreciated member of the Bnei Zion. Most gifted and learned, with a clear mind, and generally well informed, he adhered to the national idea from early youth. He graduated in medicine at the Moscow University, and settled for some years in Petrograd, where he became active in matters communal, literary and journalistic. He wrote several excellent articles and pamphlets.

The two Mintzs were also appreciated for their faithfulness, sincere devotion, and excellent and tactful propaganda. B. Mintz has since settled at Rostow, where he takes a leading part in Zionist work. S. Mintz graduated at Moscow in medicine and settled in Warsaw, where he attained a high reputation in his profession as well as in communal activity. A sincere Nationalist, of a serious and studious turn of mind, deeply attached to Zionism, an excellent Hebraist, most active in all movements making for the revival of the national language, he has remained true to Bnei Zion traditions. There are, further, the zealous Alperin, and Michael Rabinovitch, resident at Rostow, a distinguished Zionist worker who was member of the Actions Committee.

The great earnestness and untiring assiduity of the Bnei Zion did not fail to attract attention and to produce a deep impression. The immense zeal for this cause dispelled the apathy of those around them. Thus the Moscow Chovevé Zion and Zionist Group became indeed one of the best, the most esteemed and the most active in the world. Of those in touch with the first pioneers was Kalonimos Wolf Wissotski (1824–1904), the well-known Chovev Zion and Zionist, a zealous supporter of the colonization of Palestine, a generous friend of Hebrew literature, a patron of learning and learned men. The representatives of his great firm have to the present day remained faithful to the traditions of the founder in a most liberal-minded and far-reaching manner.

The following names are arranged in alphabetical order.

Elieser Ben-Jehuda, born in Russia, is a prominent representative of the revival of the Hebrew language and of the national renaissance. As early as 1880 he expounded his political views on Zionism in Smolenskin’s monthly Ha’shachar. In 1881 he went to Palestine, where he became a sturdy and independent fighter for Hebrew as a living tongue and for Jewish nationalism. In 1885 he founded the Hebrew weekly paper Ha’zevi, which he edited for several years, assisted by his wife (Hemda) and his son. Together they formed the first Hebrew-speaking family in the country. He has revolutionized Hebrew style and introduced many new colloquial and journalistic expressions. As a pioneer of modern methods, radically opposed to the old ways of thought and action, he defended his heterodox ideas with energy, became involved in controversies, and was arrested by the Ottoman authorities for his nationalistic propaganda. Many years ago he started the publication of his great Hebrew dictionary (Millon). He was one of the first Palestine Zionists who approached Herzl and devoted themselves to Zionist propaganda in Palestine.

Vassyli Bermann (1862–96) was a young man of high intellectual attainments and endowed with exceptional literary gifts, and would undoubtedly have risen to great eminence had he continued to devote himself to literature. But he gave almost all his time to the Chovevé Zion movement. His name is closely connected with the history of the national Jewish movement in Russia. Born at Mitau, he received his elementary education at the school founded by his father, a capable pedagogue, in Petersburg, and completed his college studies in the same town. Already, as student of the faculty of Law in Petersburg, Bermann placed himself at the service of Judaism, and strove, through the foundation of a suitable association, to spread the idea of the liberation of the Jewish people into wide circles of the community. In the year 1884 he published the compilation Palestine. Even this first work drew general attention upon the highly gifted young writer. At the meeting of the Russian Chovevé Zion at Drusgenik, in 1887, Bermann was considered, by the side of the spiritual father of the national Jewish movement in Russia, Leo Pinsker, as the leader of the “Zionophiles,” as Bermann called the adherents of the national Jewish idea. When it was found desirable to obtain the authorization of the Russian Government for the “Odessa Association for Supporting Jewish Artisans and Agriculturists in Syria and Palestine,” the shrewd lawyer, Vassyli Bermann, employed his utmost energy in order to help in overcoming all difficulties which stood in the way of the foundation of this association. He was one of the members of the first official congress of the Russian Chovevé Zion which was held at Odessa in the year 1890. Once again in Petersburg, Bermann devoted all his zeal to the editing of his continued compilation, which he intended to transform into a year-book. In this way Zion, published in the year 1891, was brought out. It is considerably superior to its predecessor in contents and get-up. Zion, which is dedicated to Pinsker, affords an interesting insight into the phase of development of the national Jewish thought of that time. From Bermann, who was well aware of the influence of historical knowledge upon the strengthening of the national consciousness, came also the initiative towards the foundation of the “Historio-Ethnographic Commission” within the “Society for the Propagation of Culture among the Jews in Russia.” When, in the year 1892, the Petersburg central committee of the Jewish Colonization Association was formed, and the necessity for a scientific basis of the colonization question became evident, Bermann undertook, at the request of the J. C. A., a mission of study, the result of which he recorded in a comprehensive memoir, and thus afforded the central committee valuable material towards the work of colonization. The exertions of travelling had much affected Bermann’s health. But he would not allow that to prevent him from further work in favour of his brethren with the greatest devotion. At last he found himself compelled to seek the mild climate of Egypt. There, on March 18th, 1896, Vassyli Bermann breathed his last. His tombstone bears the inscription: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget (her cunning).” The dying man had wished it so.