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עמוד:67
Background Information Sir Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Montefiore lived in England from 1784 to 1885 . He is known for his many large donations helping Jews to settle in the land of Israel . Montefiore also contributed greatly to the rescue and welfare of Jews in distress in other places in the world , as in the case of the Damascus Blood Libel . In 1840 , a Christian monk disappeared in Damascus after a visit to a Jewish market . The monks at the monastery claimed that the Jews had killed him to use his blood to bake matzot for Passover and as a result , the Jews of Damascus were persecuted and some imprisoned . Montefiore , along with other Jewish leaders , used his status and connections to intervene on behalf of the Jews of Damascus . Thanks to Montefiore’s delegation to the Turkish Sultan , who ruled in Damascus , the Jews of Damascus were proved innocent , the prisoners were released , and the authorities promised to defend the Jews from any additional blood libels . 1 What kind of help did Montefiore provide to the Jews in this case ? ( Financial aid ? Emotional support ? Political backing ?) 2 When the blood libel was directed against them , the Jews could have claimed that the Torah forbids them to commit the crimes they were accused of . Which of the Ten Commandments could the Jews have quoted to prove their innocence ? 3 Moses Montefiore achieved high status and used his connections to intervene on behalf of the Jews of Damascus . Does this remind you of the story in the Bible about a Jewish queen who was married to a non-Jewish king and who used her position and her relationship with the king to defend the Jews of her kingdom ? What was her name ? 4 Look at the map on page 138 . Find the country where the Jews who needed help in this particular case lived . Find the country where Moses Montefiore lived when he helped them . Draw an arrow between the countries to show the origin and destination of the help provided by Moses Montefiore .
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