St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-09-07
JERUSALEM.
Its Inhabitants-A Peep at the Toll
ing Thousands.

Thirty thousand out of the forty tnous-
and people of Jerusalem are Hebrews, and
the Israelites bid fair to again become the
predominant people in Palestine. The
Turkish Government, which has for ages
prohibited them from living longer than
three weeks at a time in the Holy Land, is,
under the influence of the foreign govern
ments, relaxing its restrictions, and at
present they are coming in by the him.
dreds. They are engaging in business and
they now control great part OF the trade
of Jerusalem, Some of them feel that the
day when the prophecy of the Bible that
they shall again inhabit their land shall be
fulfilled and is at hand, and one curious
tribe from Southern Arabia GLAZING to have
received revelation that they must leave
their desert country and come back to Pal
istine. They have lived in Yemen Arabia
for the past $500 years. They are the tribe
of Cad, and they left Palestine 700 years
before Christ was born. They are bringing
with them many valuble old documents
which prove their origin.
Our American Consul, Mr.. Gilman, tells
me that there are about two hundred Amer
lean Hebrews in Jerusalem, and he says
that the great number of immigrants is the
wonder of the people of this part of the
East He says that the removal of the re-
strictions on immigration has taken place
during the past three or four years, and
that when he came here it was the policy
of the foreign governments represented at
Jerusalem to aid the Turks in expelling
the Hebrews. Hewas advised shortly after
his arrival that some Americans were over
staying their three weeks time in Palestine
and was requested 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 negotiations the
American Hebrews were allowed to remain.
Shortly after this the British Consul, under
instructions from the British Minister at
Constantinople took the same grounds, and
| am told that the German and French gov.
ernments have followed suit.
A curious people they are. They are
nearer the type that existed here in the
past, and they have prescribed dress and
their appearance is like that of no other
people of the Orient. The boys and men
wear long coat-like gowns which reach,
without belts, from the neck to the feet
and which show other gowns beneath them
at the front. Their he&us are covered
with cloth or velvet caps bordered with
long brown fur, which stands straight out,
forming q wide fringe about the head.
None shave, and all who can wear long,
boards. Each face is framed in two long
curly locks of hair which come out just in
front of the ears, and in many cases reach
down to the breast, in accordance with an
injunction of the Scriptures stating that
'thou must not mar the corners of thy
beard"
They never cut the hair in front of the
ears, and have seen boys with the whole
of the rest of the head shaved and these
two locks left. They have hair of all col
ors, from black and white to fiery red,
and there are many among them with
boards of silvery whiteness. Jerusalem is
to the elderly Israelite of Europe what
Bernares is to the Hindoo. He hopes to
come here to die, and / am told that many
of t,,pm here believe that if they die in
other lands they will be draggol under
the earth through the globe, from whence
they are laid, until they come out upon
the Mount of Olives. The side of this
mountain is covered with tombstones, and
soil from it is sent to Hebrews in many
parts of the world in order that it may be
put into their collins at burial.
have visited great number of their
houses; whole families live in one cave
about the size of hall bedroom, with no
windows and lighted only by the door at
the front. Both walls and floor are of
stone. There is little furniture to speak
of. There is only bed or two for the
grown people, and the rest of the family
must bunk on the floor. The kitchen is
in most cases little box just high enough
for the woman of the house to stand up
right in, and not more than four feet deep
and three feet wide. At the back of this
there is rude stove of stone for the burn
ing of charcoal, and somewhere in the cat
acombs, which makes up the tenements of
score of families, there is well, which
is the common property of all. On the
door posts of each dwelling, whether it be
of only one room or more, there is tackled
rolled-up strip of white parchment, six
inches long, which contains the name OF
Jehovah and the Ten Commandments, and
every one of the Palestine Hebrews wears
the Commandments tied on his arm under
his coat. In some cases they have philac-
teries for the forehead at time Of worship,
| and most of them are very devout.
Our Consul says there are one hundred
and fifty synagogues in Jerusalem but
these as rule are small, and they are not
so fine as the other churches of the city.
The service is different from that which is
| observed in America, and the women wor-
ship in different room from the men. /
| was in Jerusalem at the time of the cele-
bration of the Passover, and was told
| that the feast is now celebrated much the
same as it was in the days of the past,
save that piece of burnt bone now takes
! the place of the lamb. At this time they
| turned out in holiday attire, and | was
surprised to see rich gowns OF velvet and
silk, of blue, yellow and green, on some
| of the men whom had seen before in lit
| tie more than rags. | attended the syna-
| gogues on the following day and found
| them all full. The rabbits were gorgeously
| clad, and have seldom seen more devou'
congregations. The men were all reading
| Hebrew out loud and in the rooms adjoin-
/ ing found women talking over the Scrip
| lures or listening to the elder women
| among them, who were reading. The
/ rabbis of Jerusalem are not engaged In
/ business.
One of the greatest sights of Jerusalem
/ is the wailing place, where every Friday
certain sects meet on the outside Of the
walls of the Mosque of Omar, which occu
pies the site of Solomon's temple, and will
their heads bent against the stones, sorrow
over the loss Of Jerusalem and pray God u
/ give the land back to his chosen people
1 This custom has been observed since ths
days of the Middle Ages, and it is one Of
the saddest of sights. ! visited it las
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