Obj. ID: 49018
  Ephemera  Ktav Shadar, Tiberias, 1901

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, religious establishments in Eretz Israel were dependent on contributions from abroad for their survival. Such institutions included Yeshivas, Orphanages, Soup Kitchens, Traveler Hostels, Hospitals and a variety of other organizations, both large and small. To raise money emissaries were sent from Eretz Israel to visit Jewish communities abroad, to solicit contributions, and to bring the money back. In order to assure the donors that the requests were legitimate, emissary letters – Ktavei Shadar in Hebrew – were prepared and signed by the Rabbis and directors of these institutions. Such documents were both hand-written and printed in great variety.

This is the second of emissaary letters in the Gross Family Collection made for Raphael Chaim Yaluz of Tiberias. He was sent frequently abroad to collect funds. This trip was to include Buchara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Kokand, Dagestan and Gorgistan, a journey that must have lasted a minimum of several months. It is signed by 7 Rabbis and stamped with the seal of 4 institutions, much like the earlier one for the same emmissary, Gross Family Collection 057.011.033.