Letter from Adler, Cyrus to Morais, Sabato. Constantinople, Turkey; Feb 1891
- Title
- Letter from Adler, Cyrus to Morais, Sabato. Constantinople, Turkey; Feb 1891
- Date Created
- 3 February 1891
- Format
- 6 pages on 3 sheets
- Language(s)
- English
- Source
- Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
- Sabato Morais Collection, Box 5, Folder 5
- Has Format
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3r78674t/manifest.json
- Link to Colenda
- https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3r78674t
- Provenance
- Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.
- Is Format Of
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx5FF5_61.xml
- content
-
Hotel Byzance
Constantinople Feb. 3 1891
My dear Dr. Morais
There is now in this city a Jewish merchant of Calcutta named Moses Meyohas. Mr. Meyohas is a native of Jerusalem and devotes a considerable part of his time in attempting to relieve the need of the poor of his native city. He is now laboring on behalf of the Sephardic community. They are, he tells me, in a most miserable condition, and unless immediate steps are taken for their relief serious calamities are apprehended. There are about 12,000 Sephar-dic Jews in Jerusalem and of these 7,000 are in actual distress. As you well know the community has always been poor, still it managed to exist
on the charities that were sent from abroad. With the influx of Russian Jews the misery of course was increased. Many measures of relief have been taken in behalf of the Russians--agricultural colonies have been started etc.--but these are intended for Russians only.
As long as Sir Moses Montefiore was alive the Sephardic community annually appealed to him and invariably received help. But since his death the Sephar-dim has been in great distress and their appeals to their brethren abroad are not answered. The poor formerly got 1 12 piasters per month for each member of the family; at present there is no fund at all. Some years back a committee was formed among the Sephardim to distribute rice, vegetables & bread for the Sabbath, but this has
been obliged to suspend. For this purpose about $100 per month were required. The Sephardim being subjects of the country are obliged to pay a military tax and the contributions they receive from Amsterdam and London do not suffice for this purpose.
The Ashkenazim, on the other hand, are in a much better condition. They have secured the control of the charitable funds and every one receives a certain share per month. An arrangement had been made that money coming from America who should be divided among the two communities. Last year 282,000 piasters ($564) came from America but none of it was handed over the Sephardim. So great was the distress that the Jews of the Sephardic community have sent a petition to the Sultan praying for a concession of some land and water rights in order that they may become farmers. Mr. Meyohas has undertaken to present this petition and has already had 2 interviews with the Grand Vizier with on the subject. But even this would not afford any immediate relief. From here Mr Meyohas will go to London armed with letters to the Prince of Wales through whom he desires to become acquainted with Baron Hirsch, his object being to show that the if the settling of Russians in Palestine is encouraged it will be necessary to provide for the Sephardim, otherwise they will get poorer and poorer, their condition will be brought to the attention of the Turkish authorities, and the further immigration of Jews will be prohibited.
I visited the Chacham Bashi of Constantinople and he told me that he believed the condition of affairs was such as Mr. Meyo-has had stated: Meyohas himself is a very capable, well educated man, speaking English, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Arabic & Hebrew. he devotes a portion of his every year to the Jews of Jerusalem. He can get no help here the few well-to-do people hereabouts have much more than their share of poverty to relieve. Everywhere in Constan-tinople one sees poverty and distress & about 80% of the Jews here are poor.
When I go to Jerusalem I shall at-tempt to look into these matters for myself. But as the case was represented as very urgent I have at the request of Mr. Meyohas written to you
in the hope that a little money might be gotten together and sent out before Pesach. It should be entrusted to Jacob Valero & Co. Jerusalem and the purpose & the people that it is intended to benefit should be named. The other point that Mr. Meyohas desired me to write about was a division between the Sephardim & the Asheknazim of money coming from America. He thought that this could be effected by appealing to Rabbi Jacob Joseph.
I presume I have more than used up your time & patience by this long letter. Make such use of it or of parts of it as you see fit. I hope that some good may come of it.
Please give my kind regards to your family and believe me Faithfully Yours Cyrus Adler
Dr. Adler Hotel Byzance
Constantinople
Rev. Dr. S. Morais
546 N. 5th St
Philadelphia Penna
United States of America
via England - Identifier
- p3r78674t
- identifier
- SMBx5FF5_61
Part of Letter from Adler, Cyrus to Morais, Sabato. Constantinople, Turkey; Feb 1891
Adler, Cyrus and Morais, Sabato, “Letter from Adler, Cyrus to Morais, Sabato. Constantinople, Turkey; Feb 1891”, Sabato Morais Digital Repository, accessed October 18, 2024, https://judaicadhpenn.org/legacyprojects/s/morais/item/84547