60 



mankind." On the arrival of Sir Moses at Damascus, an in- 

 vestigation was made into the circumstances, the result of 

 which was a complete acquittal of the Jewish prisoners. They 

 were liberated on the 21st of August, 1841. Similar results 

 took place at Rhodes, the Pasha of which was deposed. 



The Turkish Firman, for the protection of the Jews in 

 future, given at Constantinople, November 6th, 1840, con- 

 tains the following : — 



" An ancient prejudice prevailed against the Jews. The ignorant believed that 

 the Jews were accustomed to sacrifice a human being, to make use of his blood at 

 the passover. 



" In consequence of this opinion, the Jews of Damascus and Rhodes, who are 

 subjects of our Empire, have been persecuted by other nations. The calumnies 

 which have been uttered against the Jews, and the vexatious to which they have 

 been subject, have at last reached our Imperial Throne. 



" But a short time has elapsed, since some Jews dwelling in the Isle of Rhodes 

 were brought from thence to Constantinople, where they had been tried and judged 

 according to the new regulations, and their innocence of the accusations made against 

 them fully proved. That, therefore, which justice and equity required, has been 

 done on their behalf. 



" Besides which, the religious books of the Hebrews have been examined by 

 learned men, well versed in their theological literature, the result of which examina- 

 tion is, that it is lound that the Jews are strongly prohibited, not only from using 

 human blood, but even that of animals. It therefore follows, that the charges made 

 against them, are nothing but pure calumnies." 



The efes dammim, from the preface to which this copy of 

 the Firman is extracted, is a series of [imaginary] conversa- 

 tions at Jerusalem, between a Patriarch of the Greek Church 

 and a Chief Rabbi of the Jews, concerning the malicious 

 charge against the Jews, of using blood. By J. B. Levinsohn* 

 These conversations show distinctly that the charge originated 

 about the beginning of the thirteenth century, when a Span- 

 ish priest declared that the Israelites could not celebrate their 

 worship without Christian blood. This the ignorant populace 



* Translated from the Hebrew, as a tribute to the memory of the martyrs at 

 Damascus, by Dr. L. Loewe. — 8vo., Longmans, 1841. 



