Lengthy letter from the legendary Sha’arei Chessed gema”ch – the organization that later initiated and constructed the Sha’arei Chessed neighborhood in Jerusalem. The letter was sent to the Jews of the Diaspora with a request for assistance for Jerusalem’s poor. Signed by the mara-d’ara-Yisrael, the gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and other rabbis.
The rabbis report in their letter about the financial situation of this important institution, and about its goals, and also the properties in its possession. Rabbinic leaders bless: “May you soon be blessed to joyously ascend to Tziyon and view and prostrate yourselves on Hashem’s mountain in Jerusalem.”
“Gema”ch Sha’arei Chessed HaKlali” served as a charity organization beginning in 1870, led by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Porush (who signed this letter) and Shmuel Zanvil Shpitzer, who established ‘The Sha’arei Chessed Society for Constructing Homes in Jerusalem.’ In this letter, the rabbis explain the addition of the word “General” [הכללי] to the institution’s name.
[1] leaf paper, approximately 22×28 cm. Ink on graph paper, scribal script, signed by the gaon Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and another six rabbis, and with gema”ch of Sha’arei Chessed’s stamp.
Moderate-fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks. Tears in the folds, some restored, with slight damage to text.