Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Pereira is the director of adult education at Chabad of Virginia, Richmond, and the founding director of the RVA—Jewish Studies Center. He is the author or co-author of several books, including “Jewish Voices from Portugal” and "Jewish Ethics from Portugal,” and lectures extensively around the world on the history of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula and the Sephardic World in general. He is also a university professor and a widely published economist.
Rabbi Pereira can be reached at shlomo@chabadofva.org.
The 1700s
During the 1700s, Jerusalem was by far the city with the most important Jewish presence in the Land of Israel. This is true quantitatively. It is estimated that around the beginning of the 1700s, the Jewish population in Israel was about 2,000, with about 1500 living in Jerusalem. In turn, by 1800, estimates indicate a Jewish presence of about 7,500 people, of which 5,000 lived in Jerusalem. It is also true qualitatively. Of the 29 known yeshivot operating in the 1700s in the Land of Israel, 24 were located in Jerusalem. In what was a community of scholars, this is a highly significant statistic. Another significant aspect of Jewish life in Jerusalem in the 1700s was the dominant Sephardic presence. The Ashkenazic presence, which was at any rate small, ended in 1720 with their expulsion by the local rulers. The community was only re-established towards the end of the century with the arrival of followers of the Vilna Gaon. The following TIMELINE of Jerusalem in the 1700s is not intended to be comprehensive but rather illustrative. 1700-1750 1700 - Jerusalem was the leading Jewish center in the Land of Israel, and it had about 1500 Jews. 1700 - R. Yehudah HaChasid, from Poland, arrived in Jerusalem with about 1000 followers. 1702 - R. Rovigo of Modena, Italy, a great supporter of the Jews of Israel, settled in Jerusalem. 1702 - R. Raphael Mordechai Malki, a physician and community leader, died in Jerusalem. 1705 - Serious restrictions were imposed against the Jews of Jerusalem. 1708 - The sages of Jerusalem excommunicated R. Nechemia Chayun for his heretical Shabbatean views. 1720 - Arab mobs destroy the Yehudah HaChassid Synagogue and the Ashkenazi courtyard in Jerusalem. Early 1720s - The Sephardic community faced a severe financial crisis as it was held liable for the debts of the Ashkenazic community. 1724 - R. Chaim Yosef David Azulai was born in Jerusalem. c.1724 - R. Tuvia Cohen, aka Dr. Tobias Cohn, moves from Turkey to Jerusalem. 1727 - The Committee of Istanbul Officials for Jerusalem was established to coordinate the financial support of the Jewish community in Jerusalem. 1731 - Karaite Jews, mainly from Damascus, returned to Jerusalem. 1737 - R. Immanuel Rikki, an influential Kabbalist from Italy, moved to Jerusalem. 1737 - The Beth El Yeshiva in Jerusalem, with a unique focus on Jewish mysticism, started operations. 1738 - R. Moshe Chagiz returned to Jerusalem after forty years as an emissary in Europe. Late 1730s - R. Shalom Sharabi moved from Yemen to Jerusalem. 1742 - R. Chaim Ibn Attar from Morocco settled in Jerusalem. 1747 - The recently arrived chassidic leader, R. Gershon of Kitov, relocated from Hebron to Jerusalem. 1750-1799 1751 - R. Shalom Sharabi became the head of Yeshiva Bet El in Jerusalem. 1755 - R. Chaim Yosef David Azulai started his first mission abroad as an emissary on behalf of the Jewish communities. 1757 - R. Abraham Gershom of Kitov returns to Eastern Europe … to remarry. 1764 - A group of Chassidism led by R. Menahem Mendel of Peremyshlyany settled in Jerusalem. 1771 - The Mamluk ruler of Egypt, in alliance with Russia, temporarily took control of Jerusalem. 1773—The Jews of Livorno, Italy, are offered the opportunity to purchase Jerusalem from the Mamluk ruler of Egypt. 1780 - Rabbi David Pardo moves from Sarajevo to Jerusalem. 1782 - The Jewish Cemetery at the Mount of Olives faced new harsh measures. 1799 - The Jews of Jerusalem helped save the city from Napoleon's forces. 1799—Jerusalem continued to be the foremost Jewish center in the Land of Israel, now with about 5,000 Jews.
1780
Hailing from an Iberian family, R. David Pardo moved to Jerusalem in 1780 after serving for decades in several communities in the Balkans. R. Pardo distinguished himself by a unique focus on the literature of the period of the Tannaim, that is, the period until the end of the second century of the Common Era.