Letter signed by six of the rabbis and community heads of Hebron which they sent to the Vaad HaKlali in Jerusalem. In the letter they relate the troubles of the "Horrible hunger with all its terrible manifestations" and the yoke they bear of burying the many dead of Hebron, Be'er Sheva and the surrounding areas. This letter was written in the midst of World War I which caused many deaths in the Jewish settlements in Eretz Israel. More people died from hunger than were killed in battle.
Signed by Sephardic and Ashkenazi rabbis: “Saliman Menachem Mani”, “Rabbi Chanoch Chasson”, “Meir Shmuel Kashtil”, "Eliezer Klonsky", "Ya'akov Chaim Slonim" and Rabbi "Ya'akov Yosef Slonim". Stamps of the rabbis and Kollels.
Rabbi Saliman Menachem Mani (1850-1924) was born in Baghdad to Rabbi Eliyahu Mani. Son-in-law of Rabbi Moshe Firrera. Member of the Beit Din of the Sdeh Chemed and his successor as chief rabbi of Hebron.
Rabbi Meir Shmuel Kashtil was born in Hebron in 1860. Member of the Beit Din of the Sdeh Chemed, murdered in the 1929 Palestine riots. Rabbi Rabbino Chanoch Chasson was born in 1867 and murdered in the 1929 Palestine riots. Rabbi Eliezer Klonsky and Rabbi Ya'akov Chaim Slonim were important community leaders of the Hebron Chabad community and Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef Slonim (1880-Tishrei 1937), was the rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Hebron and founder of the Torat Emet Yeshiva in Hebron. From 1916-1929, he served as rabbi of the city. In 1929, he moved to Jerusalem, after the pogroms that claimed the lives of his wife and most of his family.
Leaf 29 cm. Good condition, folding marks.

A long interesting letter, about the polemic of the institutes, to the Rishon L'Zion Rabbi Yissa Bracha [Rabbi Ya'akov Shaul Elyashar]. Signed by 14 of the heads of the General Committee of the Ashkenazi Kollels in the Holy Land. Jerusalem, 1894.
Among those who signed the letter are well-known rabbis and public figures of the city such as: Rabbi "Ziskind Shachor"; Rabbi "Zevulun Charlap" [member of the Beit Din of the Maharil Diskin]; Rabbi "Binyamin Beinush Tikochinsky; Rabbi "Yisrael Isser ben Rabbi M. HaLevi; Rabbi "Yosef Rivlin"; Rabbi "Eliezer Grayevesky"; etc.
This letter was written during one of the most tumultuous years of the old yishuv in Jerusalem and unfolding between its lines are the critical struggles that caused heated controversy in Jerusalem during the difficult time when the city was fighting for its existence and the needy population of Jerusalem were hungry for bread. At that time, a mighty struggle arose among the various communities of the Jerusalem about the money of the Chaluka (to be distributed) and the charity funds donated by Jews in Europe and America, sent to the leaders of the Ashkenazi community for schools and institutes for the ill. The Sephardic community asked to share this money relying on agreements from the past and in particular, it asked for money for the Sephardic hospital Misgav Ladach, which they claimed gave medical assistance to the Ashkenazi community as well.
This struggle lasted for a long time and various elements in Eretz Israel and abroad were involved in the dispute. Rabbi Shmuel Salant and the Chacham Bashi Rabbi Ya'akov Shaul Elyashar author of Yissa Bracha make a few attempts to restore peace but each time it lasted for only a short while and from time to time the dispute would flare up again.
At the time this letter was written, the dispute took a severe turn; Rabbi Michel HaCohen who first served as secretary of the institutes of the Ashkenazi community and was one of the most energetic public activists of Jerusalem was dismissed together with his son and son-in-law Rabbi Chaim Michel Michlin, from their positions in the Etz Chaim Talmud Torah and the Bikur Cholim Hospital. The dismissed figures then served the Sephardic population as secretaries of the Misgav Ladach institutes together with the "lists of donators" of the Ashkenazi institutes and did all they could to take revenge on those who had dismissed them.
This letter has many accusations concerning what had been done and request of mercy to restore things to normal with cooperation and peace.
Official stationery, 2 pages; 29 cm. Scribal writing, signed by 14 people. Good condition, stains and

Interesting letter of appointment sent to the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, appointing "seven Tovei HaIr" (leaders of the Jewish congregation) [for Kollelim of Chassidim], including signatures of 44 Kollel members, Jerusalem, Kislev 1910.
In this letter of appointment the signatories undertake “to obey and respect the Rabbinical Court as customary, and from this point we will be obliged to obey the orders of the abovementioned Rabbinical Court in all matters – and our actions and voices will be as theirs”. The individuals selected and appointed as the seven Tovei HaIr are: Rabbi Yechezkel Weinberger, Rabbi Yosef Tomler, Rabbi Moshe Dromer, Rabbi Yitzchak HaCohen Shvadron (Av Beit Din of Chatzmer, son of the Maharsham), Rabbi Avraham Schorr, Rabbi Yosef Ettinger and Rabbi Mendel Buchwald.
Among the 44 signatories are a number of well-known individuals, which include: Rabbi Naftali Weissblum [grandson of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk]; Rabbi Benzion Kletter; Rabbi Dov Bertzi Rosenbaum [relative of rebbes of Nadvorna]; Rabbi Eliezer son of Avraham Dov Auerbach [descendant of Rebbe of Khmelnik; his father traveled from Jerusalem to Bukovina and served as rebbe in city of Chernivtsi. His brother Rabbi Chaim Yehudah Leib was father of the genius Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach]. And others.
29 cm. leaf. Quality paper, good-fair condition, stains and wear.

Large collection of manuscripts, homiletics and piyutim. Oriental countries [Yemen, Morocco, Turkey, Persia etc.].
For a complete list, see Hebrew description.
19 manuscripts, varied size and condition. Some are bound.
Opening price: $3500

Collection of manuscripts. [Morocco and Oriental countries, c. 19th century]. Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic.
•Compilation of various piyutim. (For a complete list, see Hebrew description.)
Four manuscripts, varied size and condition (good-poor). Lacking leaves and other damages.