Letter signed by the heads of the Chaba”d community in Chevron to Moshe Montefiore, with respect to the gaon Rabbi Natan Amram’s mission for the benefit of Chevron’s Jews.
In their letter, the leaders of the community recount their bitter fate of the great distress being wrought on Chevron’s Jews by the tyrannical governors and the pogroms carried out against the Jews. They murdered and tortured; they looted and plundered all the Jews’ property; they burned and plundered the synagogues and tore Torah scrolls.
The first founders of the Chaba”d settlement in Chevron signed on this letter.
Rabbi Moshe Meislish of Vilna was one of the leaders of the Vilna community and followers of the GR”A. When he was yet young, he authored Shirat Moshe (Shklov 1788) on the 613 mitzvahs, after hearing from the GR”A that they are all hinted at in Shirat Ha’azinu. After the GR”A’s passing, he drew close to Chassidut and suffered persecution as a result. The Ba’al HaTanya, in his letter to him, implores him to be among those who are insulted but do not insult in return. He was one of the founders of the Chaba”d settlement in Chevron in 1822 and filled an important role as one of the leaders of the Chassidic settlement in the Land of Israel ( Sefer Chevron pp. 148-150).
Rabbi Shmuel bar Mordechai Segal, halachic instructor of Rohaczów, was one of the earliest settlers among the Chaba”d Chassidim in Chevron and apparently also one of their leaders (ibid, pp. 134).
Rabbi Binyamin Beinush bar Moshe was a grandson of the emissary Rabbi Yisrael of Plozsk. He was also one of the earliest settlers in Chevron (ibid, pp. 124).
Rabbi Menachem Aryeh bar Shmuel HaLevi was a son of the above Rabbi Shmuel Segal (ibid, pp. 127).
Rabbi Yehudah Leib bar Zev Wolf Senar was among the elders of the settlers in Chevron.”Appointed to the Holy City of Chevron” (ibid, pp. 136).
Rabbi Shimon Schmerling of Shklov (ibid, pp. 140).
Rabbi Moshe Chaim bar Dovber (ibid, pp. 134).
[1] leaf paper 26×19 cm; moderate condition. Worming damage. [Also refer to Toldot Chaba”d B’Eretz HaKodesh chapter 12]