Emissary letter, lithograph, issued by the Hebron community for R. Suleiman Menachem Mani, Rabbi of the town, as he set out on a mission to India and China. With signatures of the rabbis of Hebron. [Hebron, ca. 1910].
"Blessings of peace like the sand of the seas… our brethren, our saviors, citizens of India and China…".
The document makes mention of the decree to draft young Jewish men into the Ottoman army, leaving behind young wives and infants, left wandering the streets in search of a slice of bread. The Hebron community request financial support to assist families of draftees, as well as funds for the hospital they were establishing in the town.
Here are two copies of the emissary letter. Each copy is comprised of two leaves. Each leaf contains two facing columns, in Hebrew and English. Both copies bear the handwritten signatures and stamps of the rabbis of Hebron, at the bottom of the second leaf: R. "Rabbenu Meir Franko", R. "Rabbenu Chanoch Hasson", R. Meir Shaul Castille and R. Nissim Chaim Kario.
R. Suleiman Menachem Mani (1850-1924) was born in Baghdad to the great Torah scholar R. Eliyahu Mani, author of Siach Yitzchak. He was the son-in-law of R. Moshe Ferreira (rabbi of Hebron). From 1869, he served as head of the Hebron Beit Din and close attendant of the Sdei Chemed. After the passing of the Sdei Chemed, he succeeded him as rabbi of Hebron and headed the Maase Nissim Yeshiva. He left for the Far East ca. 1910 to raise funds for the Hebron community, and these leaves were printed and signed for the purpose of his trip. He succeeded in soliciting large donations from the community of Iraqi Jews in India, and in particular from the Sassoon family, enabling the completion of the building of the Jewish hospital Chessed L'Avraham.
The verso of these leaves contain many financial lists, expenditure and income, in contemporary Oriental script.
[4] leaves. 30 cm. Fair condition. Stains, tears, folding marks and wear.

Printed booklet, "Letter sent from the Ashkenazi rabbis in Eretz Israel, to the Sons of Moshe Rabbeinu and the Ten Tribes", by R. Yisrael of Shklow, head of the Ashkenazi community in Safed. [Amsterdam, Cheshvan 1830].
In 1830, R. Baruch son of R. Shmuel was sent as the emissary of the Prushim community of Safed. Apart from raising funds, he was given another mission – to find the ten lost tribes in the desert on the border of Yemen. He was therefore provided with a special letter from R. Yisrael of Shklow, leader of the Prushim in Safed, signed also by the other leaders of the Prushim and Chassidim in Jerusalem and Safed. The letter depicts the state of the Jewish settlement in Eretz Israel, and cites information received about the ten tribes in various periods. The letter then portrays the situation of the Jews in the Diaspora, and describes the evolution of the Oral Law, from the Mishna until the Vilna Gaon. The letter concludes with several requests from the ten tribes.
A copy of the letter was sent to the "Pekidim and Amarkalim", heads of the center for fundraising for Eretz Israel in Amsterdam, where, having made a great impact, the letter was printed and distributed.
R. Baruch son of R. Shmuel reached Sanaa in Av 1833, about two years after he left, but after being accused of espionage he was murdered by the Imam Al-Mahdi in Av 1834.
4 leaves. Printed without title page. 19 cm. Good condition. Original marbled wrappers.
Regarding this historic letter, see: A. Yaari, Shlichim M'Eretz Israel L'Aseret HaShevatim – Sinai, 6, 1940, pp. 348-352.

Printed leaflet [4 pages], containing letters describing the tragedy and damage caused by the earthquake which struck the Galilee in 1837, with an appeal, by R. Yisrael of Shklow, R. Aryeh "trustee of Kollel Prushim" in Jerusalem, R. Refael Yitzchak Alfandari of Beirut, and the heads of the "Pekidim and Amarkalim" in Amsterdam. [Amsterdam, 1837].
The leaflet contains four letters: the first letter is from R. Yisrael of Shklow, disciple of the Vilna Gaon, who was the overseer of the Kollel Prushim in Safed, dated Shevat 14, 1837; the second letter is from R. Aryeh son of R. Yerachmiel, director of Kollel Prushim in Jerusalem, dated Shevat 21, 1837; the third letter is from R. Refael Yitzchak Alfandari of Beirut, dated Adar I 25, 1837; and the fourth letter is from the heads of the "Pekidim and Amarkalim of the Holy Cities" in Amsterdam, led by R. Tzvi Hirsh Lehren, dated Nissan 11, 1837. The first three letters were received in Amsterdam and printed by the "Pekidim and Amarkalim", with the appendage of the letter of R. Tzvi Hirsh Lehren and his colleagues.
These letters include touching and vivid descriptions of the horrors of the tragedy which struck the Galilee with the earthquake of Tevet 24, 1837, detailing the extensive damage it caused the Jewish settlement in the Galilee. This leaflet was printed as an appeal to raise the funds needed to reestablish the community of Safed, requesting to send the donations via the "Pekidim and Amarkalim" in Amsterdam. On p. [3], following the letter of R. Refael Yitzchak Alfandari, the list of rabbis of Safed and Tiberias killed in the earthquake appears, followed by a list of the villages destroyed by the earthquake.
[2] leaves, [4] pages. 25 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folding marks.

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.