Urmia, Persia.
With a pen dipped in blood, we hereby describe the terrible and dreadful condition in which we now find ourselves in this land, filled with religious jealousy and hatred. The verse has been fulfilled in us: “And your life shall hang in doubt before you” (Deuteronomy 28:66). Who among Israel, upon hearing this, would not tear his heart apart? And what shall we speak of—our recent troubles, our old troubles, those that are public and those that are hidden? The pages would not be enough to contain them. Yet, to our sorrow, we shall relate one more thing that happened to us: There was a prominent man in our city named Mordechai Cohen HaNasi. The Persians produced forged promissory notes against him totaling 1,200 toman, which he was unable to pay. Twice every day, morning and evening, they tied his legs to a wooden post while two men beat him from both sides with sticks and willow branches. The sound of his cries rose to heaven. Each time they struck him three hundred times, the skin and flesh of his legs were stripped away; his toenails became blackened and disfigured. They did not rest until they tied his legs in the Jewish street in front of the synagogue and beat him there so that the Jews would see and pay his debt. Sadly, we were unable to rescue him from his oppressors, for our own situation is extremely difficult. In the end he converted from Judaism, and then he was released from paying his debt, for once he converted everything was forgiven and permitted to him. The documents were forged, but as long as he was a Jew he was disqualified from giving evidence or taking an oath in the courts, like his fellow Jews. This became a disgrace among us: our chief Kohen had converted from Judaism!
In the month of Iyar, Jews were traveling along the road with their wives and families when cruel Persians attacked them and violated six women and two young unmarried women. The Jews cried out and a quarrel broke out among them. One of the Persians came up behind a Jew and cut his neck with a sword, wounding him lightly, and then threatened that unless the women were handed over, they would slaughter them all like sheep in the wilderness. Let everyone judge for himself what our condition is, until God comes to judge. Therefore we sent two men to Western Europe to appear before our king: the wealthy Rabbi Rahamim ben Gedalyahu, and the distinguished young scholar Rabbi Zechariah Nissim, whose father is wealthy and sent his son to help us without accepting any payment. May his God be with him. These men appeared before the king, who received them graciously, and our situation improved somewhat; he granted some of the requests we had made. Nevertheless, because of the lack of a railway and the great distance from the king, the tyrannical governor continues to oppress us shamelessly. The two men we have mentioned are now being pursued by the tyrant Mirza Tzadik, who seeks to harm them, and they must once again travel to the capital to submit their request before the king. May God grant them mercy, favor, and grace, and may the merit of the great commandment they performed protect them forever.
We write this to report that we received from the aforementioned emissaries letters of support, books, and money, to take them out of the hands of the oppressor. In the month of Kislev we received 1,430 shekels, and with this money we established a study house with all its furnishings. In addition, we received 918 francs, as well as seventy-four poods of various books in two large boxes, forty-two slaughtering knives for the ritual slaughterers, and twelve shofars. The books were distributed among the houses of Torah study, to rabbis and judges only, and some were also sent to Salmas, Bashkale, and Miandoab, together with knives. We pray for all our brethren living in the countries of the West, that they may prosper and live long lives. On the day the books were received and distributed, we celebrated with great joy as on a festival, and on that day we prayed that the Holy One, blessed be He, would repay them from His generous and abundant hand. Respectfully, and praying for them, the entire holy community of Urmia.
We turn to the publisher and ask him to print our words exactly as written, so that our brethren may pray for us and heavenly mercy may be aroused on our behalf. It will be a great mitzvah for them, and their reward will be complete from God.
The humble servant of the Holy One: Drasha ben Keter Kohen Shem Tov, may he live; David son of Kohen Shmuel, ritual slaughterer of Urmia; Moses Benjamin son of Gabbai Yossi; the young Nissim Chaim son of Nissim; Jacob son of Judah; the young Hanukkah son of Yitomya; Michael son of Rabbi Shem Tov Levi; the humble Yair son of Rabbi Nissim, of the city of Urmia. (Seal of the holy community)