Ktav Shadar (emissary letter) for the appointment of Rabbi Elijah on behalf of the Sephardic kollels in Tiberias

Ktav Shadar (emissary letter) for the appointment of Rabbi Elijah son of Yehya Adhan as emissary to Morocco and Algeria on behalf of the Sephardic kollels in Tiberias. 
Tiberias,1909, parchment.


A Shadar (emissary) was a rabbinical representative sent from the Land of Israel to diaspora Jewish communities in order to raise funds in support of local religious and community institutions. These emissaries forged connections with Jewish communities near and far, contributing to strengthening Jewish unity and identity, while entertaining reciprocal relations with the communities that hosted them. The emissary letter before us reports the appointment of Rabbi Elijah Adhan as an emissary sent on behalf of the Sephardic kollels in Tiberias (Kupath Rabbi Meir Baal Hanes) to Morocco and Algeria. Rabbi Elijah Adhan himself immigrated from Morocco to Tiberias and died there in 1924-5.

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Lehmann Collection

Dr. Manfred Lehmann was born in Sweden and immigrated to the United States in 1940. He studied at Johns Hopkins University. While focusing on a business career, he also engaged in the academic study of Hebrew manuscripts and bibliographies. Dr. Lehmann and his wife Sarah Anne established a foundation that long held the largest private collection of Hebrew-letter manuscripts in the United States. The Lehmann Collection is a unique and comprehensive collection of manuscripts, Genizah excerpts, rare books and various documents that include, among others, emissary letters. The collection was donated to the National Library in 2024 by the Manfred & Anne Lehmann Foundation, in memory of Dr. Manfred and Sara Anne Lehman.