Collection of Letters Sent to Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld following the Hebron Massacre of 1929
An astounding collection of letters written by Diaspora Rabbanim and Jews around the world who heeded the cries of the Rabbanim of Eretz Yisrael to help rebuild the lives and homes of the victims of the Hebron massacre of 1929.
The return addresses on these letters are marked New York, Cleveland, Toronto, Buenos Aires, London, Switzerland, Hamburg, France, Galicia, Latvia and Hungary. Some were written and signed by the respective city’s Rabbanim and others by leaders of various unions.
The Hebron Massacre of 1929
In August 1929, hundreds of Arab marauders went on a bloodthirsty rampage and surprised the peaceful Jewish community of Hebron with a brutal massacre, butchering young and old indiscriminately. The heinous crimes committed at the time defied imagination, and it was the bloodiest event to transpire in the Holy Land until the recent massacre on October 7, 2024. The pogrom left a shocking 133 victims dead and close to 400 wounded.
The Jews of the diaspora shared in the pain and sorrow of their brethren in Eretz Yisrael and responded to the call of the great leaders of Klal Yisrael to come to the aid of the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel, which was then in severe distress – as reflected in this fascinating collection of letters.
All the letters were addressed to the Gaon, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who devoted tremendous efforts to supporting the families of the deceased and wounded. The letters reflect the deep admiration rabbis and communities abroad had for him, regarding him as a righteous and holy leader, with some appealing to him to include them in his prayers.
22 letters of assorted sizes from 1929-1930. These letters constitute eye-opening historic documentation of the chilling events of 1929.
