Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-09-27
In THE NEW JERUSALEM.
THE CITY ONCE MORE OCCUPIED BY
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.

THE CITY ONCE MORE OCCUPIED BY
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
Changes Which Have Taken Place in the
Holy City Since the Hebrews Have Be-
gun to Return, as the Bible Declared
They S!iould-Some Queer Habits.
Thirty thousand out of the forty thousand
people of Jerusalem are Hebrews, and the
Israelites bid fair to again become the pre-
dominant 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 indu-
ence of the foreign governments, relaxing its
restrictions and at present they are coming
here by the hundreds 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 is at hand, and one curl
Gus tribe from southern Arabia claims to
have received a revelation that they must
leave their desert country and come back to
Palestine. They have lived in Yemen Ara
bia for the past $500 years. They are of the
tribe of Cad, and they left Palestine 700 years
before Christ was born. They are bringing
with them many valuable old documents
which prove their origin, and not few of
them are engaged in agriculture near Jeru-
salem.
A CURIOUS PEOPLE.
Our American consul, Mr. Gilman, tells
ME that there are about two hundred Ameri-
can Hebrews in Jerusalem, and he says that
the great number of immigrants is 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 he came
here it was the policy of the foreign govern
ments represented at Jerusalem to aid the
Turks in expelling the Hebrews. He was adj
yised shortly after his arrival that some
Americans were overstaying their three
weeks time in Palestine and he was request
ed to direct them to leave. He replied that
such action was entirely contrary to the spirit
of our government, which is founded Oh re
ligious and race freedom, and after some ne
gotiations the American Hebrews were al
lowed 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 governments have followed suit.
A half century ago there were only thirty
two Israelite families in all Jerusalem and
the number in Palestine was only 5000. Now
there are nearly $4,000 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 a prescribed dress and their APP
pearance 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 and 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
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
whiteness. Jerusalem is to the elderly Is
raelite of Europe what Benares is to the
Hindoo. He hopes to come here to die, and
am told that many 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 many parts
of the world in order that it may be put into
their collins at burial.
DEvoUT WoRsHIPERS.
l have visited a great number of their
houses; whole families live in one cave like q
room of the size of hall bedroom with nc
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 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 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 uI
strip of white parchment six inches long, OIL
which is written the name of Jehovah and
the ten commandments, and every one Of
these Palestine Hebrews wears the com
mandments tied upon his arm under his coat
They have in some cases philacteries for theii
foreheads at time of worship, and most OF
them are very devout.
Our consul says there are $50 synagogues il
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
worship in 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 as il
was in the days of the past, save that a 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, or
little more than rags. l attended the syna
gogues on the following day and found then
all full The rabbis were gorgeously clad ane
have seldom seen more devout congrega
tons. The men were all reading Hebrew ou
loud, and in the rooms adjoining l fount
women talking over the Scriptures or listening
to the elder women among them who were
reading. The rabbis of Jerusalem are not Ell
gagged in business Some of them act as judge
and in quarrels the suits are always settled
by them. The chief rabbi is now more thar
80 years old. He is very intelligent and
bright old man and is highly respected il
Observation-Disclosures G. Carpenter.
Used Her Scepter for a Club.
Actors nowadays have no notion whatever
of the mental activity needed by those who
made an Indifferent living at the calling
quarter of a century ago. Then the study O
a part a week was a mere nothing. JOIN
Webster was telling the story the other day
of having To stl1dv Archibald CarIvle il