Encyclopaedia Judaica
Jews in Egypt 04: Turkish rule 1517-1768
Ottoman rule - corruption and restrictions - Jewish finance ministers murdered - influx of Spanish Jews and developments - Turkish terror government: murders of the Jewish chelebis
from: Egypt; In: Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971, vol. 6
presented by Michael Palomino (2008)
Share:
<THE OTTOMAN TURKS.
[since 1517: Short time of new possibilities for the Jews under the Ottoman rule]
When Egypt was conquered by the Ottomans in 1517, there was a decisive turn in the history of the country and the Jews living there. A wide choice of commercial possibilities was offered to the Jewish merchants, as well as an introduction to a variety of other trades. At the height of their power, the Ottomans were very tolerant and the Jews held key positions in the financial administration and in the collection of taxes and customs duties. Almost all the Turkish commissioners and governors who were sent to Egypt turned over the responsibility of the financial administration to Jewish agents, who were known as sarraf-bashi ("chief treasurer"). It is evident that the agents greatly profited by holding these positions.
[[...]]
[1523: Arbitrary punishment by Ahmad Pasha]
One of the first Turkish governors, Ahmad Pasha, who was appointed in 1523, extorted a large contribution from Abraham *Castro, director of the mint. He then ordered him to mint coins carrying his name, as if he were an independent ruler. When the Jewish official fled to Constantinople, Ahmad imposed an enormous contribution on the Jews, who were fearful of his vengeance if they did not provide the sum by the appointed time. However, on the day of payment, Ahmad Pasha was killed by soldiers loyal to the sultan and the anniversary was thereafter celebrated as *Purim Mizrayim ("Purim of Egypt", i.e., Cairo).
[[...]]
[Corruption within the Ottoman Reich - and restrictions against the Jews]
After two generations of prosperity, the political and economic decline of the Ottoman emire manifested itself and affected the rank and file of the Jewish population who sank into poverty and ignorance. Thus, the Ottoman rule caused a distinct polarization in the status of Egyptian Jewry. The corruption of the governors, who were often replaced and whose ambition was to enrich themselves or to rebel against the sultan in Constantinople, and their acts of violence, extortion, and cruelty brought suffering on the Jews.
[[...]]
In 1545 the governor Da'ud Pasha ordered the closure of the central synagogue of Cairo. All the efforts to obtain its reopening were in vain; the synagogue remained closed until 1584.
After the conquest of Egypt by the Turks, Jews of Constantinople were sent to Egypt to act as negidim [[leaders, princes]]. The first of them was R. Tajir, who was followed by R. *Jacob b. Hayyim Talmid. When this nagid came to Egypt, a dispute broke out between him and R. Bezalel Ashkenazi, who was then the leading rabbi in Egypt. As a result of this dispute, the office of nagid came to an end in about 1560.
[Jewish finance ministers serve as nagid - murdered Jewish nagids]
From then onward the Jewish finance minister in the service of the governor was recognized as the leader of the Jewish community in Egypt. He was referred to by the Turkish title of Chelebi (çelebi = "gentleman"). Many of these Jewish ministers were executed by despotic governors. Masiah Pasha, who was appointed in 1575, chose Solomon *Alashkar, a well-known philanthropist whose efforts were directed toward the amelioration of Jewish education among the Jews of Egypt, as chelebi [[gentleman]]. His activities continued for many years, until Karim Hussein Pasha executed him in 1603.
[Spanish Jews improve Jewish learning in Egypt - communal life]
The standard of Jewish learning improved with the arrival of the expelled Spanish Jews. During the first generation of the Turkish rule, the leading rabbi in Egypt was R. *David b. Solomon ibn Abi Zimra. He instituted several regulations in the Jewish communal life, and, (col. 496)
among others, he abolished the system of dating documents according to the Seleucid era, which was still in practice in Egypt. In the 1520s the renowned halakhic authority R. Moses b. Isaac *Alashkar also lived in Egypt, where he acted as dayyan [[judge of a bet din (court)]]. However, he emigrated to Palestine and died in Jerusalem in 1542. Later David b. Solomon Abi Zimra also emigrated to Palestine and Bezalel Ashkenazi became the spiritual leader of Egypt's Jewish communities. During the second half of the 16th century, R. Jacob *Castro was the most prominent Egyptian rabbi. These rabbis acted as dayyanim, gave responsa, and educated distinguished pupils. R. Isaac *Luria, the famous kabbalist, was one of Bezalel Ashkenazi's pupils.
[17th and 18th century: Tyrannical Turkish government: murders of the chelebis - Abolition of the chelebis - introduction of the bazirkan]
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Turkish government became tyrannical and the upper class of wealthy Jews, who were employed by the governors and ministers, suffered especially. About 1610 the position of (col. 497)
chelebi [[gentleman]] was filled by Abba *Iskandari, a physician and philanthropist. In 1620 with the arrival of a new governor, the Albanian ("Arnaut") Husain, the Muslim enemies of the chelebi, jealous of his wealth, slandered him before the governor and he was executed. Jacob Tivoli replaced him as chelebi until he was executed by Khalil Pasha. In 1650, when Silihdar Ahmad Pasha was appointed governor of Egypt, he brought with him Hayyim Perez, a Jew, whom he appointed chelebi. In the same year natural catastrophes and a plague occurred in Egypt; the sultan summoned the commissioner and the chelebi to Constantinople and had them both executed.
A year later another governor, Muhammad Ghazi Pasha, was sent to Egypt. He appointed Jacob *Bibas as chelebi, but after a time became jealous of his wealth, killed with him with his own hands and buried him in the garden of his palace.
In 1661 the governor Ibrahim Pasha appointed the exceedingly wealthy Raphael b. Joseph Hin as his chelebi. The latter actively supported *Shabbetai Zevi, the pseudo-messiah, who had visited Cairo twice. In 1669 Karakush Ali Pasha was appointed governor of Egypt, became jealous of Raphael Hin's wealth, accused him of various crimes, and had him publicly executed.
The title of chelebi was then abolished and the Jewish agent of the Egyptian governor, who stood at the head of the Egyptian community, was known as bazirkan (from Persian bizargar, "merchant").
[Jewish community going economically down by the Turkish tyranny - renowned rabbis - Shabbatean movement - Jews from abroad come to be judge in Egypt]
The tyranny of the Turkish rule and the economic decline lowered the cultural level of Egyptian Jewry. During this period the community ceased to be led by renowned rabbis, as in the 16th century, even though some of them were excellent talmudic scholars such as Abraham *Iskandari, Samuel *Vital, the son of R. Hayyim *Vital, *Mordecai ha-Levi, and his son Abraham during the 17th century, and Solomon Algazi during the 18th century.
Nevertheless, the Shabbatean movement brought some activity to the stagnant community. In 1703 the Shabbatean propagandist Abraham Michael *Cardoso settled in Egypt, where he became physician to the Turkish governor Kara Ahmad Pasha. At times scholars and authors came to Egypt from other countries and acted as dayyanim [[judges of a bet din (court)]] and rabbis for a number of years. Such was the case of David *Conforte, author of Kore ha-Dorot who came in 1671.> (col. 498)
[[It seems the Jewish economy has not been going down that the existence was in danger]].
Sources
Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Egypt, vol.6, col. 495-496
Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971): Egypt, vol.6, col. 497-498
