Geniza Lab

Letters of recommendation for an unnamed man, drawn up by the Sephardic community of Vienna in 1861. This man was from Mosul (Nineveh) and brought with him his own letters of recommendation, for which this is a replacement. He suffers from poverty and illness, and he was robbed in his lodging when he entered the borders of Hungary. There are three different notes sharing the page; the first two urge all who meet him to extend charity to him. (The third note is somewhat obscure and needs further examination.) The first note is signed by Aharon b. Eliyyahu, Yehuda b. Yaʿaqov, and [...] b. Shimʿon. The second note was written by the Sephardic rabbi, Reuven Barukh (served 1846–74). He signed in Hebrew and Latin script, and stamped the document with his seal. ASE.