|
 Sultan
Seliman the Great, the son of Selim I, ascended the throne in 5280 (1520). He
is also called Seliman Abu Alim; and he was the greatest and most distinguished
regent of the whole Ottman family. His empire extended from the far east, and
the far south, to far in the west, as far as the town of Weissenburg in Hungary,
and he penetrated even, in one of his expeditions, up to the city of Ratisbonne
(Regensburg), 8 miles south of my birth-place, Floss, in Bavaria. In the year
5297 (1537), he caused Jerusalem to be enclosed with strong walls, after they
had been broken down and ruined for a space of 318 years, since 4979, as related
above. He also caused the aqueduct of En Etam to be built, which fact also was
stated above in its proper place; as also the southern pool in the Wady Djurad
(see above in the description of the pools). He also built, in 5300 (1540), the
walls of the town of Tiberias. He was likewise a very great friend of the Jews,
and gave them all the privileges they required, and conferred on them several
public employments and offices; and one of them was made commander of one of the
city gates near Zion, in 5283 (1523). He was no less the friend and encourager
of science, and he gave to his learned personal and court physician, Rabbi
Mosheh Hamon, son of the Rabbi Joseph Hamon, who had been physician to Selim,
the order to translate for him the whole of the Scriptures and the Jewish
prayers into the Arabic tongue; and the prayers especially obtained great
approbation from him. The learned Rabbi Tham, son of Rabbi David Abn Jechia, who
was court physician, was his favourite, and stood in high esteem at court.
Seliman reigned 46 years. After his death, the Ottoman empire began gradually to
decline, and could never again attain to the same extent which it had acquired
under him. His successors were but little distinguished for their deeds, so that
there is but little to be told of them, and I therefore will only enumerate them
in succession.
In
5326 (1566), Salim I, the son of Seliman the Great, ascended the throne. In
5334 (1574), Amurad III.; about 5350 (1590), Mustapha I., who was declared, in
5378 (1618), to have forfeited the throne, and in his place Osman II. assumed
the government, in 5378; he was murdered in 5382 (1622), when Mustapha I. again
obtained the government, but for one year only; and in 5383 (1623), Sultan
Amurad (IV.) ascended the throne. He was engaged in a war with the king of
Persia in 5392 (1632). As his army took its march through Syria, his general
sent a written mandate to the cities of Aleppo, Damascus, Zidon, Zafed, Akko,
&c., that they should give free quarters to his men, and supply them with
everything necessary through the three months of November, December, and January
(Kislev, Tebeth, and Shebat). This order bore, as might naturally be expected,
especially hard upon the Jews, since the preference is always shown to them on
all such occasions, and they are oppressed and plundered more than other classes
of the inhabitants. It happened, unfortunately, that there was a great dearth in
the country, since the harvest had been very scanty, and every one was in the
greatest distress. The Pacha of Akko, who was a great friend to the Jews,
received an order to provide quarters for 2000 horsemen in Zafed, Zidon, and
their environs; but he replied, that not one of the army should dare to come
within his territory, since, with the great distress already existing, the
country could not possibly be troubled with such guests: and that, in case of
persistence, he would be compelled to employ force to repel the invasion of the
country under his charge. He actually called together an army of 40,000 Bedouins
and Arabs, and placed them on the frontiers; he also sent 2000 men to cover
Zafed, and prohibited every one to go near the houses of the Jews, or to harm
the least of their property, or to demand anything from them. All the troops
could not find convenient quarters in the town; and as it was the rainy season,
they could not camp out, they were even quartered in the mosques, whilst all the
dwellings of the Jews and the thirteen roomy Synagogues were spared. The
general, who had taken up his winter quarters at Damascus, did not think it
prudent to employ force to obtain his demands, and sent, therefore, none of his
troops to be quartered in Palestine; and the whole country was spared the
presence of those troublesome and terrible guests, through the favour of the
Pacha for the Jews, whilst they carried out their full measure of oppression and
tyranny in Damascus and Aleppo.
In
5408 (1648), Abraim ascended the throne, but was murdered the year following;
and in 5409 (1649), his son, Mahmed IV., ruled in his place. Mahmed had to quit
the throne, after reigning thirty-eight years, in 5447 (1687), in favour of his
son, Salim II., who was succeeded by his son, Mustapha II., in 5451 (1691).
Sultan Achmed III. assumed the government in 5459 (1699), who was dethroned in
the thirty-first year of his reign, and thrown into prison. In 5490 (1780),
Sultan Ottman ascended the throne; and in about 5510 (1750), Sultan Mustapha
III.
In
the year 5542 (1782), Sultan Selim became head of the empire, but was afterwards
murdered. During his reign, in 5558 (1798), Napoleon Bonaparte, the general of
the French army, invaded Egypt, and, having conquered it, he pursued his march
to Palestine. He arrived at Gaza, where he fought a battle with Abraim, Bey of
Egypt, and Achmad Djizer, Pacha of Akko (St. Jean d'Acre). On the 25th of
December, 1799 (Kislev, 5559), he captured Gaza. The Jews of this place had to
endure a great deal from his soldiers, so that many were induced to escape by
flight. On the 6th of March, 1800 (Adar, 5560), he came to Jaffa, where he
ordered 4000 Turkish soldiers to be executed. His route of march was then
directed to Jerusalem, in consequence of which a terrible consternation, a
perfect panic prevailed there. The Jews of the Holy City were, in the mean time,
in the greatest danger of being all slain by the Mahomedan inhabitants; from
which they were saved by the presence of mind and wise demeanour of their
chiefs, the learned Rabbis Algazi and Mejuchas. They were accused of standing in
secret correspondence and in a treaty with Napoleon to deliver the city into his
hands, through fraud and cunning; and, as the Mahomedans actually believed that
all the resident Jews of Jerusalem were spies and traitors, they had secretly
resolved among themselves to kill all the Jewish inhabitants, so soon as
Napoleon should march upon Jerusalem. This resolution was, however, revealed and
communicated by a Mahomedan, a confidant and friend of our ecclesiastic chief,
to the Rabbis; and, as it was already universally known that Napoleon had
resolved to march towards the Holy City, there was scarcely more than a step
between the Jews and death (1 Sam. 20:3). Our chief, therefore, had at once a
proclamation made throughout the whole city, that all the Jews, from the
greatest to the smallest, should assemble in prayer in front of the west wall of
the temple (כותל
המערבי) in order to entreat God for
protection and aid for the city against the French army. This order was at once
obeyed, and an immense multitude assembled to perform their devotion, to pray
for the welfare of the city and its inhabitants. The Rabbi then called upon the
chiefs of the Mahomedans to commence at once to make a new rampart and bastion
around the fort, the Kallai, and stated that all the Jews were ready on the
spot, no one to be spared, to labour with all their might. This was actually
done; and even this high chief, a venerable, gray-headed man, stood with shovel
in his hand, labouring on the fortification, digging and working with the
greatest industry, through which, as one will naturally conceive, all Jews were
stimulated to be active. The Mahomedans now saw clearly that it was nothing but
calumny and falsehood to accuse the Jews of a treasonable intention, since they
proved themselves the true defenders and protectors of the city and the country;
nay, they thought much better of them in consequence, as they afterwards
asserted that the general prayer of the Jews before the "Mourning Wall" had
saved the city.
Napoleon
had already reached Ramleh with his overwhelming army, to march on Jerusalem;
but he suddenly altered his plan, the reason of which step is unknown, and took
up his march towards Akko, and left Jerusalem untouched, where the joy was
indescribable, and people asserted that this sudden change was owing to the
Jewish devotion, for which cause they were greatly esteemed by the Mahomedans.
On the 18th of March, Napoleon appeared before Akko, and on the 15th of April
(Nissan), he fought a great battle near Mount Tabor, where his generals, Kleber
and Murat, defeated the Turkish army, and put them to flight. A division of the
French army then marched towards Tiberias and Zafed, where the Jews were greatly
maltreated by the French. Napoleon now commenced the siege of Akko, which was
occupied and defended by the Turkish forces, under Djizer Pacha, and the
English, under Sir Sydney Smith. The siege lasted till the
21st of May (Iyar), when he was compelled to raise it, as he was attacked on all
sides, and was suffering from want; besides this, the plague broke out fearfully
in his army, and he was therefore no longer able to maintain his position.
Enraged, he now commenced his return to Egypt, and, appearing before Jaffa, he
ordered the city wall to be demolished, and, quite inhumanly, he caused his
soldiers who were sick with the plague, and whom he had left here behind when he
moved on to Akko, to be poisoned, that he might be rid of them, and that they
might be no incumbrance to him on his return march, or rather his flight to the
south. He thus fled to Egypt, and soon after returned to France.
Nevertheless,
this short expedition had much of interest and influence for Palestine; since
the spirit of the Arabs became thereby somewhat more animated, particularly in
military matters, for they saw the conduct, the mode, and ways of civilized
troops in campaigns, battles, and sieges; and I often heard the Arabs here
express themselves, "Yes, Napolis and the French leave opened our eyes."
Sultan
Mahmed II. came on the throne in 5568 (1808). He commenced, to give his
government a direction somewhat more akin to that of civilized states, to which
the abolition and execution of the Janissaries, of whom he caused 100,000 to be
butchered in 5588 (1828), greatly contributed. A part of these troops, however,
who were natives of Palestine, formed the garrison in the Kallai; and even these
had to quit the fort and city; and at present the name of "Ginitsheris" is
banished from the whole empire. But this monarch had also many tyrannical
traits, which he permitted himself to display against several rich Jews at
Constantinople, of which I shall speak more hereafter.
In
5584 (1824), the inhabitants of Jerusalem rebelled against Seliman, Pacha of
Damascus, because of the terrible exactions which he practised against them. At
that time there was a garrison of about 500 Arnauts (Harnuwut) in the Kallai.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem represented to the commander in the fort, that they
were engaged in a contest with the people of Beth-Lechem; and they therefore
requested him to march with his Arnauts, in connexion with the men of Jerusalem,
against the rebel people of Beth-Lechem. The commandant did not think of any
deception, and leaving but very few men in the fort, moved with his Arnauts, in
company with the men of Jerusalem, on the 17th of Tamuz (June), out of the city,
on his way to Beth-Lechem. Scarcely, however, was he gone, when suddenly several
brave Arabs surprised the fort, drove out the few Arnauts who formed the
garrison, and took possession of the same. They then fired several cannons as a
signal to their fellow-citizens who served as soldiers for the time, and who
were outside with the commandant, that the city and fort were in the power of
the inhabitants. The commandant asked his seeming auxiliaries why the cannons
were fired; but they professed to know nothing of the matter. At last, however,
he found out, when too late, that he was terribly deceived; and he saw clearly
that he had lost the city and fort. The people of Jerusalem were far too
powerful for him to think of entering the city with his handful of men by force
of arms. His supposed allies now returned, and denied him all ingress; and after
all had safely arrived within the town, the gates were closed, and the
commandant saw himself compelled to leave everything behind him, and to move
with his Arnauts by degrees as far as Damascus. Jerusalem was thus left to the
will and pleasure of several Mahomedan rebels, and our people had to submit to
manifold exactions.
The event was soon reported to the Sultan in
Constantinople, and he gave Abd Allah, the Pacha of Akko, orders to take
Jerusalem by storm from the rebels. He therefore moved on to the Holy City with
a strong force, in the month of Tishry, 5586 (September, 1825), and took up a
position on the west side thereof, opposite the Kallai, and commenced to bombard
the fort, which, however, returned his fire in such a manner that he was
speedily compelled to give up this position, and he encamped then on the Mount
of Olives. He next commenced to fire terribly into the city, as he had now a
safe and sure point of attack, the distance from the Kallai being too great, and
the Mount of Olives being too remote to be reached by cannons and bombs from the
fort. But something incredible occurred in this bombardment, and I could myself,
I confess, scarcely believe it, if I were not firmly persuaded of its truth, and
could assure all my readers that it actually so occurred. Thousands on thousands
of cannon-balls were thrown into the city without doing the least harm, and they
appeared to have lost their destructive power. They fell everywhere, in the
courts, houses, and dwellings, without killing or wounding any one. Children
played in the open court-yards and places; and they often saw a terrible
cannon-ball suddenly fly in their midst without touching one of them, and
falling harmless near their feet. My friend was sitting in company with several
others, when suddenly a ball came flying through the window over their heads,
and remained filed in a hole in the wall left there for ventilation, in the
opposite direction; had it rebounded it would have caused a frightful havoc
among the persons assembled there. The balls occasionally passed between people
sitting near each other, without injuring any one. At length the people became
so indifferent to the bombardment, that they walked fearlessly about the
streets, so strong was the conviction that a higher Power protected Jerusalem.
But a single mishap, of no importance, occurred during the whole siege. My
friend, G. A., was sitting on his roof, when all at once a ball fell near him,
and, as it exploded, a splinter struck his foot, causing a severe but not
dangerous wound; he was soon restored, however; but to this day he feels in a
slight degree the effects of the injury, when walking. This person was the only
Jew injured; but the other inhabitants likewise, whether Mahomedans, Christians,
Armenians, Greeks, &c., remained uninjured.* The bombardment lasted nearly
two weeks. The Pacha was astonished to find that he neither perceived any injury
or destruction in the city caused by his cannons and bombs, nor that he was
offered any capitulation on the part of the besieged. He thus saw that his
bombardment was quite fruitless, and could not explain it in any other manner
than that a higher Power protected Jerusalem. He therefore offered favourable
terms to the city. Negotiations were now commenced, and on the 22d of Tishry
(October), the gates were opened to him, and he had a peaceable entry. The
people of Jerusalem surrendered to him both city and fort. He placed in the
latter some troops, remained some days longer in town, and then moved off with
his army without molestation to Akko.
*
May not this little execution have been owing to unskilful gunnery?--TRANS.
In
the year 5592 (1832), Mahmud Ali, pacha of Alexandria in Egypt, declared himself
independent of the Sultan of Constantinople. His son, Abraim Pacha, moved
suddenly with a large force towards Palestine, and took, without almost any
resistance on the part of the adherents of the Sultan, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Nablus,
and Chaifa, and placed Egyptian soldiers as garrisons in the same, and appeared
next before Akko, which was occupied by Abd Alla Pacha, and besieged it a long
time, and took it finally by storm, carrying away the Pacha as prisoner to
Egypt. He gradually now occupied all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, and Nubia,
together with a part of Anatolia, and even penetrated as far as Smyrna, and was
about making a conquest of Constantinople, when his progress was stayed by the
European power, and he was bidden to content himself with his southern
possessions, and give up his advance to the north. He now commenced to introduce
civilization in his dominions, instituted regular courts of law and proper
officers of justice, and restrained the wild Bedouins; but he more particularly
extended his protection over the strange Europeans, called here the Franks, gave
them all rights, and even privileges, and would not suffer them to be exposed to
the arbitrary proceedings of the Mahomedans. He conferred on the consuls ample
power, and the privileges and respect due their station, so that the name of
Frank was in a measure a title of nobility, especially as he had not to pay any
poll-tax or contributions, nor could be held to labour for the state.
In
the year 5593 (1833), he conquered completely the eastern part of Palestine
beyond Jordan, called Al Ledja (where he had several severe contests with the
Druses), Al Djedr, Hauran, &c. Soon after, he ordered the Arabs and Bedouins
to furnish him recruits for his army, on the plan of the European states, and
proceeded to organize a formal conscription in the country. This was, however,
an extraordinary and unusual measure, since it is not the oriental custom to
raise troops after this fashion. The Arabs and Bedouins of Palestine resolved,
therefore, with one voice, to refuse him this concession, and came to an
understanding among each other to organize a revolution in the land against
Abraim Pacha. Unfortunately, he was at that time absent in Alexandria, and the
whole military force in the country was exceedingly small; so that the rebels
had to use but little exertion to overcome the same, and to get possession of
the fortified places and the whole land, which in consequence became disturbed.
All the roads were unsafe, and highway robberies were openly committed, since
immense bands of Arabs and Bedouins collected together and roamed through the
country. Their principal plan and aim was the capture of Jerusalem, and to
obtain possession of the Kallai, which is the strongest fortified point, and
contained the chief garrison. The whole of the mass was divided into four
divisions, to conquer--1, Galilee, i. e. Zafed and Tiberias, with their
environs; 2, Nablus (Shechem) ; 3, Hebron; and 4, Jerusalem and the Kallai.
In
the beginning of the month Iyar, 5594 (May, 1834), word was brought that these
bands were gradually approaching Jerusalem, and had already made their
appearance on the mountains not far from the city. On the 16th, therefore, the
city gates were closed, and the siege commenced; and at midnight of the 22d, the
town was taken by the rebels by assault,--the first one which I ever witnessed.
Whilst a part of the rebels penetrated into the city through a subterraneous
canal, the others scaled the wall, and others battered down the gates, and thus
obtained possession of the town. The soldiers, observing in the moment of the
assault that they were unable to oppose the rebels with any degree of success,
withdrew into the Kallai, and left everything to the assailants. What a terrible
night was this for us all! The echoing of the voices of thousands of
warriors,--of men, women, and children, who all raised their wild Arab war-cry
in the gloom of the night, at the storming of the city; the tumult of the
retreating troops; the lamentations of the defenceless, abandoned inhabitants,
who heard already in their midst the shouts of the infuriated conquerors,--all
presented a most mournful scene.
At
daybreak we observed that the whole city was completely filled with an
innumerable mass of the rebels, great and small, women and children. We thought
indeed that we were all lost, in being exposed to the licentiousness of such
barbarians; and some houses and courts were already broken open and plundered:
when suddenly the herald or crier of the rebel leader, a just and venerable
Bedouin, who in this matter might perhaps put to the blush many European
generals, proclaimed throughout the city that Mislamin, Yehud, and Nazrani might
remain perfectly quiet and in peace, since no one should be molested; and, if
any one of his subjects should dare to violate this order, he should be
summarily dealt with according to military rule. We felt ourselves partly saved
and happy through this proclamation. The soldiers, indeed, made, a few hours
afterward, a small sortie from the fort, in which many of the rebels fell, and
others were taken prisoners; but they nevertheless could not maintain
themselves, and had to withdraw again within the fortifications. The rebels now
commenced to fire against the Kallai; but they had no cannons, consequently they
could do no execution. The commandant, a venerable and philanthropic man, who
was particularly on terms of friendship with many Israelites, could easily have
opened a heavy fire upon rebels; but he would not employ the cannons against
them, as they were all within the city, which he was desirous to spare. Although
now they fired on the Kallai from the city, they were unable to approach the
fort any nearer, not to mention that they could not scale it. As they then found
that it was impossible for them to obtain possession of the fort by open
violence, they endeavoured to undermine it; when suddenly the joyful news was
noised about, on the afternoon of the 28th, that Abraim Pacha had arrived at
Jaffa from Egypt, with a very large force, and was reported already as being
near Jerusalem. This news scattered the whole rebel army, so that in a few hours
scarcely one man of the whole could be seen in Jerusalem, as they had fled
towards Burak and the mountainous district near it. On the 29th, in the morning,
Abraim Pacha actually arrived, with his large army and heavy artillery; and then
only did we breathe freely again, since we were in the greatest anxiety and
terror the whole preceding week, notwithstanding the proclamation of the rebels.
The
Pacha made, after a few days' rest, several rapid expeditions against the
rebels at Burak, and they suffered on each occasion a severe defeat, and many
were captured and imprisoned; the remainder then moved farther to the south, and
united themselves with their confederates at Hebron and its vicinity. Abraim
Pacha then restored order, appointed in Jerusalem and its environs new judicial
officers, placed troops in the country, and moved against Nablus, where he again
defeated the rebels, and put a garrison therein, and caused the principal
instigators to be executed. Order and quiet were likewise restored in Galilee a
few months later, through the chief of the Druses, called the Amir Abshir. But
the most obstinate were the rebels in Hebron and its neighbourhood, as their
numbers constantly augmented, since the Arabs to the east of Jordan also joined
them, and, making common cause with them, formed quite a formidable army. They
rejected all summons made to surrender by Abraim Pacha; till at length he
surprised them, on the 28th of Tamuz (July), with a force of nearly 20,000 men,
and caused a terrible defeat, accompanied with a fearful loss of life, among
them. Hebron suffered severely, and was given up for several days to the license
of the soldiers, on which occasion the Jews were great sufferers, as I shall
mention more fully, under article
"Hebron."
From this place Abraim Pacha
extended his expedition of conquest to Kerak, and chastised its inhabitants; who
had destroyed his whole garrison stationed in the fort of that city; their
sheich was taken prisoner, and executed publicly in Jerusalem. The same fate
overtook several others, who had all been engaged as authors of the revolution.
Abraim restored peace and order in every direction; and, after the lapse of two
or three months, he was again lord over the whole country. Soldiers were
quartered everywhere among the Bedouins, all sorts of arms were taken from the
Mahomedan inhabitants of both town and country, and only the strangers, the
Franks, were left in possession of their weapons; houses also were visited with
extreme rigour; a close search was instituted, to effect this end; and Abraim
Pacha became at length so greatly feared in the whole country, that his very
name was a terror to the wildest Arabs. The entire land enjoyed, in consequence
of this, such security that highway robberies were scarcely to be heard of any
more, and everything commenced to flourish. People could travel unmolested, day
and night, in perfect security in every direction, and this even among the
wildest Arab tribes. He also abolished and prohibited, under severe penalties,
the onerous and exorbitant so-called Kafaar, which means transit toll,
which was not a fixed tax, but an arbitrary exaction, which every villager,
every sheich, every Bedouin, demanded at pleasure from every traveller or
wayfarer at every village,--I might almost say from every one met in any
division of a village, even from a Bedouin working in the field; and it was
accompanied with the grossest maltreatment of the plundered individual. The
Israelites obtained permission to rebuild their ancient but ruinous Synagogues,
and all their rights were conceded to them. In the year 5599 (1839), an English
consul was permitted to reside at Jerusalem, and all the usual immunities were
accorded to him, while hitherto a European consul was scarcely ever suffered to
reside there. But Palestine was now compelled to furnish regular recruits to the
Pacha's army.
In
5600 (1840), Abdul Medjid ascended the throne of the imperial house of
Constantinople. After the death of Sultan Mahmed, Abraim Pacha again commenced
to extend his dominions beyond the fixed limits assigned to him, and already
made some conquests to the north of his government from the territory of the
Sultan; whereupon England and Austria joined the Turkish army to oppose Abraim's
progress. In 5601 (1841), they besieged Akko, and in a very short time this
town, as also the whole of Syria and Palestine, were again in the possession of
the Sultan. Abraim fled to Egypt, and his whole army was dissolved, every one
returning to his home; and thus all the possessions which he had in Asia
reverted to the Sultan, so that only his African territory remained under his
sway. The Arabs and Bedouins had their arms restored to them, and Palestine
again began to retrograde, and to relapse into its former state of insecurity,
since the Arabs obtained anew the privilege of not furnishing any recruits, and
of not being compelled to be civilized by force; the roads, or more correctly
speaking, the whole country, was rendered anew insecure, and the Franks were
deprived of many of their former privileges. Nevertheless, much of the good and
beautiful which Abraim had introduced was retained. Many consuls were appointed
for Jerusalem, and now there are six of them resident there, namely, Russian,
Austrian, English, French, Prussian, and Sardinian.
In
the year 5604 (1844), the French consul obtained the imperial permission from
Constantinople to hoist his national flag. But when he was about to display the
same on his roof, in company of the Pacha of Jerusalem and several of the
principal officers, a general insurrection took place among the Mahomedan
inhabitants against the Pacha, and they employed violence, through which means
several persons were wounded, to prevent the unheard-of outrage of displaying
any other flag in the Holy City except that of the Crescent. The Pacha seeing
that the mass of the people was too great, he yielded so far as not to have the
flag hoisted. And although several of the rioters were afterwards arrested and
severely punished, the Mahomedans nevertheless maintained their ancient right,
and the permission was revoked by the imperial authority; and thus no consul is
at this day permitted to display or hoist his flag in Jerusalem.
A
SHORT REVIEW OF THIS PERIOD.
In
the year 5283 (1523), a learned Italian of Leghorn travelled through the
country, and he gives the Jewish population as follows: In En Sethun, a village
not far from Zafed, where at present no Jews live, 40 families, with a
Synagogue, wherein were kept 21 copies of the lawספרי
תורה; in Zafed, more than 300 families, with 3
Synagogues; in Alma, a village 5 miles south of Kedes in Naphtali, where no Jews
reside at present, 15 families, with 1 Synagogue; in Gith (Gath Chepher), 40
families; in Nablus, 12; in Hebron, 10, with 1 Synagogue; in Jerusalem, 300,
among whom 15 German; in addition, there lived in Jerusalem more than 500
widows; in Kefr Anan 30, with 1 Synagogue; in Beirut, 20, with a small handsome
Synagogue; and in Damascus, 500, with 3 Synagogues. He also says: "Tiberias is
quite destroyed, and entirely depopulated." The whole would give us 1207
families, which, with the 500 widows in Jerusalem, would probably constitute a
population of about 18,000; consequently, considerably smaller than at the visit
of Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela in 4930 (1170).
(In
the original, there follows here a list of 28 Rabbins who succeeded each other
in Jerusalem from the year 5250 till 5605, which, not being of interest to the
general reader, is omitted in our translation.) [We are sorry for Leeser's
editorial omission, for it would have been of great interest to our readers for
genealogical purposes--Webmaster.]
In
the year 5385 (1625), in the reign of Sultan Amrad, there lived in Jerusalem the
just and kind governor Machmad Pacha, who granted the Jews all possible
privileges, so that they had their own properties, both houses and fields, and
lived in the greatest security, contentment, peace, and happiness. When suddenly
a rapacious and tyrannical Arab, who was blind in one eye, called Ibn Paruch,
purchased the post of Pacha of Jerusalem from the chief of all Syria and
Palestine, the Pacha of Damascus,--as it is nothing strange to sell offices to
the highest bidders. Ibn Paruch came thereupon, on the 26th day of Tebeth
(January), to Jerusalem, with an escort of about three hundred armed men, and
deprived the benevolent Machmad Pacha of his office. The situation of the people
now took a woful change, as Ibn Paruch tormented them terribly, and made heavy
exactions, especially from the Jews, and often caused the most respectable men,
the principal officers of the congregations, to be thrown into prison, and
compelled them to satisfy his unheard-of demands through means of cruel
treatment, which often brought them to the verge of the grave. Thus, for
example, he ordered the Synagogue to be surprised during divine worship on
Sabbath, the 11th of Elul, of the above year, and caused fifteen venerable men
to be taken from the same to prison as hostages; and they were not liberated
until he was paid 11,000 grush, or 5500 American dollars. These scenes and
exactions followed each other so often, and became so general, that the Jews
were gradually exhausted, and could contribute no more money to satisfy this
monster's desires; they had to part with all their gold and silver articles,
and everything of value; and at length, to save their miserable lives from the
tyrant, they were compelled to borrow of their Mahomedan fellowtownsmen the sum
of 50,000 grush, for which, though obtained for but a short time,--till they
could obtain relief from their benevolent brothers abroad,--they had to promise
the exorbitant interest of 20,000 grush, wherefore their indebtedness amounted
to 75,000 grush, or 35,000 dollars. Many endeavoured to escape with their
oppressed families by flight; they left everything behind, glad only to save
their lives; but the tyrant placed guards in every direction, so that no one
could leave the city; and even when a corpse was carried out for interment, it
was examined, to discover whether or not it might be one feigning death
endeavouring to make his escape.
The Jews nevertheless
succeeded, in almost a wonderful manner, to communicate in secret their dreadful
situation to their brothers in Constantinople, and to pray of them to announce
at court the raging of this hyena. The Sultan was greatly incensed at hearing
the news, and commanded the Pacha of Damascus, also an insatiable extortioner,
immediately to depose Ibn Paruch; who nevertheless endeavoured, partly by
artifice and the interest he had, and partly by means of considerable bribes and
presents, to prevent the Pacha from carrying the imperial will into effect; and
mainly gained his point by showing himself openly as a rebel against the Sultan,
inasmuch as he captured, on the 22d of Kislev, 5386 (December, 1626), the
Kallai, in which lay in garrison some troops of the Sultan, under command of an
Aga. This affair made him still more formidable; and having thus little to fear
from outward force, he commenced to tyrannize yet more cruelly in Jerusalem; and
he caused occasionally the most venerable and aged Israelites to be dragged to
the scaffold, and the hangman stood with the axe in his hand, the rope was
already fastened round their necks, and it only needed his diabolical nod to
hurry these honoured fathers into eternity; and all for the great crime that
they were not able to furnish him any more money. So that every one was tired of
life, and sighed for death as a deliverer from an insupportable burden.
But
at length as report said (which, however, seems to want confirmation), the
Sublime Porte again gave orders to the neighbouring Pachas to attack the tyrant,
and to deliver him into prison. Those Mahomedans, however, who were most
intimate and best acquainted with him, related afterward the following as the
real cause of his precipitate flight. One night he had a dream, when he saw
standing before him a venerable old man wrapped in a purple cloak, who was about
to slay him. Ibn Paruch in great terror asked him who he was, and why he
appeared so inimical to him, to which the apparition answered, "I am King
David; and know, tyrant, that if thou quittest not the city instantly, and if
thy eyes close themselves here again in sleep, thou shalt surely die." Ibn
Paruch awoke trembling, and caused the treasures which he had obtained by
robbery to be collected together, as far as this could be done, in the greatest
haste, and loading several camels with gold, silver, and other precious things,
he fled away suddenly and hurriedly, on Tuesday, the 12th of Kislev, 5397
(December, 1627); and thus was Jerusalem saved from the power of this monster,
to the general joy and gratification of all its inhabitants.
This
remarkable occurrence I have taken in extract from a printed document, entitled
חרבות
ירושלים, "The Ruins of Jerusalem,"
printed in Venice, in 5388 (1628), in which this event is told circumstantially,
and quite at length. The document was written and signed by the chiefs of the
Jewish people at Jerusalem, and given as an authorization to the messengers who
had been sent to Italy to make collections in behalf of the Holy City, which had
been reduced to indigence through the acts of the tyrannical Ibn Paruch.
History
Index
|
