Shelucha DeRabbanan and Pinkas of the Emissaries R. Shalom Mordechai Hai Gaguin and R. Yaakov Sapir, in relation to their journey through Italy to raise funds for Eretz Israel.

A Pinkas Shadar of an uncommon joint mission by important Aschkenazi and Sephardi Rabbinical emissaries following the agreements reached by their respective communities (see final paragraph on f. 2) to collect funds on behalf of both communities in the Holy Land. “There is hunger in the land without water to drink.” - The recommendation letters by the Rabbis of Eretz Israel state they are responsible for some six thousand destitute people, orphans and widows, both Sephardim and Ashkenazim. The journey through Italy was led by Dayan Shalom Mordechai Hai Gaguin, representing the Sephardim to “tell of our trials and tribulations.” Representing the Aschkenazic community was Rabbi Yaakov Sapir, a seasoned emissary who published a description of his journies to Yemen, India, Egypt and Australia in his two volume work Even Sapir. The volume includes (ff. 17-20) a listing in Hebrew and Italian of 78 Italian towns with names of communal leaders and donors with the amounts raised in each town. The final section, entitled “Masa Italia,” chronologically describes the Rabbis travels from 10th Tammuz 1870 until 18th Shevat 1871. It delineates names of Rabbis and communal officers and a description of how well (or not) they were treated. See A. Yaari, Sheluchei Eretz Yisrael. p. 738.