Historic letter from three administrators of the Eretz Israel committee in Vilna, to the rabbis, heads of the "Kollel Prushim in the Holy City", with the signatures of: the head of the committee – R. Chaim Nachman Parnas, the maggid R. Zalman Zev of Vilna, and the committee scribe – R. Avraham David Strashun. Vilna, Adar I 1851.
The letter pertains to the appointment of dayanim in the Beit Din of R. Shmuel of Salant, following the demise of two of the foremost dayanim of the city: the rabbi from Zamość (R. Nachman Shlomo HaLevi Rabbi of Zamość, author of Ateret Shlomo, who passed away on Tevet 4, 1850. See: Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, 3, pp. 221-222) and the rabbi from Gołyń (R. Asher Lemel Rabbi of Gołyń, brother of R. Nachum of Szadek, passed away on Kislev 4, 1850. See: Toldot Chachmei Yerushalayim, 3, pp. 225-226), and discusses giving R. Shmuel Salant the authority to appoint other dayanim himself. The Vilna administrators seek to strengthen the standing of the Beit Din, and support the head of the Beit Din R. Shmuel Salant in selecting a dayan according to his judgement – "essentially the choice is most befitting Evidently the most suited for making this decision is R. Shmuel", since there is currently no one in Jerusalem superior to him in proficiency on monetary laws, therefore he has the precedence and prerogative to appoint whoever seems fit to him.
First signee: R. "Chaim Nachman son of R. Moshe Peretz" – R. Chaim Nachman Parnas (d. 1854), foremost Torah scholar of Vilna and head of the administrators of the Eretz Israel committee (a position held only by leading Torah scholars in Lithuania). He was born in Dubno and prior to his settling in Vilna was the son-in-law of R. Efraim Zalman Margolies of Brody. After his first wife's demise in 1809, he married the daughter of R. Leib Peseles, a prominent scholar of Vilna known as R. Leible R. Ber's. Upon his arrival in Vilna, he right away became a cornerstone of the Vilna community due to his outstanding personality. He served as head gabbai of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, and head of the administrators of the Eretz Israel committee. The book Ir Vilna describes his eminence: "Apart from his knowledge in Torah, he was wise in earthly matters, the dignitaries of his generation would throng to him to seek his counsel and his answer was like the words of a prophet – they adhered to it faithfully".
Second signee: R. "Zalman Zev son of R. Yechezkel Feivil, maggid of the city" – R. Zalman Zev of Vilna (1789-1866) was the son of R. Yechezkel Feivil author of Toldot Adam. He served as rabbi of his hometown Deretchin (Dziarečyn). After his father's passing in 1831, he succeeded him as posek and head maggid of Vilna. He was one of the foremost Torah scholars of Lithuania, renowned for his activism during the dispute amongst the students of the Volozhin yeshiva as to who should be appointed yeshiva dean (in the autumn of 1853). The leading Lithuanian rabbis then appointed R. Zalman Zev of Vilna, together with R. David Tevele of Minsk, author of Nachalat David, to head the delegation they sent to Volozhin to arbitrate on the yeshiva matters. As per their decisions of Cheshvan 1853, the Netziv was appointed yeshiva dean and the Beit HaLevi as deputy dean (see: HaRishon L'Shoshelet Brisk, pp. 106-109). During his sermon on Shabbat Shuva 1866, he suffered a heart attack, and passed away three days later during Kol Nidrei.
Third signee: R. "Avraham David Strashun" (1788-1855), community scribe in Vilna, extraordinary Torah scholar, who would write his words in Talmudic allusions, as is apparent in this letter and in other letters regarding the Eretz Israel committee. His father, R. Yehuda son of R. Matityahu Strashun, immigrated to Eretz Israel and passed away there in 1828. He was a relative of the renowned Torah scholar R. Shmuel Strashun of Vilna, author of Hagahot HaRashash.
[1] leaf. 26 cm. Good-fair condition, minor creases, wear and stains.

Printed booklet, "Divrei HaYamim LeYisrael", addressing the citizens of Jerusalem, outlining the activities of the Rothschild Family's representative Albert Cohen in founding a hospital and additional institutions in Jerusalem. Jerusalem: [Yisrael Bak, 1854].
In the wake of the Crimean War (1853-1856), the financial support of Russian Jewry for the Jews of Eretz Israel came to an end. This affected the Jewish settlement severely, leading to starvation and death. The missionaries took advantage of the difficult situation and set up a hospital under their auspices in Jerusalem. When European Jewry became aware what dire straits the Jews of Eretz Israel were in, they tried to be of assistance. One of the first to arrive in Eretz Israel was Albert Cohen, representative of the Paris branch of the Rothschild family, and he succeeded, in a relatively short stretch of time, to set up a hospital, a charity fund and several other institutions. This booklet outlines the activities of Albert Cohen, specifically the Meir Rothschild Hospital he founded in Jerusalem. The booklet also mentions the names of the people involved in the various institutions and detailed lists of donations.
4 leaves. Printed without a title page. 23.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear, mainly to the first leaf. Folding marks, with minor tears. Sheets detached. Without binding.
S. Halevi, 51.