The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-27

ism and duebrism. or IRE worship. has ceased
TO be a proselytIsInR creed. Burton reports
that, as regards tribal distinctions, judah and
Levi are everywhere known among the tribes
Of Palestine. while Benjamin. Ephraim and Hall
Manasseh are spoken OF. and. apparently, have
| some representatives. Tradition declares that
Asher exists in Abyssinia with Karalte pecu-
l~iarities. Many Of the Palesttnian jews do not
believe that the Ten Tribes were ever lost.
What happened. they say. WAS simply this, that
after they were carried away captive by the
Assyrlans their faith became all but extinct, and
they became mixed with neighborlng peoples
to such an extent that IL was aterward impos-
sible to separate them.
The Sephnrdim are, for the most part, de-
scendants OF Spanish and Portuguese ancestors
throughout the Levant and the North African
coasts they speak Spanish and read and write
Il in their own characters. Those Of the Moroc-
can interior, on the other hand. use Arabic.
The dress OF the Sephardim is Oriental, and In
the Holy Land they still wear the black turban
ordained by the sumptuary laws Of I'll Hakim.
about A. d. 1000. In physical appearance they
are described by Burton as somewhat more
progressing than the Ashkenazim. who as
early dc 1859 were beginning to outnumber
InGm ~ Syria anu it'NN aNV
ever. the Sephardim retained their ascend
ancy; the Hakhan Bashi. or chief doctor, is
the only Jewish functionary recognized
by the Turkish Government: he repre-
sents the Jewish community In the Malls,
or town council. In all matters which come be-
fore the Mohammedan tribunals the Ashkena-
zim Jew must be supported by the Hakhan
Bashi. while the Jewish doctors hear and de-
eide all cases relating to the internal affairs OF
the community. Many OF the Sephardim are
shopkeepers. trading chiefly In stuns and hard
ware. There are many minor differences be-
tween them and the Ashkenazim. such as the
contents and the arrangement OF their ritual.
the constitution OF their meetings. the mode of
reading the service. their music and even their
cursive forms OF the square Hebrew character.
1t seems that. while the Maghrabis. or Western
Jews. living chiefly In northwestern Africa,
rank elsewhere as Sephardim. yet at Jerusa-
lem they are considered q separate sect. and
have their own chief doctor.
The Ashk enaEim. or northern Jews. derive
their name from Ashkenaz. son OF Conner. and
grandson Of Japhet, who 10 supposed to have
peopled. in chronological succession. Armenia.
Poland. Germany. and Scandinavia. The Ash
kenazim claim descent from Benjamin. and
are ReDeTdlly BuppOb0u uOJ uhNo uCou pEcS-
emit at the second building of the Temple by
Zorobabel tB. @. 500. described In the Book OF
Ezra. 1t seems that the Ashkenazim of the
Holy Land are chiefly Germans. Poles. Musco-
vites. and other northerners. On Jan. 20. 1849.
an order from the Russian Consulate General
OF Beyrout directed all Jewish subjects Of
the Car either to return home biennially. In
order to renew their passports, or to give up
their nationality. They we're then taken under
the wing OF Great Britain. through the exer-
lions OF their co-religlonists In the City OF
Refuge" uondon). The Ashkenazim speak a
kind OF Jew-German. garbled with Hebrew
aud other foreign words. Their garb is q long
robe. like q dressing gown. and q low-crowned
hat of felt or beaver: q lank love-lock hangs
down either cheek. Despite the burning sun.
they always don for the Sabbath and for
peace days eccentrically clipped fur caps. In
the Holy Land they are mostly petty traders
and craftsmen. supported In part by the Hal
lorkah. or regularly organized system of aims
giving. Many European and American Jews
who have neither the time nor the wish to visit
Jerusalem pay considerable sums for vicar-
GUS prayers to be there offered, and contribu-
lions for the purpose are collected by emissa-
ries who discharge q function similar to that
OF the begging friars in the Catholic world.
According to Burton this dole. distributed in
Discriminatory among all who occupy the four
holy cities. brings together many idle and
worthless persons and promotes early and i'm
provident marriages. Burton also alleges that
much OF the money collected is detainedin the
hands of the doctors to whom It is transmitted
for distribution 80 that the almsgiving OF the Is
r~aelites. although exceptionally lavish at its
European sources. becomes niggardly by the
time it reaches the intended beneiciaries In
the Holy Land. The author of,this paper al
leges that. in the absence Of coins sufficiently
small, the rich Hebrews OF Jerusalem have in
vented a system OF tin bits which the mendi-
can't must collect until they are sufficiently nu-
merous to be changed for legal currency.
The Ashkenazim In Palestine and through
out Syria are divided into religious sects and
social communities. The sects are three in
number. namely. Parushim. Khasidim and
Khabad. The Parushim (Pharisees or Sepa-
~ratists) follow the law as 1t is laid down in the
commentary OF 4 celebrated rabbi OF wilma.
They consider the dil:gent study Of the Talmud
indispensable for every religious Jew. and they
conduct their liturgy according to it. They
strictly observe the appointed times for prayer.
but they neglect the second pair Of phylac-
teries. They do not hold il unlawful to slaugh-
ter animals for food with a knife that Is not
very sharp. provided the edge has no notches.
They regard a Passover cake as lawful. even
though 1t be made or any kind OF Hour.
The Khasidim tCabalists). the most fanat-
zeal Of Jewish sects. are in Palestine. for the
most part. unlearned. Their liturgy is that
prescribed by M~aimonides. Unlike the Pa
rushim they believe in certain Sadikim. or
righteous men popularity called Cute Yaden.
and regard them with a superstitious venera-
ton. attrlbuting to them supernatural powers
and attaching spiritual and symbolic meaning
to their most trivial actions. While protesting
to be guided only by the Talmud, they in reali-
ty follow the teaching Of some chosen Gutter
Yade. The Khasidim are particular in the OBJ
servance OF Jewish customs. especially such as
relate to the Sabbath. They dip themselves In
water before devotion use the second pair of
phylacteries. deem 1t unlawful to slaughter
animals with q knife which is not very sharp
or to use any but a particular kind OF wheat
for the Passover cake. Much importance is
attached by this sect to works OF charity;
in this particular they are guided by the
strong hand" OF Maimonides. who assigns
eight steps or grades to the golden ladder Of
charity. TIL Parushim and Khasidim are
found combined in various proportions at diff
l. 4 II. = ma