Auction 98 Early Printed Books, Chassidut and Kabbalah, Books Printed in Jerusalem, Letters and Manuscripts, Jewish Ceremonial Art

Printed Proclamation by the Sephardi Sages of Jerusalem Regarding "Schools" in the City – Jerusalem, 1882 – Polemic of Secular Subjects in the Curriculum of the Lemel School

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Printed proclamation regarding "schools" in Jerusalem, by the Sephardi sages of Jerusalem, with a call to join the cherem of the Ashkenazi rabbis of Jerusalem, placed on the new school, Lemel, founded by Dr. Ludwig Frankel. [Jerusalem: printer not indicated, 1882].


The Lemel school was founded in Jerusalem by the affluent Lemel family from Austria, headed by the teacher and journalist Ludwig August Frankel. The school served as a hostel for needy children and for orphans, and its curriculum included general studies and foreign languages, incorporating song and dance, and many games and activities for the children. The Yishuv HaYashan firmly opposed the establishment of the school, and the Ashkenazi sages of Jerusalem were very wary of the general studies and foreign languages and new teaching methods in the school. The leading Jerusalem rabbis headed by the Maharil Diskin and R. Shmuel Salant proclaimed a cherem on the school, as a continuation of the cherem of Jerusalem rabbis from 1866.
This proclamation announces the joining of the Sephardi rabbis with the Ashkenazi rabbis in proclaiming a cherem on the school. It begins with trenchant words by the Kabbalist R. Yedidyah Raphael Abulafiya, who joins the opposition of the Ashkenazi rabbis against the school and against its principal, Dr. Frankel. Further in the proclamation, this stance is supported by more sages: R. Nisim Yisrael Sassoon, R. Rephael Elazar HaLevi and others.
At that time, "schools" was the common name used for the new schools, which incorporated secular subjects into their curriculum such as history, science and foreign languages.


21X34 cm. Good condition. Few stains. Folding mark and creases. Minor tears. Handwritten inscriptions.
The proclamation is not recorded by Sh. Halevy and in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book. Only a photocopy appears in the NLI catalogue.

PLEASE NOTE: Some lot descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to the Hebrew text.

Early Books Printed in Jerusalem – Books and Booklets, Proclamations and Signed Letters
Early Books Printed in Jerusalem – Books and Booklets, Proclamations and Signed Letters