On the book Esperanza de Isràel · Sabato Morais Digital Repository · Legacy Projects from Judaica DH at Penn Libraries

Title

On the book Esperanza de Isràel

Author

Morais, Sabato

Location(s)

United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

United States -- Pennsylvania

Format

23 pages on 13 sheets

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?

Language(s)

English

Source

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Sabato Morais Collection, Box 13, Folder 4

Has Format

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/items/ark:/81431/p3gb1z303/manifest.json

Link to Colenda

https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3gb1z303

Provenance

Transfer of Custody from the Hebrew Education Society, 10 March 1913.

Is Format Of

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/judaicadh/morais/main/TEI/SMBx13FF4.xml

content

On the book Esperanza de Isràel
by Menasseh Ben Israel & on Chinese Jews

Ladies and Gentlemen.
A curious book came out of issued from the press in Am--sterdam 230 years ago. Its author had enjoyed a world-wide reputation through an act, which had been historical event credited mainly to his courageous piety, till within eleven months ago. It was a surprise to me to have read a positive assertion, that the resettlement of Jews in Great Britain in the middle of the XVIIth century is not principally due to be ascribed to Menasseh Ben Israel; that an English woman,--a widow named Johannah Cartwright and her son Ebenezer, residents of Holland, took the initiative to bring it about, with a by a petition to the lord Protector, possibly with a proselytising object; and that a certain Manuel Martinez Dormido, evidently a Marrano or secret Jew, sent a memorial to the Cromwell to the explain- -ing the commercial advantages of the readmission, one year before the Amsterdam Rabbi wrote his own in the French language.
Modern researches are, in all reality, busily engaged in reshaping history. Accordingly, our knowledge of of old ocurrences, is, at best, clothed in severe doubts. It even stands the danger of being proved bare fiction.

But leaving aside the question of precedence or effectiveness, touching that transaction of so much importance to our own people; Menasseh Ben Israel de--serves well of the literary world, by reason of his untiring exertions. He should ought not to be lightly esteemed. If he is wanting in originality, none dare deny his versatility; because he was impract--ical in some of his views, I will not admit im--putations reflecting upon his sincerity. Menasseh Ben Israel loved his religion and his people profoundly, and in their service he wrote voluminously and learnedly, in various languages of which he could claim perfect mastery. The curious book to which I have reference and which he entitled Esperanza de Isràel, or "Hope of Israel," was pu--blished in Spanish. I have not seen it tran--slated, though I am informed that many a version exists.
We may be apt to smile at the credulity of the writer, as disclosed in that production, but in judging our predecessors without bias, we must measure them by their standard, not by ours own.

At a time when the heavens with their comets and eclipses; the earth with its physical and political revolu- quackings -tions; when the Eastern continent was brimful of prognostics, encouraging in the Jew the idea of a coming the approaching advent of the Messiah; when even the now idolized phantheist, Benedict Spinoza of Amster--dam, hearing of the daring acts of Shabbethai Zebi-- the imposter, half credulously conceded the possi--bility of an approaching a speedy fulfilment of some prophetic predictions, the Esperanza de Isràel, or "Hope of Israel," must have been inspired by strong faith. The volume opens with a weird report brought to Holland in 1644 by Aaron Levy of Villaflor in Portugal, a Marrano who bore the Christian name of Anto--nio de Montecinos. Our author asserts to have conversed with the tourist and have heard him swear to the truth of his story in the presence of several Portuguese Jews of high character. The traveller narrated, that in the course of his journeys through the West Indies and South America he had hired an escort, who was a Creole named Francisco Del Castillo.

On a very stormy day while crossing the Cordillera mountains, he over heard some Indians who were jaded out, complain of their ill-fate, and attribute it to former misdeeds. His guide tried to comfort them by holding out the hope of coming rest, but they refused to be comforted saying, that they did not deserve pity, since they had pitilessly used a righteous people, and that the harsh treatment they endured at the hands of the Spaniards, was a requital due to their sins. The traveller con--tinued, that the night after this occurrence, he took some refreshments out of his satchel and offered them to Francisco saying: "Although you also think hard of the Spanish people, you are welcome to these from me." Still But the Creole would not qualify his condemnation, still insisting with emphasis that the Spaniards were very tyrannical, but and adding with a significant look: "Soon a people not cared for will become the instruments of God's vengeance." Some Subsequently time after to that, Antonio De Montecinos having reached Carthagina on the Carribbean sea, was seized by the Spanish Inquisition as a secret Jew.

He fervently prayed that he might be delivered from the thumb-screw and the hot iron thrusts. and Making his morning devotions in the dismal prison cell it wherein he had been kept, it happened to him repeatedly to have thanked the Lord for not having instinctively recalled the last word with a degree of compunction. What he had once overheard had left a deep impression on his mind, and he vowed that if he ever came out out alive out from his gloomy dungeon, he would go in search of Francisco Del Castillo, and ask a full explanation of the words which he had could never forgotten. He was fortunate; enough to be the bloody hand of the Inquisition did not strike him. Being On being set at large, and he immediately started in quest of his former escort. He suc--ceeded at length in his endeavours, and engaged the Creole to take an long extended journey with him in his company. travelling on, Montecinos said on one occasion to his guide: "Would you believe that I am a Hebrew of the tribe of Levy? Aye. Yes. My God is Adonaï, and all other gods creeds are vanity and falsehood." At this Francisco appeared astounded, and inquired further into the speaker's ancestry.

Having elicited the confession that Israel was the acknowledged the father of all the tribes, Francisco said: "If you are a man of nerve, and can summon enough courage, to follow me; you will learn what you wish, but you must travel on foot, submit to privations and abide entirely by my directions." On the Monday after this conversation, Francisco Del Castillo asked of Antonio De Montecinos to get ready, to put on sandals, lay hold of a staff, and walk on. Far off they went, till the sun of Friday evening's sun was about to set. They rested to resume their journey on Sunday. When the morning of Tues--day came, dawned, they looked, and lo! a vast river intercepted their travel. "Halt," cried out Francisco: "To day you will be shown your brethren in faith." Making Shaping into a flag out of some cloths which they wore round their waist, Francisco waved it high. A column of smoke arose from a distance, as a signal of recognition. Then Said Francisco: "The know that we are here." Another flag was waved again aloft, and soon a canoe came in sight with three men and a woman. advanced in a canoe The woman stepped out and the men remained behind. After she had spoken aside to the Montecinos Francisco, the three men, drew near closer and saluted Montecinos.

Then One returned to the canoe, and the woman with the two men stayed where Francisco was. The latter bowed reverently, but the was addressed by them strangers raised him kindly. Then facing Montecinos each both of the strangers said loudly and distinctly in the Hebrew tongue: "Hear O Israel, Adonaï is our God, Adonaï is One," and they continued: "Our forefathers are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or Israel", and making signs with their fingers as they counted mentioned the patriarchs. Again they spoke: "We have abundance of land for those who wish to live as we do. Joseph abides in the midst of our sea." and thus they proceeded to speak long mysteriously to speak, and making mysterious signs as they spoke. Montecinos felt vexed at not being able to draw from them the require a longed for information about their history origin and history; nor to cross over to their side, beyond the river. Attempting to jump set foot into the canoe, he was thrust back, and might have been drowned, if they had not hastened to his rescue. Our tourist describes the looks of the hundreds of the persons who went to and fro, during three consecutive days, all evidencing an origin lineage totally different form that of the Indians.

On the evening of the Tuesday following his arrival, after having convinced himself that the people he had seen, enjoyed a life of plenty in a remote region, Montecinos said to Francisco: "Do you remember that those who called them--selves my brethren, promised that I would be fur--ther enlightened by you on what their enigmatic words meant? Let me hear, I pray you, what I am eager to learn." To which Francisco answered: wh "Without your urging me unduly, I will tell the truth, as I have it from tradition. Your brethren, the children of Israel, were brought over to this country by their God, who wrought great wonders in their behalf. But we Indians that settled here, set arrayed ourselves against in opposition to those of your faith, used them worse more cruelly than the Spaniards are now treating us. We invaded their distant territories, killed them unmercifully, leaving only the women, the aged and children. But finally some of our Indian chiefs bethought themselves and arrived at the conclusion that what was told them was so, namely, that the God of Israel is Allmighty-mighty, that at the fulness of time, His worshippers

will gain supremacy, that a universal redemption, of all His adorers from dispersion, will take place from hence and everywhere." Having spoken thus so Francisco pro--ceeded to say: "My progenitors were Indian chiefs, and knew those declarations which they had heard from Hebrew Sages. They tried hard to establish themselves in those far off sections of our continent, in the expectation of holding free intercourse with your brethren, but they did not succeed. At length it was agreed that five among the descend--ants of our chiefs, might come over once every twenty moons to greet your brethren where you met them; hold converse with a meeting with the elders of your brethren, that only at such distant stated intervals--except when great events called for a special interview--those chiefs should venture out there; and moreover that no the person to whom this secret compact is im--parted should be at least three hundred moons old; that nothing spoken on these rare occasions should be divulged abroad, and that when such meetings take place the five chiefs should be come together. Thus we have kept the secret, in the hopes of receiving a reward hereafter.

Now, during my lifetime no special tidings had we to report,--justifying an extraordinary meeting interview, save three. First, the arrival of blood thirsty Spaniards, second, the arrivals of huge vessels in the South Sea, third, your arrival. Each of these events your brethren have interpreted as Providential, towards the fulfilments of prophecies."
Montecinos told likewise also his coreligionists in Amsterdam that having returned to the place he had started from, Francisco brought to him three Indians, men far advanced in years whose names he would not reveal, and said: "You can speak to them; they are my associates to whom I have alluded before. There is a fifth one besides us, but he is too old, he could not walk be present here." The three kissed Montecinos, and put some questions, to which he replied regarding his origin and parentage. They assured him that no fear could be entertained about of the Indians, that they were friendly to the Hebrews; that when the ruthless Spaniards would be condignly dealt with, the dwellers on of the other side of the river would issue from their habitations to the deliverance of Israel from out of a dire captivity. For the will of God, whose word is infallible, must be come to pass.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Without translating to To spare you the fatigue of listening, the latter in order to spare you and myself that of making a literal translation I have brought to your notice the pith of the long narrative with which Menasseh Ben Israel prefaces his book. I have brought to your notice its full contents. You will doubtless ridicule it, and so do I, who live in the United States of America nearly over full two centuries and a half later than the Portuguese Rabbi of Amsterdam, and at an age of the world, in which science has dispelled the clouds of senseless omens and portends and prognostics whilom firmly believed in even by the most learned and when the globe has been repeatedly [?] traversed by land and water, but our author was ingenious, he held in perfect faith that the ten tribes of Israel, carried by Assyrian Kings to Eastern Asia, had providentially been led to this newly world discovered continent and Providentially preserved for a final reconstruction of the Jewish nationality. I shall not detain you with the arguments advanced by the writer of the Esperanza De Isràel. He un--questionably brings to his aid a vast erudition derived from secular not less than sacred studies; an ingenuity really stupendous, directed to the vindication of a number of prophecies, which he construes as favoring his theories.

The book will repay a perusal. What attracted me to it years ago, is a sentiment of fraternal deep compassion that I cherish thowards my brethren of the Hebrew race, cut off from civilization fraternal association. Not with regard to the ten tribes who do not exist, but for others who do exist and are open exposed to baneful influences. I desired to read the views of Me--nasseh Ben Israel on those born in our creed, but rapidly falling into decay in China.
When greedy, yet progressive, England broke down in part the impassable impenetrable wall, which hindered inter--course between Caucasians and Mongolians, my hopes were revived as to the future of Jews in the most extensive empire of Asia. I recalled the prophecy which, according to the best most accredited authorities, alike both Christ--ians and Jewish--, names as points to such of our Hebrew brethren. "Behold these shall come from afar, and behold those from the North and the West, and those from the land of the Sinim,"--or Chinese. (Is. XLIX. 12) Menasseh Ben Israel devotes several pages of his book to them, and seizes upon the meagre accounts then attainable, to prove how miraculous was the

preservation maintenance of a branch of Abraham's stock torn away from the rest of mankind, and cast adrift, and how that circumstance should inspire the faithful with confidence in Scriptural predictions. But if in the XVIIth century, the Jesuit Father Ricci had found our brethren in Kae Fung Foo already in a state of declension; ignorant of the Hebrew language; easily deceived by propagandists; the beginning of the XVIIIth century showed them still nearer to the brink of extinction. Father Gozani gained obtained some information which aroused the interest of Europeans, but whatever effort could be made by non-Israelites in the face of tremendous difficulties, it was with one sole object--the Christianizing of our unhappy to graft a shoot patriarchal shoot on coreligionists. the stem of Christianity. Only in the first quarter of this century, some London Jews dispatched a Hebrew letter to China. Possibly, it was not n received--notwithstanding assertions to the contrary or more probably on being received it remained a sealed book; incomprehensible. Much I had anticipated from the Alliance Israélite Universelle at Paris. Her mission is preeminently educational, and she proved herself worthy of the trust reposed in her government.

She exercises it to the elevation of the benighted and the illiterate among those who have given in past ages gave the world Seers and Sages. When she the Alliance commis--sioned Joseph Halevi to convey her encouraging greetings to the noble stout hearted Falashas in Abys--sinia, anciently converted to our belief, I greatly rejoiced. But more would I have delighted to be assured that the scheme to raise from degradation our fellow-religionists of the seed of the patriarchs Israel forsaken in the Cesb Chinese empire, was consummated. The proposition has remained a vague aspiration. Meanwhile, Mohammedanism and Protestantism will turn to their advantage our sad neglect.
The Journal of Professor Martin the American, head of a college in Pekin, depicts in the darkest co--lours the situation of the small colony of Hebrews left in Kae Fung Foo. A stone marks the spot, where a Synagogue had stood for ages centuries. The dwelling in which Israel's Abraham's God was worshipped where from w whence the Sun first salutes the morning rises, had been designedly torn down, for, the means to repair it could not be gathered. Timber and stones were sold for bread.

The holy shrine had long served as a rallying point to the outcasts of Judea, but now the language of prayer--that mystic bond--had been lost; the ritual forgotten, the traditions had ceased to be treasured. up Demolish our Synagogues, chase away the He--brew from their midst, erase the memories of a glorious past; what will remain behind?--Desertion. And this is the doom hanging on the few Israelites in the province of Honan. Greatly exaggerated are the accounts of their existence in considerable numbers all over all the empire. Mr Simon A. Stern of our city Philadelphia, tells us in his unpretending but attractively written book of "Jottings of travel in China and Japan," that at Shanghai he found a Synagogue, His conversation with the Hazan, or reader convinced him whose attendants appeared seem to be altogether foreigners, for he conversed with the Reader, or Hazan, who with whom our townsman conversed, was a Pole. The Sassoon family of Bombay,--widely known for their wealth and generosity, had become the main support of that sacred fane. It was indeed through the same commercial house that thirty five years ago,

a correspondence had been opened with Dr Nathan Adler, chief Rabbi of Great Britain, touching the practicability of sending teachers of our religion to Kae Fung Foo. A rebellion which broke out at the same period, hindered the carrying out of the project.
In America a zealous Jewish minister, morally courageous but not temporally sagaciously practical, offered to undertake the holy mission, on the mere payment of his travelling expenses. Dr Eckmann, who officiated, if I am not in error, in Columbia and in Charleston, and who died in San Francisco, was ready to go to the forlorn, not considering that as a foreigner his life was unsafe, and that without destitute unprovided with of a complete a thorough knowledge of the Chinese language, his tuition must have been fruitless. In New Orleans, an association to promote Jewish missions to distant remote colonies, and establish J religious schools in their midst, was founded in 1852. It subse--quently received a che rich endowment from the renowned philanthropist, Judah Touro. The Reverend Isaac Leeser, then ably conducting his monthly

magazine--the Occident, recommended to make Kae Fung Foo the base of operations, but nothing resulted from those plans, and I am in ignorance of the disposition made of the the funds collected. Ten years had very nearly glided by, when early in 1862 I read that a Roumanian Israelite had travelled journeyed far and wide in the interest to inquire into the state our oppressed scattered brethren, and that a report of his ex--periences was published had appeared in several languages. Shortly after that tidings had reached me, I had was afforded the satisfaction of meeting in Philadelphia the traveller tourist himself--Israel Joseph, Benjamin of Foltischeny--and of conversing with him whom I familiarly conversed a number of times. He felt proud of being the first Jew, since the famous Benjamin of Tudela of the XIIth century, whose travels embraced so vast a circuit of the globe. Ill-natured persons, cast dark suspicions on his narratives; charged him with having palmed off as facts inventions borrowed from imaginary journeys travels; with being so too illiterate to write a book in any living language.

These harsh imputations must have embittered the poor man's life and shortened it.
I cannot tell the original language in which our Benjamin II prepared his manuscript. Possibly it was German, for I see his accounts honored with the approval of such authorities as Alexander Von Humboldt, Carl Ritter, Heinrich Peterman and other eminent leading German scholars. Possibly also the diction was corrected and beautified by experienced stylists. I possess printed copies in Hebrew and in English, which confessedly did not emanate from the author, and I feel morally certain that the French redaction was not his writing. At all events, I have no reason to impugn his veracity. "Eight years in Asia and Africa" is not a volume of fiction, even if the merit of having presented it to the public intelligibly, does not belong altogether to the traveller. What I fear is that, like many tourists in search of information, Benja--min II, accepted things "second hand" so to say, and therefore he was inaccurate in some of his statements, lack the stamp of accuracy.

Respecting China, I found him provokingly dis--appointing. Having reached Canton, a climatic fever which he contracted terrified him into a speedy retreat. and he contented himself with In the absence Instead of a scrupulous investigation, he accepted as trustworthy an improbable story furnished by an Alsatian claiming Israelite, who claimed to be a permanent resident in the Celestial empire. As an illustration of self-contradictions, I may cite the circumstance that the same Israelite tells us in one breath that how the Chinese Jews he met conversed with him in Hebrew, and immediately after that how for the last forty years they had no Rabbis and could not pray in the holy tongue. So at least, I read in the Hebrew and English edition, but even if in that instance the printer is at fault and not the writer, the latter's assertion that in 1855 there lived in Kae Fung Foo alone ten thousand Jews is incredible, since in 1866, only eleven years later, the colony reckoned but seven families, according to the accredited report of Professor Martin to the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of England.
The greatest sincerest lover of Judaism will be deterred singly

from ascertaining by personal inspection the numerical strength of our brethren amidst an empire of immense extent and a population of hundreds of millions. Besides; our European coreligionists travelling there, have their minds mostly engrossed in their own commercial affairs, nor do they have at their command ordinarily possess the qualifications of successful missionaries. British Jews England may train some for the deliverance of brethren verging on ruin, be they many or few; be they a residue of the ten tribes, as in the opinion of Menasseh Ben Israel, to which I do not assent, or fugitives from the Roman sword. England possesses has acquired by her conquests the largest facilities, and her Anglo-Jewish Association should avail itself thereof, becoming an instrument of salvation to those a remnant of the people, who at the announcement of the final redemption, will come from afar, even "from the land of the Chinese". [Hebrew] It is not to our credit that the imperfect knowledge afforded given the world on the rites and observances, on the book and traditions of those

children of our race, emanated from strangers to it. They sought it to the glorification of the Church, or for the advancement of science. We have looked on inactively. We have witness--ed the grievous sight of our coheirs to the Torah parting with the sacred scrolls of the Mosaic legislation from dire poverty, or from crass ignor--ance; selling for bread the bricks of their sanctuary, and we did not stir. Oh for the spirit of old; for that abnegation which wrought wonders in the history of God's people!
As to ourselves, American Israelites the attempt were we not our minds reasonably estranged diverted now from that object, and obligatorily directed to a pressing one never in our immediate midst--the elevation of immigrants from persecuting Northern countries of Europe, the attempt to effect the object purpose of the New Orleans' mission Association of 1852, would at all events inevitably fail. Have we not allowed selfish utilitarianism to overpower a sense of right, of which the Republic of the North boasted? We forfeited every considerat--ion when judges on the bench in the United States, intimidated by a lawless, an unAmericanized propu--lace, or made oblivious of duty by prejudice, became persecutors of foreigners, unprotected by the vote at the poll.

When the chief Executives of the country land, once res--cued from oppression, signed decrees of oppression, we lost every claim to consideration respect from the nation of four hundred millions whom we highly offended. It That nation would justly repel any approach to an inquiry into the state condition, social or religious, of the least among her denizens. But how mortifying the thought; how humiliating the remembrance of the petition signed by Jewish Rabbis for the expulsion of the Chinese from the Pacific coasts! That stroke of their pens blackened the fair name of Israel; nay, it sanctioned the vilest ostracism and proscriptions of ages. With a polluted tongue it told the world that material interest must govern human actions, and that to crush the defence--less in order to promote our private ends is pleasing to our Lord. I turn away with abhorrence from the foul document. May it never be quoted to our injury.
Addressing a Young Men's Hebrew Association, I exercise a conceded privilege when I beg of it that it will always to stand on the side of the weak, shield them from the thrusts of the heart--less, raise them if fallen, instruct them if ignorant, lead them onward where honor abides, where righteousness has her Temple.

Identifier

p3gb1z303

identifier

SMBx13FF4