ORIGINAL LETTER of Donation From Lord Rotschild for Passover to Rabbis in Israel 1889

ORIGINAL LETTER of Donation From Lord Rotschild for Passover to Rabbis in Israel 1889

1889 London–Jerusalem Letter of Support

This letter was written from 18 Endsleigh Street, London — an address closely associated with Anglo-Jewish philanthropic activity in the 19th century.

The document references and honors the two leading Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem at the time:

• Rabbi Raphael Meir Panigel (1804–1893), the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, a towering figure who served as Rishon LeTzion.

• Rabbi Shmuel Salant (1816–1909), the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, famed for his long leadership of the Old Yishuv and his work in education and communal organization.

The letter records a donation of £25, equivalent to about 4,000 British Pounds today, destined for the support of Jerusalem’s Jewish community during Passover.

The signatory is Shmuel ben Asher, who appears to have been connected with the Anglo-Jewish administrative and philanthropic network that included the Rothschilds.

It shows the joint authority of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Chief Rabbis, Salant and Panigel, during a formative era in Jerusalem’s history.