Reflections
Sir Moshe Montefiore
"Protector of the Jews" was the nickname earned by the kindhearted and considerate man, Sir Moshe Montefiore, who worked tirelessly for World Jewry in general, and for the Jews of Eretz Yisrael in particular.
Motti Meringer 07/08/2009 10:00
Moshe Montefiore was born on the ninth of Cheshvan, 5545 ( 1784) in Livorno, Italy. Montefiore's grandfather was also born in Livorno, but then moved to London, where his seventeen children were born. One of his sons was Yosef Eliyau Montefiore, Moshe's father. Moshe was born while his parents were on business in Livornon, and after his mother recovered from the birth, the family returned to England and settled in Kensington. That is where Moshe received his early schooling, and began to work as a merchant.
After completing his apprenticeship with a merchant, Moshe Montefiore moved to London and started trading on the London stock market together with his brother, Avraham. Moshe was one of only twelve Jewish brokers working on the London stock exchange. His business dealings were very successful, and he increased the scope of his activities. Moshe served as the personal stock broker for the wealthy Rothschild family, helped establish an insurance company and a gas supply company for lights, was a member of the board of directors of a company in charge of constructing train tracks, and served as the manager of the Provincial Bank of Ireland.
In 1837, Montefiore was elected Sheriff of London, which is a position similar to deputy mayor. That same year he was honored by Queen Victory, and given the title "Knight". Almost ten years later, he was promoted to "Sir", which was the highest honor that could be bestowed on anyone by the queen. From that period on, everyone called the Jewish businessman "Sir Moshe Montefiore". In keeping with the British custom at the time, the Montefiore family had a coat of arms, and with Queen Victoria's permission, the word "Jerusalem" was included in the coat of arms design, since much of Montefiore's philanthropic work took place in that city. Despite his great wealth at a relatively young age, Montefiore did not forget his Jewish brethren, and did whatever was in his power to make their lives easier. He established charity and goodwill organizations that helped countless Jews, and worked with many political figures in order to better the plight of the Jews in their countries.
Moshe Monterfiore is most famous for his intervention in the Damascus Blood Libel. One Erev Pesach, a French Monk and his Muslim assistant disappeared in Damascus. In those days, the ruler in Damascus was an Egyptian by the name of Mohammed Ali. He had close ties with the French, and the French Consular in Damascus, Ratti Menton, was a virulent anti-Semite. With his support, the French government took advantage of the monk's disappearance in order to rekindle the concept of blood libels against the Jews. In a very short time, word spread that bones had been discovered in the Jewish market place, and the bones – which most probably had belonged to an animal – were said to belong to the missing monk. A grand funeral was arranged for those bones, and they were buried in a gravesite prepared for the monk. A Jewish barber was accused of being an accomplice to the monk's murder, and was cruelly tortured until he uttered the names of seven other men. Those rabbis and community leaders were subsequently accused of kidnapping and slaughtering the French monk. The seven were arrested, and tortured mercilessly, to the point where some of them died, and others confessed under duress to crimes they did not commit. The authorities continued to search for the "blood", that the Jews were accused of hiding. In order to force the Jewish community to provide information regarding the whereabouts of the blood, tens of Jewish children were also arrested and tortured, until they informed on their own parents. The affair created a storm of protest in the Jewish world, and Jewish businessmen and community leaders took action to help their brethren in Damascus. Moshe Montefiore interceded with the Turkish Sultan. While the incident had not occurred within the region under his jurisdiction, he was still a very influential figure. Moshe Montefiore succeeded in convincing the Sultan to issue a firman (edict) – a letter stating that the rights of Jews were protected, that the blood libel was a farce, and was no more than the product of the imaginations of Jew-haters. Later, the Rothschild family were able to acquire the documents that recorded the details of the affair, and publicized the gruesome facts in newspapers worldwide. The world community was shocked by the primitive behavior exhibited by the Syrians, who continued to torture the Jewish prisoners, and the Egyptian ruler was pressured into intervening on the matter. The efforts bore fruit, and those prisoners who were still alive were finally released from jail. Moshe Montefiore also worked to secure the release of other Jews, who were accused in other blood libels several years later, in southern Lebanon.
Six years after the Damascus Affair, Moshe Montefiore met with the Russian Czar, in an effort to influence him to revoke his decree to expel all Jews from Western Russia. Montefiore also intervened in the case of a Jewish child, Edguardo, who was kidnapped by the Church and forcibly baptized. He pushed for a bill of equal rights for the Jews of Morocco, and for the Jews of Romania. Moshe Montefiore worked for Jewish communities all across the globe, to try to help anyone who was in trouble. The Jews everywhere knew exactly who to turn to when they needed assistance.
Moshe Montefiore is probably best known for his activities to help the Jews of Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem. He visited Israel seven times, together with his wife Judith, who regularly accompanied him on his travels. The first time he visited Israel was in 1827. It was a short visit, but one in which he managed to travel to Yaffo and Jerusalem, where he made a generous contribution to the Jews of the city. That visit made a great spiritual impression on him, and from that time on he became more stringent in his mitzvah observance. On every subsequent trip he made to the Holy Land, he took along his personal shochet so that he would have kosher meat wherever he sojourned. On Shabbos and on the holy days, his entire entourage was expected to rest.
The second time Moshe Montefiore traveled to Eretz Yisrael, he went to Safed and Tiberias, and distributed a small fortune among the Jews of the two cities. He then continued on to Hebron and Jerusalem, but was forced to camp outside of the Old City due to an epidemic raging inside the walls. Montefiore decided to improve the medical services in Jerusalem, and sent a doctor from London to establish a pharmacy that gave out medications for free to the city residents. He also initiated the establishment of factories, in order to provide a source of income for the Jews of Israel.
On later trips to Israel, Moshe Montefiore continued to do whatever he could to improve the lives of the Jewish residents. He set up charity funds, started agricultural settlements, and established textile factories and publishing houses, to provide more income for the Jews. On one of his visits he donated money to pay for the construction of another room at Kever Rachel, so that the Jewish pilgrims to the site would have more room to pray.
Moshe Montefiore was the trustee of $50,000 dollars, donated by the American philanthropist Judah Touro, for the benefit of the residents of Jerusalem. Most of the money – a huge sum in 1852 – was used to begin construction of a hospital. One of Montefiore's biggest projects was building "Mishkanot She'ananim" – the first Jewish neighborhood established outside of the Old City walls. The first building constructed was a one story apartment house, with 16 units. Later, two basei knesset, a mikva, a well, and a flour mill were added to the neighborhood. The original flour mill serves today as a museum, and near the museum is an exact replica of Moshe Montefiore's carriage.
Montefiore's noble acts are too many to describe in the scope of one article. In Jerusalem alone there are five neighborhoods named in his honor: Mizkeret Moshe, Zichron Moshe, Ohel Moshe, Yemin Moshe, and Kiryat Moshe. Wherever he went, Moshe Montefiore spoke and acted on behalf of the Jews, and often used his connections with noblemen and royalty to ensure that his goals were achieved.
The last time Montefiore traveled to Israel, was in 1875, when he was 91 years of age. On that trip, he visited Jerusalem and holy sites. In 1884, he celebrated his 100th birthday, and a year later, on the 16th of Av, 1885, Moshe Montefiore passed away in Ramsgate, England, at age 101.
Moshe Montefiore was buried in Ramsgate, in a burial plot he had prepared for himself during his lifetime. Above his grave a room was erected that is similar in appearance to the room he had constructed at Kever Rachel. A yeshiva was established near his gravesite, and the ten illustrious Torah scholars who learn there are supported by a fund he created especially for that purpose.
Moshe Montefiore never had any children, but his memory will always be preserved in the good deeds he performed over the course of his lifetime.
After completing his apprenticeship with a merchant, Moshe Montefiore moved to London and started trading on the London stock market together with his brother, Avraham. Moshe was one of only twelve Jewish brokers working on the London stock exchange. His business dealings were very successful, and he increased the scope of his activities. Moshe served as the personal stock broker for the wealthy Rothschild family, helped establish an insurance company and a gas supply company for lights, was a member of the board of directors of a company in charge of constructing train tracks, and served as the manager of the Provincial Bank of Ireland.
In 1837, Montefiore was elected Sheriff of London, which is a position similar to deputy mayor. That same year he was honored by Queen Victory, and given the title "Knight". Almost ten years later, he was promoted to "Sir", which was the highest honor that could be bestowed on anyone by the queen. From that period on, everyone called the Jewish businessman "Sir Moshe Montefiore". In keeping with the British custom at the time, the Montefiore family had a coat of arms, and with Queen Victoria's permission, the word "Jerusalem" was included in the coat of arms design, since much of Montefiore's philanthropic work took place in that city. Despite his great wealth at a relatively young age, Montefiore did not forget his Jewish brethren, and did whatever was in his power to make their lives easier. He established charity and goodwill organizations that helped countless Jews, and worked with many political figures in order to better the plight of the Jews in their countries.
Moshe Monterfiore is most famous for his intervention in the Damascus Blood Libel. One Erev Pesach, a French Monk and his Muslim assistant disappeared in Damascus. In those days, the ruler in Damascus was an Egyptian by the name of Mohammed Ali. He had close ties with the French, and the French Consular in Damascus, Ratti Menton, was a virulent anti-Semite. With his support, the French government took advantage of the monk's disappearance in order to rekindle the concept of blood libels against the Jews. In a very short time, word spread that bones had been discovered in the Jewish market place, and the bones – which most probably had belonged to an animal – were said to belong to the missing monk. A grand funeral was arranged for those bones, and they were buried in a gravesite prepared for the monk. A Jewish barber was accused of being an accomplice to the monk's murder, and was cruelly tortured until he uttered the names of seven other men. Those rabbis and community leaders were subsequently accused of kidnapping and slaughtering the French monk. The seven were arrested, and tortured mercilessly, to the point where some of them died, and others confessed under duress to crimes they did not commit. The authorities continued to search for the "blood", that the Jews were accused of hiding. In order to force the Jewish community to provide information regarding the whereabouts of the blood, tens of Jewish children were also arrested and tortured, until they informed on their own parents. The affair created a storm of protest in the Jewish world, and Jewish businessmen and community leaders took action to help their brethren in Damascus. Moshe Montefiore interceded with the Turkish Sultan. While the incident had not occurred within the region under his jurisdiction, he was still a very influential figure. Moshe Montefiore succeeded in convincing the Sultan to issue a firman (edict) – a letter stating that the rights of Jews were protected, that the blood libel was a farce, and was no more than the product of the imaginations of Jew-haters. Later, the Rothschild family were able to acquire the documents that recorded the details of the affair, and publicized the gruesome facts in newspapers worldwide. The world community was shocked by the primitive behavior exhibited by the Syrians, who continued to torture the Jewish prisoners, and the Egyptian ruler was pressured into intervening on the matter. The efforts bore fruit, and those prisoners who were still alive were finally released from jail. Moshe Montefiore also worked to secure the release of other Jews, who were accused in other blood libels several years later, in southern Lebanon.
Six years after the Damascus Affair, Moshe Montefiore met with the Russian Czar, in an effort to influence him to revoke his decree to expel all Jews from Western Russia. Montefiore also intervened in the case of a Jewish child, Edguardo, who was kidnapped by the Church and forcibly baptized. He pushed for a bill of equal rights for the Jews of Morocco, and for the Jews of Romania. Moshe Montefiore worked for Jewish communities all across the globe, to try to help anyone who was in trouble. The Jews everywhere knew exactly who to turn to when they needed assistance.
Moshe Montefiore is probably best known for his activities to help the Jews of Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem. He visited Israel seven times, together with his wife Judith, who regularly accompanied him on his travels. The first time he visited Israel was in 1827. It was a short visit, but one in which he managed to travel to Yaffo and Jerusalem, where he made a generous contribution to the Jews of the city. That visit made a great spiritual impression on him, and from that time on he became more stringent in his mitzvah observance. On every subsequent trip he made to the Holy Land, he took along his personal shochet so that he would have kosher meat wherever he sojourned. On Shabbos and on the holy days, his entire entourage was expected to rest.
The second time Moshe Montefiore traveled to Eretz Yisrael, he went to Safed and Tiberias, and distributed a small fortune among the Jews of the two cities. He then continued on to Hebron and Jerusalem, but was forced to camp outside of the Old City due to an epidemic raging inside the walls. Montefiore decided to improve the medical services in Jerusalem, and sent a doctor from London to establish a pharmacy that gave out medications for free to the city residents. He also initiated the establishment of factories, in order to provide a source of income for the Jews of Israel.
On later trips to Israel, Moshe Montefiore continued to do whatever he could to improve the lives of the Jewish residents. He set up charity funds, started agricultural settlements, and established textile factories and publishing houses, to provide more income for the Jews. On one of his visits he donated money to pay for the construction of another room at Kever Rachel, so that the Jewish pilgrims to the site would have more room to pray.
Moshe Montefiore was the trustee of $50,000 dollars, donated by the American philanthropist Judah Touro, for the benefit of the residents of Jerusalem. Most of the money – a huge sum in 1852 – was used to begin construction of a hospital. One of Montefiore's biggest projects was building "Mishkanot She'ananim" – the first Jewish neighborhood established outside of the Old City walls. The first building constructed was a one story apartment house, with 16 units. Later, two basei knesset, a mikva, a well, and a flour mill were added to the neighborhood. The original flour mill serves today as a museum, and near the museum is an exact replica of Moshe Montefiore's carriage.
Montefiore's noble acts are too many to describe in the scope of one article. In Jerusalem alone there are five neighborhoods named in his honor: Mizkeret Moshe, Zichron Moshe, Ohel Moshe, Yemin Moshe, and Kiryat Moshe. Wherever he went, Moshe Montefiore spoke and acted on behalf of the Jews, and often used his connections with noblemen and royalty to ensure that his goals were achieved.
The last time Montefiore traveled to Israel, was in 1875, when he was 91 years of age. On that trip, he visited Jerusalem and holy sites. In 1884, he celebrated his 100th birthday, and a year later, on the 16th of Av, 1885, Moshe Montefiore passed away in Ramsgate, England, at age 101.
Moshe Montefiore was buried in Ramsgate, in a burial plot he had prepared for himself during his lifetime. Above his grave a room was erected that is similar in appearance to the room he had constructed at Kever Rachel. A yeshiva was established near his gravesite, and the ten illustrious Torah scholars who learn there are supported by a fund he created especially for that purpose.
Moshe Montefiore never had any children, but his memory will always be preserved in the good deeds he performed over the course of his lifetime.
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