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Letters from the Rabbis of Jerusalem to the Barons of the Rothschild Family Against Forced Secular Education in the Agricultural Settlements by the ”Bnei Moshe” Movement - 1897 - Two important and interesting letters (probably original drafts) which were sent to the Barons Rothschild, regarding forcing secular education on the children of the agricultural settlements. a. A letter from the rabbis of Jerusalem to ”The Righteous Prince” Rabbi Shimon Wolf, Baron Rothschild. In the letter the writers give thanks for the great assistance of his son-in-law, Baron Edmund de-Rothschild, in founding the agricultural settlements and the charity institutions in Israel. With this, ”we cannot ignore the damage which will be caused by the helpers and the clerks who will give themselves permission to get involved in the education of the children of the agricultural settlements by force” with secular education. The writers describe that the members of the agricultural settlements want to educate their children ”on the knees of the Judaism which our fathers passed on to us, and not on the knees of new Judaism which was invented by those who break away from our nation, who joined together as one group called ”Bnei Moshe” [which was founded by Echad Ha'am]”. The parents are going without bread in order to pay for private tutors who have fear of Heaven to teach their children Torah. The writers complain that ”the clerk of Mosheva Petach Tikva threatened the colonists that if they do not send their private tutors away and send their children to the school - he will withhold their wages”. The attempts of important rabbis to broker a compromise did not succeed. 22x28cm. One page written on both sides. Condition: Very Good. Folding signs. b. A letter of encouragement which the rabbis of Jerusalem sent to Baron Edmund de Rothschild. ”We know that all he desires is to strengthen the pillars of Torah and religion…so he expressed verbally and showed in practice”. The rabbis tell about the upsetting rumor, that the condition of the schools in the agricultural settlements is not religiously satisfactory, and they describe how the Baron's clerks are forcing the settlers to send their children to school, and not to hire private tutors to teach them Torah. Without a date. From the content and style of the letter it seems that it was sent in 1897, in the period that the letter above was sent to Baron Shimon Wolf Rothschild. 22x28cm. Condition: Very Good. Folding signs. Catalog Previous item Next item