"Shelom Yerushalayim" by Rabbi Judah Alkalai - Ofen, 1840 - Reference to the Damascus Blood Libel - Ladino

"The book Shelom Yerushalayim [Peace of Jerusalem], In which I Respond to Those who Mocked what is Written in my Book Darchei Noam [Pleasant Paths], printed in the city of Bilogrado [Belgrade]", by Rabbi Judah Alkalai. Ofen (today Budapest), [1840]. Ladino (in Rashi script). "Shelom Yerushalayim" [Peace of Jerusalem] by Rabbi Judah ben Solomon Chai Alkalai (1798-1878), rabbi and writer, one of the precursors of Zionism in the 19th century. The greater part of the work is dedicated to hints and evidence from the Bible regarding the salvation that is at hand, and is to begin in the year 1840. Throughout the book the author responds to the mockery voiced against similar writings in the introduction to his work "Darchei Noam". The book also contains in the introduction a first reference on Alkalai's part to the Damascus Blood Libel, which occurred in the same year. Rabbi Alkalai was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, studied the Torah with his father who was a dayan in the Sarajevo community and with Rabbi Eliezer Papo, author of the "Pele Yoetz". At 27 he was appointed rabbi of the Sephardic community in Semlin (today part of Belgrade), where he also served as a melamed (for which position he wrote his first book, "Darchei Noam", for the instruction of Hebrew). In 1840, following the Damascus Blood Libel, he began to consolidate a plan for solving the problem of the Jewish Exile, based on immigration to Palestine. He disseminated his doctrine regarding settlement in Palestine in various works, and on trips he took to different communities throughout Europe. In his book "Goral la-Adonai" (A Lot for the Lord) he presented a detailed political-Zionist plan for establishing a home for the Jewish people in Palestine [this book, which was certainly familiar to Theodor Herzl since his father had been a pupil of Rabbi Alkalai, greatly influenced Herzl's conceptions and the writing of "The Jewish State"]. Rabbi Alkalai died in 1878, four years after immigrating to Palestine. 10 pp, 102 leaves, 18.5 cm. Good condition. Original leather binding. Stains and creases. Some pen inscriptions. Tears to binding.