Letter handwritten and signed by Sir Moses Montefiore and addressed to Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler, on the subject of "the Jaffa Estate" (i.e., the "Montefiore Orchard"). Written on official stationery. [England?, late 1860s?]. English.
This letter – three pages handwritten by Moses Montefiore – deals with the condition of the "Montefiore Orchard, " the earliest Jewish orchard in Palestine, in the wake of one of the plagues of locusts that afflicted the country in the course of the 19th century.
Montefiore writes as follows: " Having now disposed of all the money placed by the Committee for the Jaffa Estate perhaps you may deem it desirable to convene a meeting to report progress… drought and locust are throwing their dark shadow before, but we must hope for the bounty of Heaven and that our next accounts may be brighter. It is indeed most benevolent that you should devote your attention which has so many… important calls upon it to the interest and general mitigations of the sufferings of our Coreligionist in the Holy Land".
It is quite possible that the above quote is specifically referring to the drought, the plague of locusts, and cholera epidemic of 1866, one of the most difficult years ever recorded in the annals of the Old "Yishuv" (Jewish community) in Palestine. These difficulties resulted in the abandonment of settlements and in the deaths of hundreds of Jews.
The letter concludes with Montefiore wishing Rabbi Adler and his wife good health, and is signed "Your faithful servant, Moses Montefiore".
The "Montefiore Orchard, " or "Montefiore Garden, " is thought to have been the earliest Jewish orchard to be cultivated in Palestine in modern times. It was first planted in 1842 by one of the leaders of the Jewish community of Jaffa, Rabbi Judah Halevy of Ragusa. In the course of his fourth visit to Palestine, in 1855, Moses Montefiore took notice of the orchard and decided to purchase it. In those years, the maintenance of an orchard demanded inexhaustible resources – to ward off hostile incursions, to construct and install agricultural equipment and machinery, and for repeated restoration following recurrent natural disasters – but in spite of it all, and notwithstanding the advice of some of his friends, including Rabbi Adler, Montefiore adamantly refused to lease or sell the property. This perseverance eventually paid off, and in the end, his hundreds of fruit trees – including oranges, lemons, citrons, pomegranates, date palms, and grapevines – continued to bear fruit till his dying day.
The bond of friendship between Sir Moses Montefiore, head of the Sephardic Jewish community of London, and Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler (1803-1890), Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, persisted for decades. This fond relationship was keenly expressed in the numerous letters exchanged between the two. The correspondence enabled joint efforts of theirs in spearheading a wide range of community projects; among other things, these included fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Jewish Community in Palestine. One of Adler's responsibilities as Chief Rabbi was to preside over United Synagogue, an umbrella organization unifying all of Great Britain's Orthodox congregations. In this capacity, he was in charge of consolidating donations from all affiliated synagogues, and entrusting Moses Montefiore's official representatives with the task of disbursing the funds among the Jews of Palestine.
[1] f., folded in half (three handwritten pages), 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Fold lines and creases. Tears, including open tears to edges and to lengths of fold lines (with minor damage to text).