Letter and Document Testifying to the Demise of a Jew in Safed (Father of a Russian Jew Wishing to Immigrate to ...

Letter and Document Testifying to the Demise of a Jew in Safed (Father of a Russian Jew Wishing to Immigrate to Eretz Israel) - Signed by the Sephardi Rabbis of Safed and Rabbi Shmuel Heller
Document attesting to the passing of a Jew in Safed, with an interesting letter regarding his son, a Russian citizen wishing to immigrate to Eretz Israel, signed by the Sephardi rabbis of Safed and R. Shmuel Heller. Safed, 1882. This document is written in Arabic and bears the signatures of the rabbis of Safed: R. Shmuel Heller and R. Yaakov Abbo (with the stamps of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Batei Din), and other signatories (three Ashkenazic signatures: "Ze'ev Tzof—", "Elazar Reis", "Shoel - Fränkel", and two Sephardic signatures: "Maimon Jian" - secretary of the Kollel of Safed and "Yaakov Yosef Afriat"). This document contains a testimony regarding a Jew named Petachia Deyote from Mohilev (Mogilev) who passed away in Safed, authenticated and signed by the rabbis. Attached to the document is a letter by Safed rabbis, R. Shlomo Hazan, R. Yehuda Shabtai Refael Antebi and R. Mordechai Maman, with their calligraphic signatures. The letter is addressed to Avraham Leon, Vice-Consul of the Netherlands in Haifa, requesting he authenticate the signatures of the rabbis in the enclosed document before the consular agent of Russia. They write that the son of the deceased wishes to immigrate to Eretz Israel, yet is unable to sell his father's house in Mohilev without a legalized confirmation of his father's death in Safed. Vice-Consul Avraham Leon's authentication of the signatures in French is inscribed in the lower part of the letter, followed by a further authentication by the consular agent of Russia. R. Shmuel Heller (1786-1884, Otzar HaRabbanim 19134). A leading Torah scholar, well-versed in secular wisdoms and a physician, he was raised in the home of the Chozeh of Lublin and immigrated to Eretz Israel upon his advice. He served as rabbi of Safed for sixty years (see: HaRav HaManhig VehaRofeh, Safed 1989 for his biography and the history of the Safed settlement). R. Yaakov Hai Abbo (1852-1900), leader of the Sephardi community in Safed for decades. He served as honorary consul of Safed, and is also mentioned as such in the letter. Letter + document, attached to each other. Height of the letter: 29 cm. Height of the document: 39 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Folding marks. Many tears to the folding marks (slightly affecting text in several places), repaired on the verso of the leaf.