A RARE HISTORIC DOCUMENT. PRAGUE COMMUNITY APPEALS TO THE COMMUNITY OF MODENA FOR HELP AT A TIME OF ...

A RARE HISTORIC DOCUMENT. PRAGUE COMMUNITY APPEALS TO THE COMMUNITY OF MODENA FOR HELP AT A TIME OF PERSECUTION – 1754.

A moving letter sent by leaders of the Prague Jewish community appealing to the leaders of the community of Modena, Italy, to provide financial assistance to the persecuted and impoverished local Jews. The Prague community had suffered bitterly under the reign of Maria Theresa, and faced unfair financial demands, expulsion, physical attacks and destruction of many homes by fire. In this heart-rending letter, written in late summer 1754, the community leaders appeal for help in housing the homeless Prague Jews before the arrival of another cold winter.

The letter is signed by a number of prominent Prague Jews, including the following leading signatories to the Rabbinical letter of appointment issued a year later to Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, the Noda Bi’Yehuda:

R. Avraham Dushnith Levy Horowitz .

R. Yisrael b. Shimon Frenkel .

R. Nathan Segal Epstein .

R. Wolf Bumsla .

R. Tzevi Hirsh Poriath .

R. Wolf Tzadik .

R. Yaakov Eiger .

R. Moshe Michlof .

1 side. 20 x 33 cm. Very good condition.