Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
![Seal of R. Moses ibn Na'aman. Spain, [ca. 14th century].
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: "](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/1_1.jpg "Seal of Moses Ibn Na'aman – Spain, 14th Century")
![Seal of R. Moses ibn Na'aman. Spain, [ca. 14th century].
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: "](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/1_2.jpg "Seal of Moses Ibn Na'aman – Spain, 14th Century")
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: "Moshe bar [son of] Yosef, may he rest in Eden, ibn Na'aman." The inscription encircles an ornament consisting of a flower, a star, and a crescent. Star-and-crescent emblems appear on other contemporary seals; they derive from the Roman Empire and the regions of Germany and France.
The name "ibn Na'aman" also appears frequently in documents from the 12th and 13th centuries found in the Cairo Geniza (see, for example, item no. T-S 10J8.3 of the Princeton Geniza Project database). The occurrence of the name Na'aman in medieval Spain is mentioned in the article by Lidia Becker, "Names of Jews in Medieval Navarre (13th-14th centuries)" (see enclosed material). For additional information regarding medieval Spanish-Jewish seals and similar items, see: Daniel M. Friedenberg, "Medieval Jewish Seals from Europe, " Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1987, pp. 121-43
See also next item.
Diameter: 2.5 cm.
Enclosed: Analysis report from the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, the University of Tübingen (analysis of the corrosion).
![Seal of R. Benvenisti Alguandul. Spain, [ca. 14th century].
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: &qu](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/2_1.jpg "Seal of Benvenisti Alguandul – Spain, 14th Century")
![Seal of R. Benvenisti Alguandul. Spain, [ca. 14th century].
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: &qu](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/2_2.jpg "Seal of Benvenisti Alguandul – Spain, 14th Century")
Bronze, cast and engraved.
Engraved (Hebrew) inscription: "Benvenist[i] bar [son of] Moshe, may he rest in Eden, Alguandul, " in clear letters. The inscription encircles an ornament consisting of a tower and two stars.
The name "Benvenisti, " known today mostly as a surname, also served in some regions as a given name during certain periods (see, for example, Daniel M. Friedenberg, "Medieval Jewish Seals from Europe, " Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1987, pp. 78, 134). The name "Alguandul" is found in the Sephardi name database at Sephardicgen.com, citing Gemma Escribà and Raquel Ibáñez-Sperber, "The Tortosa disputation: regesta of documents from the Archivo de la Corona de Aragon, Fernando I, 1412-1416." (Jerusalem, 1998).
The tower motif also appears on a 14th-century seal of the Jewish community of Seville ("Isbilya"), a prominent Jewish center in Andalusia (see the British Museum, collection item no. OA.1566; and "Medieval Jewish Seals from Europe", p. 133).
See also previous item.
Diameter: 2.5 cm.
Enclosed: Analysis report from the Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, the University of Tübingen (analysis of the corrosion).
Silver (fully marked; maker: Pieter Mourits), cast, repoussé, punched, and engraved; gilt.
Massive and majestic pair of Torah finials, in architectural style characteristic of finials associated with the community of Dutch Jews of Portuguese origin.
Tall, wide, cylindrical shafts, surmounted by a pair of horizontal gadrooned rings. The upper ring is in turn surmounted by a hexagonal knop, decorated with acanthus leaves and pierced with oves. Body consists of three tiers, each with six bell-hung openings, decorated in vegetal patterns. Lower tier with stylized dolphin-like ribs between openings, with bells hanging from rings created by their curving tails. A single bell – the largest – is suspended in the interior of the lower tier. Middle tier openings separated by scrolling arches with baluster finials. Both surmounted by gilt crown knops, in turn surmounted by baluster finials.
This meticulously designed and crafted pair of finials is adorned with a sum total of 50 bells in different sizes. Together, when shaken, they chime harmoniously.
No other objects of Judaica are known to have been produced by silversmith Pieter Mourits, and it is possible that this pair of finials is the only such work he ever created.
For a similar pair of Torah finials, made in 1705 by silversmith Pieter van Hoven, see: Mirjam Alexander-Knotter, "Gifts from the Heart, Ceremonial Objects from the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam, " 2004, item no. 12.
Height: 43 cm. Weight: 4.36 kg.
Provenance: Purchased in 1965, directly from the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue of Antwerp, Belgium.
Enclosed: Report with a detailed account of the condition of the finials and an analysis of the quality of the silver.
Silver (fully marked, unidentified maker), cast, repoussé and engraved; gilt.
Each finial has bells suspended from gracefully curving tendrils. Body surmounted by openwork crown, in turn surmounted by bud-shaped knop. Engraved inscription (in Latin letters) on both shafts: "YYS."
Dutch Torah finials of this particular type are known in Judeo-Dutch as "Tilrimonim" (i.e., "finials to be raised up high"). This local moniker is meant to distinguish them from another type of Dutch Torah finial, of the tower-shaped variety, which is typically massive and weighty. The "Tilrimonim", which are always small and lightweight, were used in Dutch Jewish communities of Portuguese origin for the ritual of raising the Torah scroll up high in order to display the inscribed parchment to the congregants, prior to the reading of the Torah.
Height: 29 cm. One bell missing. Loss to gilding.
Provenance: The Mozes Heiman Gans Collection, Amsterdam.
Silver (fully marked; unidentified maker), cast and engraved.
Dutch Torah pointer. Hexagonal upper section with six scalloped ribs, ending with a spherical knop. The lower part of the pointer is cylindrical and smooth, tapering towards the cuff. Clenched hand, with a long, extended index finger.
A pointer with a similar design made in Amsterdam in 1818 is listed by Rafi Grafman, "Crowning Glory, Silver Torah Ornaments of the Jewish Museum, " New York, item 858.
Length: 23 cm.
![Torah crown. Rotterdam, the Netherlands, [early 20th century], dedicatory inscription dated 1910/1911.
Silver (marked; make](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/6_1.jpg "Impressive Torah Crown – Lions and Tablets of the Law – Rotterdam, Ear")
![Torah crown. Rotterdam, the Netherlands, [early 20th century], dedicatory inscription dated 1910/1911.
Silver (marked; make](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale79-public/6_2.jpg "Impressive Torah Crown – Lions and Tablets of the Law – Rotterdam, Ear")
Silver (marked; maker's mark: H.M. Mansvelt?) cast, embossed, pierced, repoussé and engraved; paste gems; gilt.
Large, elaborate crown, with the following dedicatory inscription: "In honor of G-d and His Torah, donated by Yehuda son of Chaim Hymans on his seventieth birthday" [chronogram indicating the year 5671 – 1910/1911].
The base of the crown is studded with a dozen polychrome paste gems, surmounted by vegetal ornaments and a dozen arched window-like openings, each housing a bell. The top end, also decorated with vegetal motifs, holds another, small crown, decorated with silver beads and topped with a bud-shaped finial.
Pair of rampant lions supporting the Tablets of the Law (engraved with the Ten Commandments) mounted at front, above the inscription.
Project Het Stenen Archief, which documents gravestones in Jewish cemeteries in the Netherlands, contains records of several tombstones from Rotterdam with the name Hymans / Hijmans, including a tombstone of "Mrs. Goedche… wife of Chaim Hymans, " who passed away in 1895, and was presumably the mother of Yehuda Hymans who donated the present crown.
Height: 43 cm, maximum diameter: 30 cm. Weight: 3.98 kg.
Cast silver (marked with maker's mark, Amsterdam city mark, year mark and later tax mark).
Miniature Sabbath lamp of a design characteristic of Dutch Jewish households. Consists of a suspension hook, a crown-shaped ornament, an upper weight, an oil pan with seven fonts, a drip pan, and a bud-shaped lower weight.
The silversmith Arnoldus van Geffen (active in Amsterdam, 1728-69) was renowned for the charmingly attractive miniature silver objects he created. The practice of collecting such silver miniatures reached the peak of its popularity in the first half of the 18th century, when wealthy collectors would take pride in displaying in their homes entire dollhouses made of silver, fully equipped with furniture, dinnerware, and all manner of other accessories, precisely modeled down to the finest detail. Of the silversmiths specializing in miniatures active in the Netherlands in those years, van Geffen was possibly the most accomplished and acclaimed.
Length: 23 cm.
For a similar lamp, see Sotheby's auction, Dec. 19, 2018, lot no. 26.
Silver (marked), engraved.
Rectangular snuff box. Lid with vegetal motifs; reeded underside. The following inscription (Hebrew) is engraved inside the lid: "From the Utrecht community, to Moshe son of Eliezer van Lier, scribe in our community, on the occasion of his trip to London."
The recipient of this gift was a member of the Van Leer family (spelled also Van Lier and Van Liehr). The Van Leer family was a prominent Dutch-Jewish family in 18th- and 19th-century Utrecht, with a number of members serving in leadership positions in the local Jewish community.
Length: 5 cm, width: 8 cm, depth: 1.3 cm.
Copper, repoussé. Marked "M.R. Jacobson 19."
Box divided into two compartments, each with its own hinged lid, but only one of the two lids has a coin slot, and perforated holes to allow for installation of a lock (missing). One side of box with relief depicting elderly man and woman. Their profiles are separated by an arched gate. Dutch inscription: "N. ISR. ZIEKENHIUS / OUDE MANNEN-VROUWENHUIS" [The Dutch Jewish Hospital / Old Age Home]. On opposite side, depiction (also in relief) of nurse caring for hospital patient. Underneath, the inscription: "N. ISR. ZIEKENHIUS" [The Dutch Jewish Hospital]. Marked in relief. Bottom stamped "B" and "2031".
The hospital and old age home of the Ashkenazi community of Amsterdam were founded in 1833. For many years, the two institutions operated from two separate wings of the same building.
Mirjam Rosa Jacobson (1887-1945), painter and printmaker, studied at the National School for Arts and Crafts and at the State Academy of Fine Arts, both in Amsterdam. Was active as a painter, graphic designer, and art teacher. She and her husband had planned to immigrate to Honduras, but were imprisoned at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they perished.
Height: 9.5 cm. Width: 13.5 cm. Depth: 7 cm. Minor blemishes. No lock.
Diorama depicting the inauguration ceremony of the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue (1675) in Amsterdam, composed of a sequential series of six hand-colored engravings after Bernard Picard. Engravings by I. Wachsmuht.
The diorama consists of six layers, each represented by an engraving depicting different details extracted from an overall picture. The means of presentation – lining up the engravings in a peep show box – creates an illusion of depth. This particular arrangement, in a transparent case, is meant to recreate the original orientation and provide the same intended perspective.
The first layer features a pair of columns from the front of the synagogue; the second layer presents some of the male worshipers wrapped in prayer shawls gathered around a low railing; the third shows more male worshippers congregating around the "bimah" (elevated cantor's or reader's platform), where the cantor is standing alongside the Torah scroll; additional worshippers can be seen carrying a Torah scroll in the next layer; worshippers bearing yet another Torah scroll appear on the fifth layer, standing on steps leading up to the Torah ark, which has one door open to partially expose its interior; and the sixth and final layer offers a closer view of the Torah ark, with all doors open. One engraving out of the original series – second in the original sequence – depicting Christian visitors to the synagogue, underneath the title "Temple des Juifs / Juden-Synagoge, " is missing.
The fifth and sixth engravings were both evidently meant to represent the background or backdrop. It seems that two alternative, interchangeable versions of this scene were produced.
Engravings (sheet): approx. 22X18 cm. Transparent exhibit case: 46X24.5X21 cm. Good condition. Engravings have not been examined outside the case. Engravings have been incompletely cut, and hence do not fully follow detail contours.
Reference: Elka Deitsch, Havva Charm, and Sharon Liberman Mintz, "Image and Impression: Rare Prints from the Collection of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, " New York, 2002, p. 32.
Ten letters and legal documents from the Portuguese-Jewish communities of Hamburg and Amsterdam. 1643 to 1787. Portuguese and Spanish.
The community of Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin in Hamburg, Germany maintained close ties with its larger and more established sister community in Amsterdam. The documents here – and in particular the letters sent from the Mahamad (the community's governing body) of Hamburg to its counterpart in Amsterdam – present a clear picture of intimate and ongoing relations between the two communities, and of their intense involvement in one another's daily affairs. The Hamburg community sought the advice of its Amsterdam sister regarding important milestones in its public affairs. Among Jews descended from the subjects of the Spanish and Portuguese Expulsions or from Spanish-Portuguese conversos, there was constant interchange between the two cities, in terms of family ties, marriages, trade, and more, and all these various relationships are dealt with in detail in the present documents.
Five of the letters were sent from the Mahamad of the Portuguese Jewish community of Hamburg to its Amsterdam counterpart: • Letter regarding the Hamburg Portuguese-Jewish community's plans to establish and organize an association, in light of the Amsterdam community's successful efforts to do the same. 1643. • A letter with a request for assistance in the matter of a certain individual by the name of Isaac Penso, accused of murder and wanted by the authorities, who was blackmailing the Hamburg community. 1658. • A letter with regard to the "Beth Din" (religious tribunal) constituted to adjudicate on a matter pertaining to the financial affairs of Dr. Benjamin Musaphia; the litigant was taking issue with the makeup of the tribunal, and the Mahamad was seeking assistance in its efforts to persuade him to come to an understanding in this matter. 1658. • Thank-you letter expressing gratitude for efforts to persuade one Isaac Calvo to desist from returning to Hamburg. 1670. • Letter of recommendation to the Mahamad of the Amsterdam community in the matter of Rabbi Jacob Sasportas who was leaving Hamburg and heading to the Levant on account of financial difficulties, and was in need of assistance. 1670.
The five additional documents are personal letters and legal documents dealing with trade, marriage, and other affairs: • Document wherein the undersigned testify that Rohiel Jesurum (Reuel Jesurun) of Hamburg has, in their presence, appointed his daughter, the wife of Moses Gideon Abudiente, as his heiress. 1664. • Letter dealing with the matter of the marriage of Abraham Abendana de Brito to Hannah Nahamias de Castro. Signed by Dr. Isaac Pimental and Joseph Abendana, uncles of the bridegroom's father, appointed by the father to mediate between him and the father of the bride; David De Nahamias, father of the bride; and Dr. Baruch (Benedict) Nahamias. 1671. • Letter of greetings and congratulations from David Abendana Mendes of Hamburg to his cousin Isaac da Costa of Amsterdam on the occasion of his marriage to Hannah Abendana Nahmias. 1749. Spanish. • Contract between Rabbi Solomon Salem and Abraham Jehisquia Bassan, according to which Bassan would become a licensed partner in a matzah-baking business venture accredited by the community, the license to which was entrusted to Salem's son, the minor Isaac Salem, for a period of 10 years. January 7, 1765. • Letter from Abraham Curiel Bueno of Maarsen, the Netherlands, to Moses Ricardo of Amsterdam, dealing with an apartment rental. 1787.
Enclosed: Two popular poems – a Sephardic Jewish romance and a love poem in Portuguese – handwritten on a folded sheet. Both poems have been documented in Jewish manuscripts miscellanies. In the present version, an additional verse has been added to the poem in Portuguese; this verse is not included in any of the other known sources. [Amsterdam, late 17th century or 18th century].
Size and condition vary. Good overall condition.
A number of the names mentioned in the present documents – and those of a few of the signatories – represent key figures in the annals of the Sephardic communities of Amsterdam and Hamburg. Some of them are well-known personalities from Jewish history in general.
Rabbi Jacob Sasportas (1610-1698) was one of the Amsterdam community's great Torah scholars and one of the fiercest opponents of the Sabbateanism. Born in Oran, Algeria. Lived for periods of time in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, and Livorno. Died in Amsterdam. Apparently, his plans to move to the Levant (probably Palestine), mentioned in one of the letters, never came to pass. His renowned Hebrew work, "Tzitzat Novel Zevi" (completed 1672-73), was an important contribution to his campaign against the Sabbatean movement.
Rohiel Jesurum (Reuel Jesurun) (1575-1634) was born in Portugal under the name Paulo de Pina to a family of conversos. At the age of 20 he set out for Rome with the intention of dedicating himself to monastic life, but there he encountered a relative of his who led him to rediscover his Jewish roots, which he enthusiastically embraced. Settled in Amsterdam, where he adopted his Hebrew name. In 1624, a religious play he wrote, entitled "Diálogo dos Montes" ("The Controversy of the Mountains"), was staged at the Beth Jacob Synagogue in Amsterdam. The play was based on a Rabbinic midrash involving a dispute between mountains regarding the privilege of being the place for the Giving of the Torah. Jesurun's son-in-law, the poet Moses Gideon Abudiente (1610-1688), was active in Hamburg and was an ardent follower of the Sabbatean movement.
Dr. Benjamin Musaphia (1606-1675) was born in Spain, and became a noted rabbi, physician, linguist, and author. He too was a follower of the Sabbatean movement.
Rabbi Solomon Salem (1705-1781), a rabbi and author, was born in Edirne (today Turkey) in the Ottoman Empire. Served as a rabbi for the Jewish communities in the Bulgarian town of Vidin and city of Sofia; Belgrade, Serbia; and finally Amsterdam.
Baruch (Benedict) Nahamias (de Castro) (1597-1684), physician and author, was one of the presidents of the Jewish community of Hamburg. Served as Royal Physician to Christina, Queen of Sweden. Also a follower of the Sabbatean movement.
List of Letters
1. Letter from the "Mahamad" (the community's governing body) of the Hamburg community to the Mahamad of the Amsterdam community, on the subject of establishing an association. In 1652, three separate congregations were united and incorporated into a single community association to be named "Beth Israel." May 15, 1643.
2. Letter on the matter of a certain individual by the name of Isaac Penso, accused of murder and wanted by the authorities, who is blackmailing the Hamburg community. The aforementioned is exerting great pressure on the community to submit to him documents that are liable to be incriminatingly damaging if revealed. The community had previously bribed this individual with substantial sums, and is now requesting the assistance of the Amsterdam community in this regard. September 16, 1658.
3. Letter from the Hamburg community to the Amsterdam community, on the subject of a "Beth Din" (religious tribunal) constituted to adjudicate on a matter pertaining to the affairs of Dr. Benjamin Musaphia; the aforementioned was taking issue with the makeup of the tribunal, and the Mahamad was seeking the assistance of the Amsterdam community to persuade him to come to an understanding in this matter. May 7, 1658.
4. Confirmation regarding the designation by Rohiel Jesurum (Reuel Jesurun) of Hamburg of his only daughter, the wife of Hakham Moses Gideon Abudiente, as his legal heiress. Hamburg, February 5, 1664.
5. Letter from the Mahamad of the Hamburg community to the Mahamad of the Amsterdam community expressing gratitude for efforts to persuade one Isaac Calvo not to return to Hamburg, insofar as said individual is a controversial and cantankerous figure who had responded with hostility and violence to the offers of hospitality extended to him in Hamburg. May 9, 1670.
6. Letter of recommendation from the Mahamad of Hamburg to the Mahamad of Amsterdam in the matter of Rabbi Jacob Sasportas who was leaving Hamburg and heading to the Levant on account of financial difficulties, and an expression of sorrow on the part of the community over the fact that it lacked the means to offer him adequate recompense. August 5, 1670.
7. Letter on the matter of the marriage of Abraham Abendana de Brito to Hannah Nahamias de Castro. Signed by Dr. Isaac Pimental and Joseph Abendana, the uncles of the father of the bridegroom, appointed by the father to mediate between him and the father of the bride; David De Nahamias, father of the bride; and Dr. Baruch (Benedict) Nahamias. May 6, 1671.
8. Letter of greetings and congratulations from David Abendana Mendes of Hamburg to his cousin Isaac da Costa of Amsterdam on the occasion of his marriage. May 7, 1749. Spanish.
9. Contract between Rabbi Solomon Salem and Abraham Jehisquia Bassan, according to which Bassan would become a licensed partner in a matzah-baking business venture in which Salem’s son, the minor Isaac Salem, is entrusted with the rights for a period of 10 years. January 7, 1765. Amsterdam.
10. Letter from Abraham Curiel Bueno of Maarsen, the Netherlands, to Moses Ricardo of Amsterdam, dealing with an apartment rental. April 18, 1787.
![Reformaçaö das Escamoth, Reglamentos, e ordençoens para o bom governo da Santa Irmandade Mishenet Zequenim, Bordaò dos Velhos, Istituida nesta cidade Amsterdam, em 19 Tebeth 5510 para amparo de Velhos, e Velhas, desvalidos. 5513 [1753]. 32 pp, 19.5 cm.](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/styles/gallery-big/s3/Sale79-public/12_1.jpg?itok=mJAr_pgX)
![Reformaçaö das Escamoth, Reglamentos, e ordençoens para o bom governo da Santa Irmandade Mishenet Zequenim, Bordaò dos Velhos, Istituida nesta cidade Amsterdam, em 19 Tebeth 5510 para amparo de Velhos, e Velhas, desvalidos. 5513 [1753]. 32 pp, 19.5 cm.](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/styles/gallery-big/s3/Sale79-public/12_2.jpg?itok=-QDHewVe)
![Reformaçaö das Escamoth, Reglamentos, e ordençoens para o bom governo da Santa Irmandade Mishenet Zequenim, Bordaò dos Velhos, Istituida nesta cidade Amsterdam, em 19 Tebeth 5510 para amparo de Velhos, e Velhas, desvalidos. 5513 [1753]. 32 pp, 19.5 cm.](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/styles/gallery-big/s3/Sale79-public/12_3.jpg?itok=Jt44Hy1g)
Twelve booklets published by and for the Talmud Torah Portuguese congregation in Amsterdam, including sermons for various occasions, regulations of the affiliated Mish'enet Zekenim society and regulations of the community. The title pages of most of the booklets state that they were published with the license of members of the Mahamad (the community's governing body). Amsterdam, 1720-1788.
1. Triumphos da Virtude (Triumph of Virtue), sermon delivered by R. David HaKohen D'Azevedo, rabbi of the Portuguese congregarion in Amsterdam, in honor of the birthday of William V, stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and Prince of Orange-Nassau, on March 8, 1788. That year, with the struggle between the Patriots fighting for a democratic rule in the Netherlands and the Orangists who supported the prince's rule in the background, the Kahal Talmud Torah declared its loyalty to the House of Orange. The prince repaid them with a visit to the Esnoga, the congragation's synagogue (on which occasion the present sermon was presumably delivered), and with his greetings, extended in part in Hebrew. Portuguese and some Hebrew.
2-8. Seven sermons delivered in the synagogue of the Kahal Talmud Torah in Amsterdam in 1720-1786, by various speakers, including scholars of the Ets Haim academy, rabbis of the congregation and others. Portuguese and some Hebrew.
One of the sermons was delivered by R. Jeossuah Hisquiau de Cordova, rabbi of the Jewish community in Jamaica. De Cordova was born in Amsterdam in 1720. He immigrated to Curacao in 1749, where he served as teacher and preacher. In 1755, he relocated to Jamaica, and was appointed rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese communities in Kingston, Spanish Town and Port Royal, serving as leader of Jamaican Jewry until his passing in 1797.
9. Sermon delivered in the Shaare Rahamim synagogue in Bordeaux, by R. Ishak Mendes Belisario, preacher in the Shaar HaShamayim congregation and president of the Ets Haim yeshiva affiliated with the Shaar HaShamayim congregation in London. Published in Amsterdam with the consent of the members of the Mahamad and R. Selomoh Salem, rabbi of the Kahal Talmud Torah, 1765. Spanish and some Hebrew.
10-11. Two booklets listing the regulations of the Mishenet Zekenim society, the old-age home affiliated with the Kahal Talmud Torah in Amsterdam. 1750, 1753. Portuguese and some Hebrew.
The Spanish-Portuguese community was established in Amsterdam by an increasing flow of Jews drawn there for its relative religious tolerance and commerce opportunities. The 1579 Union of Utrecht declared that no person would be persecuted or interrogated on religious grounds, which made the city the destination of choice for Marranos from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France who wished to begin practicing Judaism openly. In its early years in the late 16th century, the community was not officially recognized and was banned from building a synagogue. Towards the mid-17th century, the city was already home to some 2500 Jews; the small congregations – Neveh Shalom, Beit Yisrael and Beit Yaakov – united in 1639 to form a Sephardic congregation named Talmud Torah, and in 1675, the congregation inaugurated its magnificent synagogue, the Esnoga, active to this very day. The elite of the Sephardic society contributed much to the economy of the city and to Dutch colonization efforts, and the great benefit they brought to the city led the authorities to grant the community extensive freedom and autonomous rights. The members of the community became prominent physicians, philosophers, poets and rabbis. Amsterdam was one of the prominent printing centers in Europe, and was home to Jewish printers renowned for their high standards of work. The present booklets testify to the accessibility of printing and its quality.
12 booklets. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
List of Booklets:
1. Sermam Moral, Pregado neste K.K. de T.T. pello docto H.R. Daniel Cohen Rodriguez. Selomoh Proops Press, 5480 [1720]. 27 pp, 18.5 cm.
2. Sermam Moral, que neste K.K. de T.T. prégou Jeossuah Hisquiau de Cordova. 5504 [1744]. 19 pp, 23.5 cm.
3. Sermaõ Exhortatorio, Pregado no K.K. de T.T. em Amsterdam, por O Doctissimo Senhor Haham Morenu A-Rab R. Ishac Haim Abendana de Britto. 5513 [1753]. 29 pp, 23.5 cm.
4. Sermaõ do Nada Moralmente Simbolizado, Que pregou neste K.K. de Talmud Torá, Em Sabath Nassó, 4 de Sivan, Ao. 5521. Ishac de Eliau Cohen Belinfante. 5521 [1761]. IV, 22 pp, 23 cm.
5. Sermon Penitencial Predicado en Bordeus […] por R. Ishac Mendes Belisario, quien fue Predicator en el […] Santa Congrega [Shaar HaShamayim] en Londres. Printed with the license of R. Selomoh Salem, Rabbi of the Talmud Torah community. Israel Mondovy for Gerhard Johan Janson, 5526 (1765). [1], 27 pp, 23 cm.
6. Sermaô da Liberdade. Pregado neste K.K. de Talmud Tora em quarta feira 28 Jiar, Anno 5527. Por R. David de Abraham Haim de Jahacob de Selomoh de Meza. Israel Mondovy for Gerhard Johan Janson, 5527 [1767]. 15 pp, 22.5 cm.
7. Sermaô Moral, Pregado neste K.K. de Talmud Tora, Em Sabat Emor, 13 Jiar, Anno 5532. Por R. David de Abraham Haim de Jahacob de Selomoh de Meza. Israel Mondovy for Gerhard Johan Janson, 5532 [1772]. 15 pp, 22 cm.
8. Sermaõ Moral Sobre o Pezo do Pecado, que neste K.K. T.T. pregou Dd. de ABm. Hm. de JAb. de [David de Abraham Haim de Jahacob] Selomoh de Meza. David de H.H.R. Rephael Meldola Press, 5547 [1787]. [4], 12 pp, 22 cm.
9. Triumphos da Virtude. Sermaõ pregado, a occasioaõ do natalicio de sua Altesa Serenissima Guillermo Vo, Principe de Orange e Nassau, Stadhouder Hereditario das Sete ProvIncias Unidas, &c. &c. &c. Solemnemente Celebrado na Synagoga des Judeus Portugueses de Amsterdam em dia de 8 de Março do Anno 1788. Por o Doctissimo Senhor HHm. Morenu Verabenu Acohen D'Azevedo. David de H. H. R. Rephael Meldola Press, [1788]. [2] ff, 26 pp, 27 cm.
10. Novo Reglamento para à Irmandade de T. T. & Es-Haim. Ishac Jeuda Leao Templo Press, [5488-1728]. 55 pp, 21.5 cm.
11. Escamoth, Reglamentos, e Ordenças para o bom governo da Santa Irmandade Mishenet Zequenim, Bordaò dos Velhos, Istituida nesta cidade Amsterdam, para amparo de Velhos, e Velhas, desvalidos. 5510 [1750]. [3] ff, 10 pp, 19.5 cm.