Bidspirit auction | Letter by Rabbi Shmuel Salant

Letter by Rabbi Shmuel Salant regarding the House of the Baron Rothschild in Jerusalem and Personal and Family Matters - Rare! - Letter by Rabbi Shmuel Salant, the rabbi of Jerusalem, to the rabbis and activists of the Jewish community of Amsterdam. Jerusalem, 1890. The letter is handwritten by the secretary and hand-signed by Rabbi Shmuel Salant. It is possible that there are several additional words in his handwriting. At the beginning of the letter, Rabbi Shmuel Salant describes donations that have been sent by Jews abroad to the Jews of the Land of israel. Among others, he describes the donations transferred by Rabbi Avraham Yosef Broda of Karlsruhe, the brother of the ”Alter of Kelm”. Most of the letter is dedicated to Rabbi Shmuel Salant's description of his activity regarding ”the house of the Baron”, and among other he notes: ”when summer arrives, it is likely that I will be there for a few hours a day”, to study (as is indicated later, when he refers to ”a desk and bench I have there”). ”The house of the baron” is the ”Rothschild House” - a building which is part of Batei Machaseh in the Old City of Jerusalem, whose building was financed by Baron Shimon Ze'ev (Wilhelm Carl) de Rothschild of Frankfurt, who was a religious Jew called ”the Pious Baron”. The building is named after the Baron and its front bears the coat of arms of the Rothschild family. The building was built to house poor Torah scholars. In his lifetime, the Baron himself used to supervise the giving of the building, as is indicated by the letter before us. The building still stands in the Old City. At the end of the letter, Rabbi Salant asks help in finding lodgings for ”my dear grandson”. He is most likely referring to an additional apartment in Batei Machaseh, which were under the responsibility of the Baron. Therefore, he qualifies his request: ”Indeed, the bidding of the Baron is what will be done”. Handwritten signature of Rabbi Shmuel Salant and his stamp. Two short additions in a different handwriting (maybe Rabbi Salant's?) It is extremely rare to find letters by rabbi Salant dealing with his personal matters. In the letter before us, he speaks of where he studies and his desk and bench in the Rothschild House as well as of finding lodgings for his grandson. 23x13 cm. Condition: Very Good.