Letter to Sir Moses Montefiore from the leaders of the Talmud Torah Society in Suwalki, along with a list of the students in the Talmud Torah who enjoyed his financial support. Suwalki, [1883].
Specifications: [1] page, letterhead of the חברת תלמוד תורה דפה סובאלק [Talmud Torah Society in Suwalki]. 25×20 cm. Thank you letter and blessings for Montefiore. [1] leaf is attached to this leaf. 5×9 cm: an official receipt for Montefiore’s donation. [2] leaves are included with this letter, paper, 28×22 cm: list of names of more than eighty students in the Talmud Torah who received gifts from Montefiore’s donations, with details of the amounts they received. About a quarter of the names, have a mark indicating that they are orphans. At the top of the page there is a note that the remaining money was distributed among 250 youths.
Content: In their letter, the community leaders confirm receipt of Montefiore’s donation via Rabbi Hillel Lipshitz, Av Beit Din of Suwalki. “We made a feast and holiday on the day of the coronation of the emperor,” and they ask “permission to put his name and memory in the Talmud Torah ledger as a honorary member of our society.”
Unique features: The first two lines at the start of the list of student’s names were written by Rabbi Hillel Lipshitz, Av Beit Din of Suwalki (1844-1908). He was a prominent disciple of Rabbi Yisrael Salanater’s ( Shnot Dor VaDor , section 4, p. 488 features a letter from him to Montefiore on the same subject).
Condition: Very fine. Fold marks, tiny hole in the letter, not affecting text.