Appendix

PROGRAMME OF THE COURSE OF INSTRUCTION PURSUED
IN THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OF THE ISRAELITISH
UNIVERSITY OF LEGHORN, IN THE YEAR 1839.

Institution for Males,
religious and moral instruction.
Elementary Schools.

1st School — Formation of syllables, exercise on the vowel points, and the reading- of the Hebrew tongue. The current reading of the principal prayers. (The system of mutual instruction.) 2d School — Catechetical instruction, moral and religious: a first or elementary class, and a second or superior class. 3d School — Reading and translating the prayers. The reading of the Pentateuch, and some chapters of the Prophets (m:Dfln,) with the tonic accents (a’3>’a.)

Italian rendering of Hebrew vocables. Rules for

the vowel points and tonic accents.

More Advanced Schools,

1st School — Complete and progressive reading of the Bible, and the oral rendering of it into the vernacular language. 1st Class — The Pentateuch and first historical books. 2d Class — The other books of the Bible.

Rudiments of Hebrew Grammar. Religious duties

of the Jews. Hebrew text, read and translated, of Maimonides

nyjS tun. Part I., abridged. Hebrew text, read and translated, of Jarchi (‘^’^) on

the Pentateuch. Hebrew text, read and translated, along with the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos. 2d School — A course of Hebrew grammar. 3d School — Oral and written translation of the Bible.

Selections and moral illustrations of the same. 4G

HIGHER RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.

Preparatory School.

1st Class — The first Book of the Pentateuch, with Jarchi’? Commentary translated and illustrated. The four first historical books of the Bible, with grammatical and philological comments, miSD pi” mViDi Til, i. e. the book called Fortress of David, and Fortress of Zion.) 2d Class — Continuation and conclusion of the Bible, with grammatical and philological comments, (as before.) Introduction to rabbinical and theological studies (uD’?ij,’ ni3’Sn iix’p, i. e. an abridgment of the Talmudical work called “Everlasting Wiays.”) The ritual of Caro — rules regarding the prayers

(voL i. p. 1.)
Select treatises of the Mishna. (The Mishna of
rabbi Bartenora,”!

Literary School.

Higher Hebrew Grammar.

Translation of Themes from Italian into Hebrew.* Complete course of Biblical Illustration — including grammatical, moral, philological, and archeeological comments.

Rahbinical School.

Talmud — select treatises, with illustrations (such as ni3l3, “Blessings before meat;” nasy, “Sabbath;” tJi, “Festivals.”)

Maimonides — select illustrations (such as nniDN ni’?aNO, “forbidden meats.”)

A complete course from the Rituary of Caro, with illustrations.

* As a specimen of the way in which they teach the scholar to write Hebrew, we subjoin the following. The master of the class took up a book that was lying by him, and read the following sentence in Italian. “I counsel thee to read with the pen in your hand, and to write on the book the useful and new ideas. This is the best means, of imprinting them in your minds; and farther, being in this way able always to find them, they will be helpful to you in your conduct when they are good.” A lad, in the course of a few minutes, thus rendered the passage into Hebrew, using the current Hebrew hand: —

The commentaries of the Mishna (such as njrn ^n-,” New

Year;” hjid, “Feast of Tabernacles.”) Opinions of the rabbis on questions regarding ceremonies.

CIVIL INSTRUCTIO.V.

jaiementary Schools.

1st School — Formation of syllables and reading. Penmanship, Arithmetic, the four first rules and fractions. (The system of mutual instruction.)

2d School — Instructive readings.

3d School — Drawing. Geometrical figures — principles of ornament and architecture.

More Advanced Schools.

1st School — Penmanship and Orthography completed. Higher

arithmetic, applied to Commerce. Italian Grammar. 2d School — “Scrittura Doppia.” System of vteights, measures, and coins. Mercantile Correspondence. 3d School — The French language.

4th School — Elements of history, geography and cosmography. 5th School — Lessons and exercises in vocal music, as used in the sacred songs of the synagogue.

Institution for Females.

I. Religious and Moral Instruction.

Formation of syllables, exercises on the vowel points, and

reading of Hebrew.
Reading of the daily and common prayers, in Hebrew.
Oral translation of the same.
The Catechism.

Daily reading, in the assembled classes, of moral and reli- gious books, with illustrations and applications.

II. Civil Instruction.

Formation of syllables, and reading of Italian. (The system

of mutual instruction.)
Instructive moral readings.
Penmanship.
Arithmetic.

III. Instruction in the Common Domestic Arts.

1. Sewing, knitting, &c.

2. Embroidery, and works of the needle.

No. II.

VALUE OF THE COINS MENTIONED IN THE COURSE OF
THIS WORK.

A Piastre in Syria, = ld. =3 cents.

in Asia Minor, = 2d. =4 cents.

in Moldavia, = 3d. = 6 cents.

Harieh in Egypt and Syria, = 9 piastres, = 27 cents.

A Para, = 40th part of a piastre.

A Zwanzig, = 8d. = 16 cents.

A Kreutzer, of a Zwanzig, less than a half-penny.

A Polish Gulden, = 6d. = 12 cents.

A Preuss Gulden, = 2s. = 48 cents.

We may subjoin a specimen of the endless variety of Turkish coins which annoy and perplex the traveller. At Smyrna, the fbllowing note of the value of coins was given us along with our bag of money.

Piastres.

Para3.

133 Duckisly, at value of 9|s piastres,

= 1280
80 Rubbi Zenzerly,
= 760

lOi Addly Adzem,
= 199
5i Addly Shdeed,
= 93
64 Spanish Dollars,
= 1472

6 Austrian Dollars,
= 132

20 Fannus,
= 220

4 Rissilik,
= 70

2 five Piastre Pieces,

= 10

2 five Para Pieces,
No. III.

HISTORY OF RABBI SIxMEON BEN YOCHAI.

We give the following as one out of a thousand specimens of Jewish credulity. — Rabbi Simeon is said to have lived in the second or third century. One day when some of them were met together, a rabbi named Pupas, who had visited Rome, related to his friends the wonders he bad seen, — dwelling especially upon the works of public utility, such as the bridges, the baths, and the highways. Rabbi Simeon was much displeased at his commendation of the Romans, saying-, that all they had in view was self-exaltation. Upon this, rabbi Pupas, deeply offended at being contradicted, went to Rome and informed against rabbi Simeon. He was, accordingly, summoned to Rome; but for a long time escaped the vigilance of the police. On one of these occasions, when the police were in close pursuit of Simeon (who was in company with his son Eliezer,) God revealed to him a cave, in which was a fig. Iree and a spring of water. In this cave, both of them took shelter, and were nourished twelve years on the fruit of the tree, and refreshed by the spring of water. During this long time they were instructed in the cabbala by the prophet Elijah. On coming out of the cave at the end of twelve years, so absorbed were they in the study of the cabbala — the only true way of knowing God — that they looked on every secular pursuit as profanity, unworthy of men created in the likeness of God. By their frowns they consumed many towns and villages, with hundreds of people, and the cattle that were ploughing in the fields within their sight. On this, God commanded them to return back to the cave, lest the whole world should be consumed by them; and there they remained other twelve years. During this period rabbi Simeon composed the Book of Zohar, still enjoying the instruction of the prophet Elijah. On leaving the cave the second time, the frowns of rabbi Eliezer were as destructive as rabbi Simeon’s had been the first time, but the blessing of rabbi Simeon restored all that rabbi Eliezer laid waste. They hid the Zohar, in the cave, where it was found 400 years after, the roll being as fresh as if written only yesterday. Pilgrimages are performed to the rabbi’s grave at Marona every year by Jews from all parts of the world. They remain at it three days, spending the time in mirth and festivity. Often hundreds of pounds worth of shawls, dipped in oil, are burned in his honour. Vows are made to him, and prayers presented for deliverance from any misfortune. Even in the time of the late earthquake, hundreds came to pour out their prayers over his grave.

No. IV.

JEWS OF CORFU.

Communicated by a Resident there. (See page 392.)

The number of Jews in the island of Corfli is about 2000. Tliej all reside in a particular quarter of the town, but are not separated from the rest of the population by any enclosed wall, as is the case at Rome, Ancona, and other places in Italy. They have two synagogues, and two small oratories There is some trifling difference in the ceremonies performed at the two synagogues, but not such as to prevent a Jew, who is in the habit of attending one of the synagogues, from frequenting and worshipping at the other. The Jews at Corfu I consider a very unfavourable specimen of their race. They are, in general, filthy in the extreme ia their houses and in their habits, ignorant and ill-informed beyond all belief, very few of them knowing even the heads of their own interesting history. Their morality is at a very low ebb, but certainly not lower than the mass of the Christian population around thcni The better class of Jews are principally merchants and shopkeepers (the greater number drapers,) the middle class are artisans, and of tailors there is an immense number, the clothing both for town and country being principally made by them. The lowest class, of which there is a great number, are dealers in old clothes, common porters, seamen, and gatherers of rubbish.

They have one good quality, which is industry, and, as a natural consequence, in the midst of a wretched, starving population, they are generally well off, and many of them rich. They are hated beyond measure by the Greeks, who take every opportunity of insulting and ill-treating them; and were it not for the protection of the British arms, their situation would be insecure and wretched in the extreme.

Twenty years ago, a Jew dared not venture to show his face in the street during Passion-week. Detachments of troops at that season of the year, were stationed at their synagogues to protect them from insult and violence; but a great change has taken place since then, and they may now walk about the streets even on Good Friday with impunity.

The chief rabbi is a native of Gibraltar, and caUs himself an EngUshman. His name is Bibas. He is a genuine Pharisee of the old school, rigidly observing the Jewish law. Some time since he prohibited his people from carrying an umbrella on the Sabbath, as a violation of the fourth commandment. The Jews here are generally very strict in their observance of the Sabbath, which they will not violate for any temporal consideration, but they revolted agamst the prohibition to carry an umbrella on that day In reply to the inquiry whether there are any Christians at CorfU who care for the souls of the Jews, I can only say that the Christians here, whether Greeks, Roman Catholics, or Protestants, care little, generally speaking, for their own souls, and therefore have little thought for the souls of the Jews.

No. V.

JEWS OF DAMASCUS.

Communicated by Erasmos S. Calman, from personal observations a few years ago

The Jews of Damascus are, like their brethren at Bagdad, the descendants of the first and second captivity; their descent may, many suppose, be traced as far back as the reign of King David.

The Jews at Damascus at present point out a cave, or grotto, about three miles from the town, as having once formed the ternporary abode of the prophet Elijah, when he was sent to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. The identity of this place, they say, has been handed down to them by an unbroken chain of witnesses, from the prophet to the present generation; and here their ancestors visited him, and brought to him the necessaries of life. The grotto is now metamorphosed into a kind of underground synagogue, and is resorted to on the last day of every month, which they spend in prayer and supplication. It is also a refuge in the time of danger. The number of Jews here in the time of the apostles must have been very great, but many of them were cut off during the wars of the Jews with the Romans, from which calamity they never recovered — and their number now does not exceed 5000 individuals.

Their secular occupation is much the same as that of their brethren at Bagdad — banking and traffic; but on a much smaller scale. They have little influence, and so have escaped much of the envy of their fellow townsmen. They live with more harmony and peace with the rest of the people than in any place in the East. Their prejudice to Christianity is on that account also much less than amongst the Jews elsewhere. They converse freely with the missionary, and interchange visits; they willingly receive Christian books and tracts, and are very communicative. The fact of the Jewish quarter being at a distance from that of the Christians, cuts ofF any kind of intercourse except that of business, and this deprives them of every opportunity of giving vent to their ill-humour, which they might otherwise have done, and likewise lessens their dislike to Christianity. The Pasha of Egypt, since he has taken possession of Syria, has wrested all the secular authority from the hands of the rabbis, which is another reason for the liberal opinions of the Jews at Damascus. I would thus conclude, that Damascus, as a missionary station, is of the utmost importance, not only as it regards the direct preaching to the Jews, but also as it concerns the distribution of the word of God. Caravans come and go regularly from Damascus to Bagdad, Mosul, Aleppo, and other large towns, several times in the year, where the Jews purchase every copy of the Scriptures they can obtain from the British and Foreign Bible Society’s Agent, and send them to the above-mentioned places, from which again they are sent to Persia and Curdistan; and this is the only channel I am aware of, by which the word of God can reach the Jews in these distant regions. The Society’s edition of the Bible is almost the only one which is used in their families and the schools.

Schools for Jewish children may likewise be easily established there, where the Hebrew, Arabic, and English should be taught. The latter language grows daily in importance since the trade with England increased. At Beyrout, where the number of Jews is comparatively small, not amounting to more than 100 indivi-

0:«5 APPENDIX.

duals, several femiliesof Jews send their children to the American school intended for the native Christians there, and parents make no objection to their being instructed in the New Testament.

It is interesting to read the above observations, written before the sad persecutions of these Jews had somewhat changed their feelings and situation. Perhaps, however, even after all they have suffered at the hands of persecutors, on the ground of an alleged murder of a Christian, British Christians will be found as welcome to the Jews of Damascus as ever before. For British Christians have come forward to plead their cause as well as British Jews. Among others, the General Assembly of our Church in 1840, unanimously agreed to memorialize Government to interpose in behalf of the persecuted Jews at Rhodes and Damascus.

No. VI.

JEWS OF BAGDAD.

Communicated by Erasmus S. Calman, who personally visited them.

The Jews of Bagdad believe that they are descendants of the Jews who were carried thither in the first captivity. They still have over them one called “Head of the captivity in Babylon,” Saa niSj-ifx-i, an office which arose in the first or second century. About the same time arose the office of Njir N’lr’j CN-i, “Head prince of the Holy Land.” It is probable that these titles and offices arose from a desire to counteract the prophecy of Jacob, “The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver fi-om between his feet until Shiloh come.” They still apply the first part of this passage to their “Head prince of the captivity,” and the “Lawgiver” to the “Head prince of the Holy Land.” The Romans abolished the latter office, so that the Jews now content themselves with referring to the first. They further say, that none were made princes who could not prove their descent from Judah. It is said that the Jews themselves applied to the Romans to put down the Head prince of the Holy Land, because of his oppressions. At present, the Prince of the Captivity is not a descendant of Judah, but is raised up by the Porte and the local Government at Bagdad to exact from his brethren the money levied on the Jewish nation there. The people hate the office, and wish it was abolished. Mr. Caiman, on a visit to him, once asked him “If he really thought himself the sceptre that was to remain in Judah?” He gave no answer; he would not say that he believed it, but only smiled. Yet the existence of this office is an argument used by the Jews in the East against Christianity.

The number of Jews in Bagdad is estimated at 5000 or 6000. Nine years ago there were five times as many; but they have been destroyed by the plague, the civil war, and the inundation, — all which followed each other in rapid succession. The population of the whole town was at that time reduced from 120,000 to not more than 20,000.

Their moral and religious state is bad to a proverb. They are generally as bad as the rest of the population, which is saying the worst of them. This change has taken place since these judgments, as if they thought the arrows of God were all spent, and there remained no fear of wrath, or as if they had grown hardened like Pharaoh. This applies only to their moral state; as to their superstitious belief, they observe the traditions of the Talmud bigotedly. They spare neither money nor trouble in performing duties enjoined by the Talmud. They count the performing of pilgrimages one of the chief works of merit; and accordingly many families every year accompany the caravans that go to Damascus and Aleppo, in order to visit the graves of their favourite rabbis, such as the author of the Zohar, at Marona. The poorer classes, who have not the means of making pilgrimages to the Holy Land, go on pilgrimages to the innumerable graves of the writers of the Talmud, in the vicinity of ancient Babylon. Some go to the graves of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who are supposed to be buried on the frontiers of Persia, making vows and prayers to them.

They are occupied in bartering and traffic, the commerce of Bagdad and its vicinity being entirely in their hands. They have occasionally stopped trade by withdrawing their capital from the market, when the Pasha attempted to make alterations in the currency injurious to their interests. Few have any manual trade, except writing out the Pentateuch on parchment scrolls, for which they are famous in all the East.

They are bitterly opposed to Christianity and to missionaries. The reasons of this are — If any Jew were to embrace Christianity, the Head of the Captivity has power to punish him; and he has done this occasionally in so severe a way that the criminal has died imder the lash. Another reason is, that Christians — Armenians especially — avenge themselves on the poor Jews for wrongs done them by the Mahometans. The peculiar hatred which the Jews bear to the Armenians may arise from a charge often brought against them, namely, that Haman was an Armenian, and that the Armenians are the Amalekites of the Bible. When Mr. Caiman visited Bagdad with Mr. Groves in 1832, to try to open a school among the Jews, the attempt completely failed, chiefly through the fear they have of the Prince of the Captivity.

The Cabbala is more a matter of study than the Talmud, both here and in the East generally. Poland, instead of Babylon, may be said to have become the seat of the Talmud. The reason as-APPENDIX.

signed for the comparative neglect of the Talmud, and preference

of the Cabbala, in a country where the writers of Talmudism once flourished, is, that more than half the Koran was taken from the Talmud, so that to them it is associated with Mahometaiiism.

About two days from Bagdad is a place called Hect or Hith on the banks of the Euphrates, in the desert between Bagdad and Damascus. Here about twenty families of Karaite Jews reside. Mr. Caiman visited them: they prosecute the business of silversmiths, making trinkets and ornaments for the people of the town, and for the Arabs of the desert. Finding it difficult, after all, to subsist by their industry in that small town, they tried to settle in Bagdad or its vicinity; but met with such determined opposition from the rabbinical Jews, that they were compelled to remain in this spot, where they have been for centuries. But the days are coming when “the sound of the great trumpet” shall reach the ears of those that are “ready to perish in the land of Assyria.”* When Mr. Caiman visited their Hacham, he was dressed in a long, coarse shirt, with a rope about his loins. A small square chamber served him both as a study and a synagogue. He had a kvf manuscripts, which he would not part with for any price in the world. He was delighted when Mr. C. told him that he was as much opposed to the Talmud as himself; and then listened to him when he showed in the Old Testament the declarations of the prophets regarding a suffering Saviour. The Hachani’s main objection to Christianity was Isaiah lxv. 4, “a people that eat swine’s flesh.”t Mr. Caiman showed him that this was not a reference to Christians, for the people spoken of “sacrifice in gardens,” &.c. The Karaites seem to be preserved as living witnesses against the Talmud, in the very seat of its former dominion and its birthplace.

No. VII.

STRIKING SIMILARITY IN THE MAIN FEATURES OF JUDAISM AND POPERY, PROVING THAT THEY HAVE ONE AUTHOR.

The object of both the systems of Judaism and Popery, is to lead men to go about to establish their own righteousness, and thus prevail upon them to live and die without submitting to the righteousness of God. In the system of Judaism, the working of Satan is seen in excluding Christ, and offering the sinner a substitute for him: in Popery, his work is seen in including Chrisi, yet still presenting a substitute for him. On the forehead of both is written — Mystery of Iniquity.

* Isa. xxvii. 13. t Isa. lxv. 4.

PoPERV says:
The Bible ia not the only rule of
farth. The Church is to determine
what is to be believed.

The traditions of the Fathers and

decrees of General Councils, are to be

received as authoritative and binding.

The Pope, or at least the Pope along

with a General Council, is infallible.

The laity ought to be guided by the
priests, and have no right of private
judgment. We will excommunicate
them, iftheyjudge differently from the
interpretations of our holy mother,
the Church.

It is not safe to give the people at
large the plain text of Scripture. And
the prayers must be read in Latin, not
in the vernacular tongue.

Judaism says;

The Talmud and the Cabbala are as

good authorities as the Bible. Nay, the

Talmud is wine, but the Scriptures,

taken by themselves, are only water.

All the traditionsof the rabbis are to

be implicitly believed and followed.

The rabbis and the authors of the
Talmud cannot err.
4

It is the commentators, Jarchi, &;c
that are to settle the meaning of Scrip,
ture, and not private judgment. We
will fulminateouri/crem against you
if you interpret passages dilferently
from us.

The plain grammatical sense of
Scripture is to be taught to few. And
we must never use any but Hebrew
prayers, however few may understand
them.

There is great merit in giving alms,
and in prayers, pilgrimages, and other
good works.

There is a purgatory. The best of men must be purged after death, instead of at once entering into heaven. 8

No man can be sure of sal vation till
the very hour of death. Therefore he
must try to make his vague hope somewhat surer by every means which the
priests and the Church choose to point
out.

It is right to pay the priests for the
Confessional, saying Mass, &c.

Prayer for the dead is useful to free
the soul from purgatory. Therefore,
after you die, we will pray for you,
if you pay us for doing so.

“Alms deliver from death.” There

is merit to be stored up by prayers,

pilgrimages, feasts and fasts. “Touch

not, taste not, handle not.”

The Jew after death, must undergo
a trial of fire, and roll under the earth
to the Valley of Jehosbaphat.
8

No Jew in this life can come to a
settled hope of acceptance; wherefore,
he must use every means that the rabbis choose to appoint to make his
hope surer.

Prayers to dead saints and to the
Virgin Mary, are of great benefit in
time of trouble.

The rabbis require a present for
g you advic
friends, &c.

10
“May God remember the soul of my
honoured father A. B., who is gone to
his repose; for that I now solemnly
vow charity for his sake. In reward
of this may his soul be bound up in
the bundle of life.” This is a prayer
at the Feast of Tabernacles.
11
Every Jew ousht to pray over the
graves of the saints, asking them to
intercede with God for him. It is
right also to plead the merit and services of our rabbis, and our fathers
Abraham, Isaac, and lacob

Popery say a:

Worship may be paid to images and

pictures; yet not exactly to them, but

only to what they represent.

Pilgrimages to holy wells, to holy

places, and above all to the Holy

Sepulchre, are meritorious Kiss the crucifix, and exalt it everywhere, yet pretend that you do not adore it, but him who died on it.

Read much of the Gospels, little of
the Epistles, and do not encourage
private reading of Scripture. If any
read much of the Bible in private, he
is a heretic; but if he read much of the
Fathers, he is a good son of the Church.

16 Keep the Sabbaths after forenoon service is over, by being gay and merry, and going to the theatres, &c.

Christ will receive those who make
themselves holy before they come, that
is, who recommend themselves to him
by their works, and their fidelity to
the Church.

It is lawful to put a baptized man, woman, or child, to death, if they renounce the true Church. 19

There is no salvation out of the
Church of Rome.

Judaism says:

On the evening of the Day of Atonement, Jews must pray to the Shecinab

in the moon, yet not as if to the moon
Pilgrimages to the tombs of rabbis

such as Marona, and to the Holy Land

and offering prayer at the stones of

the Temple wall, are acts of highment.

Adore the Torah — Kiss it, and yet
not as if it were any thing itself, but
on pretence of adoring the Giver of it.

15
Read much of the Laic, and the Histories, and the Psahns, little of the
Prophets. If any read much of the
Scripture, he is an Epicurus, that is,
a heretic or infidel; but if he study
much of the Talmud, this is meritorious.

16 Keep the Sabbaths, when not occupied in synagogue worship, by eating and drinking more than usual that day, taking three meals, and by walking about in gaiety, and calling on each other.

17
It is not with pardon that Messiah
has to do. He is to reward his faithful people, who are pardoned already
by their alms, fasts, and prayers.

18
It is right to persecute, even to death,
any Jew who becomes a Christian.

“Heretics and Epicureans go down
to hell and are judged for ever.”

Such is a specimen of the coincidence between the doctrines of Judaism and those of Popery, and the instances could easily be multiplied, proving to a demonstration that both systems proceed from the Father of lies, the great adversary of Christ, and of the souls of men. Of the great mass of the deluded people under both systems, it may truly be said, “God has sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lie,” while their priests and rulers subject themselves to that sentence from the lips of Christ — “VVo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”