Description of a Journey Made by Signor Moise Cassuto in the Year 1733. Manuscript in cursive Tuscan with some Hebrew, including, on final leaf, a full-page prayer in Hebrew to be said at the Holy Places and graves of the Righteous

(ISRAEL, LAND OF)

Italy

18th-century

“The air of Jerusalem resembles that of Florence…” Fascinating and extensive travelogue, condensed from the original version (held by the British Museum) of an 18-month tour of 30 Middle Eastern and European cities undertaken by the Florentine Jewish banker Moise Cassuto. Written in Tuscan (classical Italian) with a smattering of Hebrew, the narrative has a restrained and unpretentious style with a wealth of detail. It is particularly unusual in that Cassuto had an interest in recording not only the Jewish life he encountered, but also the ways of life and customs of those of other religions. All the more remarkable is the tolerance and open-mindedness shown by this Jew toward Christians and Moslems. Spiced with tales of storms at sea and highwaymen, there are delightful accounts of his impressions of the Holy Land, a description of Jerusalem, the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, and the various Jewish communities of Eretz Israel, including the Samaritan community of Nablus. According to Barnett, copies of this diary exist at the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the British Museum. He cites a correspondence from Mrs. M. Cassuto-Salzman who states that her grandfather reported the existence of a copy of the manuscript in the library of the Finzi family which later came to be in the possession of one Rabbi Margulies (d. 1922). She states, “Now I do not know its whereabouts” (p.116, n. 4). Possibly this is the manuscript presently offered. See R. Barnett, “The Travels of Moshe Cassuto,” in Remember the Days...in Honor of Cecil Roth (1966), pp. 73-121 The lot includes a detailed and lengthy scholarly treatment and translation of the manuscript by Prof. Giuseppe Trapanese of Columbia University, New York.