Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-11
RETAINING THE HOLY CITY.
The Jews Are Again Establishing
Themselves in Jerusalem
SORROW AT soLoMoN's TEMPLE,
The waiIing Place and the Pathetic
Chants Heard There Queer
Dress and Customs "A
Real Estate Boom
Gaining Their Own.

tRVpHf'
JERUSALEM, July IL, 1Ss9.-tSpecial TO The
BEE. Thirty thousand out of the forty
thousand people in Jerusalem are Jews, and
the Israelites bid fair 10 again become the
predominant people in Palestine. The Turk
ish government which has for ages pro-
hibitcd them from living longer than three
weeks at a time in the holy land, is under
the influence Of the foreign government, re-
Taxing its restrictions, and at present tho
Jews are coming here by the hundreds.
They are engaging in business and they now
control a great part of the trade of der
usalem Some of them feel that the day
when the prophecy of the Bible that they
shall again inhabit their land shall DO full
filed is at hand, aud one curious tribe from
southern Arabia claims to have received a
revelation that they must desert their desert
country and
CONN BACK TO PALESTINE.
These Jews have lived in Yemen Arabia
for the past twenty-five hundred years.
They are Of the tribe Of Cad, and they left
Palestine seven hundred years before Christ
was born. They are bringing with them
m any valuable old documents which prove
their origin, and not a lew of them are en-
gagged In agriculture near Jerusalem. The
pSIseCutIUh VI but boWS ia JtuSoln dAu huS
tria is driving many OF them here, and there
are large numbers of Polish and Spanish
Jews in Jerusalem. Our American consul,
MIR. Gilman, tells me that there are about
two hundred American Jews in Jerusalem,
and he says that the great number Of Jewish
immigrants Is the wonder of the people OF
this part Of the east. He says that the re-
moval Of the restrictions on Jewish immi-
grafton has taken place during the past
three or four years, and that when he came
here it was the policy Of the foreign govern
ments represented at Jerusalem to all the
Turks in expelling the Jews. He was adj
vised shortly after his arrival that some
American Jews were overstaying their
three weeks time in Palestine and was re-
quested to direct them to leave. He replied
that such action was entirely contrary to the
spirit of our government which Is founded
on religious and race freedom, and after
some negotiation the American Jews were
allowed to remain. Shortly after this the
British consul under instructions from the
British minister at Constantinople took the
same grounds, Ind l am told the German
and the French governments have folio wed
suit The time of Jews remaining in Pales-
tine has been extended and the restrictions
upon their residence in Jerusalem have been
practically removed. A half century ago
there were only thirty-two Jewish families
in all Jerusalem and the number in Pales-
tine was only 5000. Now there are
YEARLY FIFTY UsAND
IN the holy land and three-fourths of the
population of Jerusalem is made up of them.
A curious people they arel Like no other
Jews on The face OF the earth. They are
nearer the type which existed here in the
past and they AVE a prescribed dress and
their appearance is like that of no other
pcople of the orient. The boys int
men wear long coat-hke gowns which reach
without belts from the neck to the feet. and
which show other gowns. beneath them at
the front. Their heads are covered with
cloth or velvet caps, bordered with long
brown fur which stands straight out, form
ing o wide fringe about the head. None
sh ave. and all who can wear boards. Each
face is framed in two 10 ng curly locks of
HAIR. which come out just in froptot the ears,
and in some cases reach down TO the breasts,
in accordance with an injunction Of the
scriptures stating that thou must not mar
the corners of thy beard" The Jews here
never cut their hair in front OF the ears, and
I have seen boys with the whole of the rest
Of the head shaved and these two locks left.
These Jerusalem jews have fine faces with
the olive complexion, which ID common TO
their race the world over. they have halr
Of all colors, from black and white to q
fiery red, and there are many among them
with boards of silver wniteness. Jerusalem
ID TO the elderly Jew of Europe what
Benares is to the Hindoo. He hopes to
CONF HERE TO DE-.
and I am told that many Of the Jews here
nave q belief that il they dio in. other lands
they will be dragged under the earth through
the globe from whence they are Land until
they come out upon the Mount Of Olives.
The side of this mountain is covered with
Jewish tombstones and soil from it is sent to
Jews IN many parts of the world in order
that it may be put into their collins ut burial.
u number of the American Jew here
are old men. Few of them, however, ara Of
American birth and very few speak English.
They have acquired IN some way q citizen
ship in America. But they are not of the
high class Of their race IN our country.
Among them are some old men who have
gone out of business, or have given their
business over to their sons and who live here
upon an allowance from them. One of these
men came to our consul the other day and
asked If there was not some way in which
he could leave the property which
he had in Jerusalem to found a synagogle.
HA was u very dirty, ragged looking old
man, and the consul was surprised at the
question. Upon inquiry he said that he
owned SIX good houses in Jerusalem, and
that he had saved enough to buy these out
Of an allowance OF a thousand dollars q
year, which his sons in New York had been
sending him.
The Jews of Jerusalem rave manly pau
pers among them, and their condition. is
worse Z han that of any of their race the
world over. The number who have been
forced here by persecution are supported
almost entirely by the different Jewish
churches over the world and the numbers
of different denominations Of Jews and
christians who arc SO supported has made
Jerusalem
A CITY OF MBNDICANTS-
At certain hours Of the day bread is given
away ut cartain places, and the people come
to these in crowds. The LEWIS themselves in
the fewest cases change their religion,
but the different denominations of begging
christians move about from church to
church as the supplies rise or fall, Just as
the bad boy changes his Sunday school &C.
cording TO the prospects of presents at time
of Christmas. Such giving has made JJrru-
salem a hot-bed for the propagation of beg
CARS and this is true Of 5tner people than the
Jews The n.mUer of aims takers among
them has made the Jerusalem Jews, as a
class, regardless of their personal appearance
and they live in dirt and soualor. / have
visited a great number OF their houses
whole families live in one cave like a room of
the size of a hall bedroom, with no windows.