Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-08-28
IN THE NEW JERUSALEM
TIE CITY ONCE MORE OCCUPIED ~
the CHOSEN PEOPLE.

IRE CITY 1--WE 0OYsG OSSSts>S
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
CAsneo WAssA Dsss Tnhsa ranss = -
msay CRY sa.ss ~ Hsassvs Hsss -
-, - Rseasu, = - Ddhas Osa1nse1
1Asy sAs.lA-ssas Qssss Hah.s&
Thirty shpuunnd out a H. forty thounnd
ppoul. Of Jerusalem ars Hshrsws. snd -
trselites bid fair % again bscoms H. pre
dominant people in Palestine. n Tnrkih
eovsrnmsnf, which has for ages proAihissd
them from living longer than thrss vsn q
Q time in the Holy Land, ID, under he tnan-
ence Of the foreign govsrnmeufA RELAXING IN
restrictions and Ut present they ars coming
bers by the hundredA They are Engaging IN
business and they nov control great part
Of the trade Of jerusalem Some Of them
feel that the day when the prophecy e II
Bible that they shall again inhabit thsls
land shall be fulfilled 10 at hand, and one curl
ous trihe from southern Arabia claims 70
have received . revelation that they must
leave their desert country and come back 70
Palestine They have lived in Yemen Ara
bia for the past !, 500 year& They are Of the
tribe Of Cad, and they leff Palestine 100 yean
uciDtt &1IIss 11S Ah~y ~
with them many valuable old documents
which prove their origin, and not few Of
them are engaged in agriculture near Jeru-
Alaen
CURIOUS PEoPLk
Our American consul, Mr.. Gilman, tell
me that there are about two hundred Amert-
can Hebrews In Jerusalem, and he says thas
the great number Of immigrants 10 the won
der Of the people Of this part of the east. He
says that the removal Of the restrictions on
immigration has taken place during the past
three or four years. and that when be came
here it was the policy Of the foreign govern
ments represented at Jerusalem TO aid thu
Turks in expelling the HebrewA He was ad-
vised shortly after his arrival that some
Americans were overstaying their thres
weeks time In Palestine and he was request
ed 10 direct them to leave He replied that
such action was entirely contrary to the spirit
of our government, which is founded on 70
hgious and race freedom, and after some Nc
gotiations the American Hebrew were al
lowed &c remain. Shortly after this the
British consul, under instructions from the
British minister at Constantinople, took the
same grounds, and l am told that the German
and French governments have followed SUIT
A half century ago there were only thirty
two Israeite families in all Jerusalem and
the number in Palestine was only 5000. Now
there are nearly 5000 in the Holy Land and
three-fourths OF the population Of Jerusalem
is made up Of them.
A curious people they are. They are nearer
the type which existed here in the past, and
they have u prescribed dress and their ap-
pee,rance 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
heads are covered with cloth or velvet caps
bordered with long brown fur which stands
straight out, forming wide fringe about the
head. None shave aud all who can wear
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 breasts, in accordance with an
injunction Of the Scriptures stating that
thou must not mar the corners Of the
beard"
They never cut their 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 colors from
black and white to fiery red, and there are
many among them with boards Of silvery
whitencss. Jerusalem is to the elderly Is
taelite Of Europe what Benares Is to the
Sindoo. He hopes to come here to die, and
am told that n any Of them here believe that
if they die in other lands they will be drag
ged 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 mahy parts
tbat tS
their collins at burial
pEvoUT woRsHIPERs.
have visited great number Of their
houses: whole families live in one cave like
room of 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 a 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 upright In and not more than three
feet Wide and four feet deep At the back Of
this there is a rude stove OF stone for the
burning Of charcoal, and somewhere In the
catacombs, which make up the tenements Of
a score Of families, there is a we'll, which Is
the common property Of all. On the door
one room or more, there is tackled a rolled up
strip Of white parchment six inches long, on
which Is written the name Of Jehovah and
the ten commandments, and every one Of
these Palestine Hebrews wears the COM
mandrnents tied upon his arm under his coat
They have in some cases philacteries for their
foreheads at time Of worship, and most Of
them are very devout.
Our consul says there are $50 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 I'm America, and the women
worship in a different room from the men. !
was in Jerusalem at the time Of the celebrA-
ton Of the Passover, and was told that the
feast Is now celebrated much the same ~ 1t
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 vel
vet and silk, Of blue, yellow and green, on
some Of the men whom had seen before In
little more than rags attended the syna-
gogues on the following day and found them
all full The rabbis were gorgeously clad and
I have seldom seen more devout congrega-
tons. The men were all reading Hebrew out
loud, and in the rooms adjoining | found
women talking over the Scriptures or listening
to the elder women among them who were
reading. The rabbis of Jerusalem are not en-
gagged in business. Some OF them act as judges
and in quarrels the suits are always settled
by them The chief rabbi n now more than
90 years old. He Is . very intelligent and
bright old man and Is highly respected In