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From that date the position of the Jews has become worse
and worse; they have been persecuted by all around them, particularly by
the Catholic Armenians, who are under the protection of the French
government. The Jews are without influence, and deprived of all
protection.
It is true that they occupy the same position as the
other Rajahs,--for the Turks despise all Rajahs,--but there is this
essential difference:--Christian governments are interested in the
Christian Rajahs; the Greek, the Armenian will ever find a protector;
but to whom shall the poor Hebrew look? who will watch over his
interests?
As soon as you deprive one of the right of protection,
you expose him to attacks from every quarter. The Jews do not suffer so
much indignity from the Turks, as from the idle Europeans and the
Christian Rajahs, to whose insults and mockery they are ever subject.
Even in passing through the streets they are annoyed by them. The yoke
they have so long been obliged to bear has destroyed their powers of
resistance, and imbued their enemies with the most daring effrontery.
The "hatti sheriff" promises protection to the Jew; but while
the dauntless Christian will demand his rights, the shrinking Jew will
suffer without pleading for relief. He has lost even the feeling that
would make him conscious of his abjectness, and has not the energy to
arouse himself from his sad state.
to the manner of estimating the population in that
country, there are about 60,000 Jews in Constantinople; they reside in
distinct quarters of the city, mingling but little with the other
inhabitants. Their houses are easily recognised by their old appearance,
their broken panes of glass, and the linen that is ever hanging before
the windows. Fires being of such common occurrence, they make up but few
linen garments at a time, and thus are ever washing and drying them; but
the other inhabitants hang theirs before their doors.
The Oriental Jew is quite a different being on the
Sabbath day, from what he appears at other times. He then seems to rise
above his degradation, and to assert the dignity of his national pride;
his countenance appears cheerful; he is clothed in clean garments; his
house is in order, and all around him looks bright and joyous. It would
be pleasing to associate with him on that day; but on his Sabbath he
leaves hot his home--he remains in his house, and no one knows him as he
then is. It is unfortunate that such should be the case; for the Jew and
Jewess of the East, thus known, would be very differently appreciated.
When the Sabbath is over, the Jew sinks back into
sadness, and before the next day all traces of brightness have passed
away; the women look careless and dirty as well as the men; and if you
ask them why they are not more neat, their only answer is, "Our
fathers, according to tradition, did not change their clothes while in
Egypt; then why should we here?"
Among the 60,000 Jews of Constantinople, there are
artisans of every description, and every thing required by the Jews is
made by them. There are some few trades in which they particularly
excel; such as the art of cutting on stones and of polishing glass.
Among them are carpenters, masons, bakers, &c. Many of them are
employed by Christian merchants as brokers; they are very able and
adroit in that capacity, and without their aid the Christians would be
sadly at a loss. They sell provisions, and deal in almost every species
of merchandise. The Jews are obliged to wear blue shoes, while the
Greeks wear black, the Armenians red; the Turks alone wearing yellow. In
order times they wore "kalpaks," but as they are very dear,
the rabbis only wear them. They have also a head-dress called fesz. They
are obliged to wear dark clothes.
The dress of the women is very ugly and slovenly. They
are seen in their slippers walking through the streets, talking loudly
in a sort of corrupt Spanish, interlarded with scraps of other
languages, particularly the Hebrew.
All the Jews of Constantinople are under the control of
a Grand Rabbi, (Chacham Bashi,) who, to distinguish him from other
rabbis, is called "Chacham Hakolel." He represents the whole
nation at the Ottoman Porte, receives the capitation tax, and is judge
in all the civil and religious controversies of the Jews. The Christians
even, in their quarrels with the Jews, always refer to him, this
functionary having, for ages past, enjoyed a character of strict
impartiality in all his decisions; his verdict is irrevocable; he has
the power to order the infliction of the bastinado, but not to pronounce
a sentence of death.
Government allows him two soldiers to execute his
commands; he may ask for more assistance, if it be required. He enjoys
the privileges of the other functionaries of the country, and stands on
the same footing as the patriarchs of the other Rajahs. In council his
place is above theirs, and the pipe is first offers to him; a courtesy
highly appreciated among Eastern nations. He is assisted by a sanhedrin
of rabbis, who, however, have only a deliberative voice. It must not be
presumed that the Grand Rabbi is always chosen as being the most
intelligent and the most pious. When he is to be elected, the
representatives of the different communities (each quarter has a
community) assemble to elect him, and their choice is generally approved
by the Porte. The other Rajahs have a political influence, and in the
election of their patriarchs disputes and cabals often occur,
particularly among the ambassadors of foreign powers. But not so in the
election of the Grand Rabbi. The representatives generally choose a man
whom they think they can influence; they even exact a promise of him to
that effect. If he should afterwards refuse complying with it, an
application for his dismissal from office can easily be made, and will
be most generally complied with. The Grand Rabbi does not receive a very
large salary, it being only about 500 francs; but he gets many presents.
He has the power of excommunicating, and of relieving from a sentence of
excommunication; he cannot interfere with the "shechita," or
prescribed manner of killing animals, nor with the marriage rite. But
politically and judicially he has unlimited power. Unhappy is the Jew
who neglects any of his religious observances; he cannot hope to escape
the bastinado.
(To
be continued.) |
