A letter sent to Moses Montefiore from the Jewish community of Isfahan (Iran), signed by the rabbis and heads of the community. Isfahan, 1873.
A lengthy letter, expressing the plight of the community under the rule of "our king, Nassereddin" – Naser al-Din, fourth monarch of the Qajar dynasty, the Shah of Persia at that time. The letter was written in anticipation of Naser al-Din's visit to London. Naser al-Din was the first Persian monarch to formally visit Europe, to meet with European kings and leaders. In this letter, the community of Isfahan asks Montefiore to lobby on their behalf at his meeting with the Shah.
The letter is signed by the rabbis and heads of the Isfahan community, who added some words in their handwriting. Calligraphic signatures and stamps of: R. Yehuda son of R. Yosef, R. Chizkia son of R. Mordechai, R. Avraham son of R. Yechezkel, R. Avraham son of R. Moshe, R. Avraham son of R. Yaakov, R. Yosef Shalom son of R. Chiyya and R. Moshe son of R. Yeshua.
Moses Montefiore was very active on behalf of Persian Jewry in the 19th century. Under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, the Jews suffered severe persecution, and Montefiore worked relentlessly to assist them, employing all means at his disposal. He assisted Mashhadi Jews who were persecuted by Muslims, attempted to stop the persecution of the Jews in Hamadan and Barfrouch (present day Babol), and so on. During the Great Persian famine of 1871-1872, Montefiore led the collection of funds among European Jewry to afford relief to the Jews of Persia. Montefiore's empathy and concern for his Jewish brethren in Persia is also expressed in a diary entry he wrote on March 25, 1865: "I could not sleep last night for thinking of our poor brethren in Persia".
In 1873, Montefiore met Naser al-Din in London. This audience greatly affected the Shah's policy towards the Jews, leading to an amelioration in their condition. Afterwards, Montefiore received a letter from the Shah (in English), in which he expressed his willingness to protect Persian Jewry. Montefiore had the letter translated into Persian and Hebrew, and sent lithographed copies to the Jewish communities in Persia. In an accompanying letter, he requested that the Jews pray for the Shah and suggested that they hang the Shah's letter at the entrances of their synagogues (see: Amnon Netzer, Montefiore and the Jews of Persia, in: Pe'amim, XX, 1984, pp. 55-67).
• Enclosed: the envelope in which this letter was sent, addressed to Montefiore with a poetic inscription. Stamps of: R. Yehuda son of R. Yosef and R. Chizkia son of R. Mordechai.
[1] leaf (letter). Approx. 27 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear, creases and folding marks. Occasional faded ink. + Envelope. 7.5X11.5 cm. Good condition.