Two long interesting letters, to the dayanim and heads of the Perushim community in Jerusalem, written and signed (signatures crossed out in pen) by the convert "Mordechai Yehoshua watchmaker in Jerusalem", Jerusalem, Kislev 1851.
One letter was sent to the "Dayanim R. Yitzchak Yosef and R. Shmuel [Salant] and R. Binyamin David [of Vilna] and to R. Aryeh [Ne'eman]". The other was sent to R. David [Yellin] of Lomza, with threats of the steps he will take if they do not respond to his first letter to the Beit Din.
He requests that the Beit Din order those who spread rumors slandering him and his family to appear in court and also publicize in the Batei Midrash that their vilification should cease. He writes: "…I have not swerved from the path of faith and from the right track, I am the one who maintains religion…while other Jews are careful about the teachings of the rabbis…I have no evil and no wrong can be found in my home… because I am a servant of G-d…". In the second letter, he writes about the rumors about him and his wife accusing them of adultery and other allegations. He claims that the community heads intentionally harass him so that he should not receive the Halukka and he protests the suspicion and aloofness of the community rabbis. (He mentions the rabbi who came to his home to perform a circumcision and brought all his dishes with him because he did not trust the kashrut in his kitchen). He describes his greatness in Torah and fear of Heaven and mentions his study of the Talmud and Tosfot and commentaries for one and a half years under the tutelage of R. Hillel Rivlin [disciple of the Vilna Gaon], together with R. Hillel's grandson R. Yosef Rivlin and writes that after R. Meir immigrated to Jerusalem [presumably, R. Meir Ragoler, grandson of R. Avraham, the Vilna Gaon's brother who moved to Jerusalem in 1836, or possibly R. Meir Shenbaum, one of the founders of Batei Machseh who moved to Jerusalem at the end of the 1830s] he studied in his Beit Midrash, together with R. Yonah Pressburger [R. Yonah Lebel-Mendelson, disciple of the Chatam Sofer].
The writer of the letters is the watchmaker Mordechai Yehoshua Hilpern (his Christian name was Thomas Murad Hilpern), who moved to Jerusalem from Białystok in ca. 1834. Initially, he was a Torah scholar but ultimately he went as far as to convert to Christianity with his entire family. He was
very wealthy owning an exclusive shop in the Muristan marketplace in the city selling watches, jewelry and precious stones. His wife, Feigele who converted with him, used to say that she was a "forced convert" and took pride that she continued adhering to the laws of kashrut and kindling Shabbat candles. See article by C. M. Michlin on the Jerusalem Mission, in Grayevsky's book, Milchemet HaYehudim B'Misyon, Jerusalem, 1835, pp. 8-9. In other articles in that same book (pp. 27 and 31), he is described as one who enticed others to convert to Christianity in c. 1853. From the content of this letter, it seems that in 1851 he did not yet convert and he was still attempting to clear his name and to receive Halukka funds for treating his sick sister. He also expressed worry about finding a match for his elder sister. This letter can perhaps give a peek into the hidden reasons behind the conversion of such a person, who was a respected wealthy member of the Jewish community [unlike most of the Jewish converts in Jerusalem at that time who were impoverished and socially dependent on the mission institutes].
"The testament of Murad the watchmaker" has been printed in the book "Jews in the Muslim Courts - the 19th century". (Jerusalem 2003), in the chapter "Converts and the missionaries", Certificate 58, pp. 125-129: Ottoman certificate (translated) regarding the estate of "Murad the watchmaker" who died in August 1888, containing many details of his family and his abundant possessions.
2 letters, 4 pages. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Wear and minor tears.