Chorvot Yerushalayim – "an account of some of the tragedies which befell Jerusalem". Venice: Giovanni Vendramin, [1636]. First edition.

Short work on the harsh conditions suffered by the Jews of Jerusalem in 1625-1626, while it was governed by the Ottoman pasha Muhammad ibn Farrukh, who treated the Jews particularly harshly, while abusing his position to tax the Jews heavily, impoverishing the community beyond subsistence. The book was written anonymously by a resident of Jerusalem.

At the end of the book are printed statements by Jerusalem Torah scholars (R. Shem Tov Luzaio, R. Yishai Munion, R. Shmuel ibn Sayid, R. Yisrael Binyamin, R. Yisrael Ze'evi, R. Aharon ibn Machir and R. Yaakov Romano), confirming the account of the events, which they had personally witnessed; there are also printed letters of recommendation from the rabbis of Venice (R. Yehudah Aryeh of Modena, R. Simchah Luzzatto, R. Nechemiah Saraval, R. Shemaiah de Medina, R. Azariah Figo and R. Shmuel Masud), adding their voices to the appeal to contribute to the aid for the Jews of Jerusalem.

Chronogram on title page for 1636 or possibly for 1631 (see article cited below).

See further: Chorvot Yerushalayim, edited with foreword and appendices by Minna Rozen, Tel Aviv University Press, 1981 (according to Rozen, the author is R. Shmuel Tardiola and the correct date of printing is 1631).

Rare edition, with few extant copies. The book was first reprinted by Eliezer Rivlin in Jerusalem, 1928, and afterwards as part of Avraham Yaari's Zichronot Eretz Yisrael, Jerusalem 1947.

CB, no. 3547; Zedner, p. 322.