Letter from Rebbe Yisrael Perlow, the Yenuka of Karlin-Stolin. [Stolin?, ca. 1900s-1910s].
Written by a scribe, with the signature of the rebbe – "Yisrael son of R. Asher". Letter addressed to a relative, R. Asher Levi – confirming the receipt of a kvittel and Pidyon, with blessings for a complete recovery, satisfaction from his children and Passover wishes.
"May G-d heal him speedily and completely from all his ills, and may he merit to see much satisfaction from his offspring, and G-d should fulfill all his heart's desires for the good… may he celebrate the festival of Matzot in kashrut and rejoicing, with a plentiful cup of salvations… His relative who seeks his wellbeing, and blesses him with a kosher, joyous festival, Yisrael son of R. Asher".
Rebbe Yisrael Perlow of Karlin-Stolin, known as "the Yenuka" (1868-1921), was orphaned from his father R. Asher of Stolin in his childhood, and was appointed rebbe at the young age of four and a half (!). He was the son-in-law of R. David Twersky of Zlatopoli. He passed away at the age of 53, and was buried in Frankfurt, and has since been known amongst Karlin Chassidim as "the Frankfurter". He left behind six sons – Rebbe Moshe of Stolin, Rebbe Avraham Elimelech of Karlin, Rebbe Yochanan of Lutsk, Rebbe Yaakov of Detroit, R. Aharon of Warsaw and R. Asher of Stolin – and four daughters. All of his descendants perished in the Holocaust, except for his sons Rebbe Yaakov Chaim Perlow, who passed away in the United States in 1946 and was buried in Detroit, and Rebbe Yochanan Perlow of Lutsk and the United States (1900-1955) – grandfather of the current rebbe of Karlin-Stolin and of his brother, the rebbe of Lutsk.

[1] leaf. 21 cm. Good condition. Stains and folding marks.

Letter signed by Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam of Bobov. White Lake (resort town close to the Catskills, North-West New York), Av 1982.
Typewritten, with many handwritten corrections. Signed by Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam. Printed title at the top of the page: "Letter of Encouragement".
Letter of condolences and encouragement following the passing of a young student of the Bobov yeshiva, "…who was superior in fear of G-d, sharp and well versed in Torah matters, the student Avraham Eliezer, who passed away in his prime after suffering a mortal disease…". The rebbe writes to the father of the student that G-d only sends such a difficult trial to someone who is capable of accepting it faithfully and wholeheartedly, without questioning G-d's will.
Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam (the second) of Bobov (1907-2000), a prominent rebbe, son of Rebbe Benzion Halberstam, the Kedushat Tzion (1874-1941, perished in the Holocaust; son of the first rebbe of Bobov, Rebbe Shlomo Halberstam – 1847-1905, grandson of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz). In 1931, his father moved from Bobov (Bobowa) to Tshebin (Trzebinia), and appointed his son as assistant rabbi in Bobov. R. Shlomo also assisted his father in running the largest network of yeshivot in Galicia, the Etz Chaim-Bobov yeshiva with its dozens of branches. Following the Holocaust, which he miraculously survived, he reached the United States where he re-established the Bobov Chassidut. The rebbe led the Bobov court in the United States for over fifty years, and was one of the leading rebbes in the United States. He established communities, yeshivot and educational institutions in the United States and throughout the world (in Eretz Israel, Belgium and England). The Bobov Chassidut is today one of the largest Chassidic communities in the world, numbering tens of thousands of families.

[1] leaf, official stationery. 28 cm. Very good condition.

Manuscript, songs for Simchat Torah, weddings and Brit Milah. [Rome], 1825.
Pocket format. Italian square and semi-cursive script, mostly vocalized (apart from headings and instructions). Decorated title page, in black and orange.
The manuscript comprises piyyutim and songs for Simchat Torah, weddings and Brit Milah, some of which were printed in Italian siddurim. The piyyutim for the Hakafot of Simchat Torah on leaves [4-10] follow the Roman rite (see: R. Y.N. Pavoncello, Minhagim VeShirim Meyuchadim L'Kehillat Romi, Yeda Am, XII, 31-32 [1964]; M.E. Artom, Machazor di Rito Italiano, vol. II, Jerusalem 2005, pp. 914-925).
The order of blessings and prayers for a Brit Milah were included with the Brit Milah piyyutim. The present manuscript includes several short songs which to the best of our knowledge were never published (most of the piyyutim also appear in the 18th century Montserrat manuscript, Montserrat Monastery Library Ms. Or. 61, and some appear there with variations to text and order).
On leaves [21-23], blessing for the Pope, "recited also on Mincha of the first day of Shemini Atzeret".
The decorated title page states: "Songs customarily sung on Simchat Torah, at weddings and Brit Milah, commissioned by Mordechai R. Pontecorvo in 1825". Owner's initials lettered in gilt on the front and back boards: "A. R. P." – presumably Angelo [=Mordechai] R. Pontecorvo. The letter R. may stand for Refael. There is a ketubah for a groom named Mordechai Refael Pontecorvo, from Rome 1832, eight years after this manuscript was produced (see: JTS Library Ms. KET 29). The Pontecorvo family was an established Jewish family in Rome (see for instance: I. Joel, Italian Marriage-Contracts in the Library, Kiryat Sefer, XXII, 1945-1946, pp. 266-304).

[81] leaves. 9 cm. Good condition. Thick paper. Stains. Tears to title page ornaments, due to ink erosion. Inscription on final leaf. Original gilt-decorated binding.

Instruttione et Allegatione per gli Hebrei del Stato di Milano […] [Instructions and statements in favor of the Jews of the State of Milan…]. [Milan, after April 25, 1589]. Italian.
The present memorandum represents a long defense of the right of Jews to reside in the territories of the Duchy of Milan. It is dated 1589 – a time when the Duchy of Milan was under the rule of the Spanish Crown – and was dispatched to Madrid at the request of King Philip II of Spain, who, in those days, was pondering whether or not to expel the Jews. The memorandum, prepared by the Senate of Milan, provides a list of theological, economic and legal reasons why the Jews should not be expelled, all on condition that they obey the laws of the Duchy and behave properly. It includes a series of affidavits signed (in print) by non-Jewish officials and magistrates from across the Duchy of Milan, and mentions the contribution made by Jews to the economic and commercial prosperity of the various cities. Toward the end, the document gives an assessment of the total population of Jews residing in all the cities under the jurisdiction of the Duchy: 889 individuals in all.
The presence of Jews in the city of Milan is documented dating back as far as the Roman period. Jews had first been expelled from the city in 1320, and over the following period of roughly three hundred years, they were allowed to return and settle there, only to be periodically expelled time after time. Notwithstanding all the arguments contained in the present memorandum, in 1591 Philip II decided to have the Jews of the Duchy of Milan expelled once again, and the order was put into effect in 1597.

Rare document: Not in NLI nor in OCLC.

[3] leaves (six printed pages) + [1] blank leaf. 32 cm. Good condition. Stains, including dampstains and ink stains. Tears, including minor open tears, partly mended with paper. Fold lines. Handwritten notation (Hebrew) on blank leaf: "Testimonies from the State of Milan that they cannot expel the Jews"; several additional notations. New paper cover.

Reference:
1. Shlomo Simonsohn, The Jews in the Duchy of Milan, Vol. III, 1566-1788, Jerusalem, 1982, pp. 1813-19.
2. Flora Cassen, The Expulsion of the Jews from the State of Milan: Same Event with Views from Different Archives, Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History, Vol. 14, 2017.

Printed Aleph-Bet chart, with an abridged Birkat HaMazon and other blessings, Shema and several other prayer texts. Venice, [ca. 18th century].
Folding chart for teaching reading, including various texts. The upper part of the leaf shows the letters of the Hebrew alphabet with various vowel points. The alphabet is flanked on the right by an abridged version of Birkat HaMazon and other blessings; and on the left by the first paragraph of Shema, kedushah and the morning blessings. The chart also features two Psalms and the bedtime service, with the Hashkivenu blessing printed in three different rites (Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Italian).
The center of the leaf is occupied by a fine illustration of a class of students. Several students are seen studying by a table, with a winged figure hovering over them and showering them with treats. Near them is a teacher brandishing a whip, ready to hit a disobedient student.

Approx. 47X35 cm. Good condition. Many stains. Folding marks. Part of illustration and letters slightly faded. Linen-backed (edged with green fabric). Placed in original card slipcase. Blemishes to slipcase.

Such charts were printed in Italy from the mid-17th century until the 19th century. Most of the charts were printed in a similar format, with the Aleph-Bet chart in the center and accompanying texts (with typographic variations). The illustration at the center of this leaf also appears in all other charts, with minor variations in details (in earlier charts the illustration is a woodcut, while in later ones it is engraved). The present chart is different from all other charts we have seen, and to the best of our knowledge it is the sole existing exemplar.
For details about other Aleph-Bet charts printed in Italy, and about the variations between the illustrations, see: Y. Yudlov, Italian Alphabet Charts, Kiryat Sefer, 62, 1988-1989, pp. 930-932.