The Attack on Tzfas

The Druze rebelled against the Egyptian king, Muhammad Ali, and as they passed through they attacked and looted Tzfas, burning and pillaging. The Avritcher himself was in grave danger and his life was miraculously saved. Rav Moshe Reisher told the details in his sefer Shaarei Yerushalayim.

In Sivan 5598 a rebellion broke out against Ibrahim Pasha, the ruler of Egypt and Syria. The rebels came armed with swords to murder the Jews and plunder their possessions. The Jews fled their homes and left everything behind. Many escaped to Ein Zaytun and hid among the holy graves, davening to Hashem to save them.

For three days and three nights the attackers rampaged through the city and left it empty. They defiled the shuls and batei medrash, threw the seforim to the ground and tore them, and closed every road so that no one could leave and no word could reach the authorities on the coast. Rav Reisher recalls that the Jews were left bare and lacking even basic necessities, because the attackers stole even the shirts off their backs and beat them mercilessly.

At that time Rav Avrohom Dov of Avritch was the elder and leader who had come to Tzfas and been appointed chief Rav. He had a Bais Medrash that exists to this day and bears his name. The terrified Jews, men, women and children, fled there for shelter and lay hiding on the floor, weeping bitter tears.

Rav Reisher's father-in-law, who came from Teveria and spoke clear Arabic, wished to speak with the gentile governor of Tzfas, in the hope that he might be persuaded to protect the Jews. They gathered a sum of money and many gifts, came to the governor's home and greeted him with blessings in Arabic. He received them with honor, accepted the gifts graciously and promised to guard the city and protect the Jews. They returned and told the Avritcher Rav, and he and everyone hiding with him were glad.

But the joy was short-lived. The attackers came again, looted whatever they could find and beat whoever they could lay their hands on. The governor himself fled and could not keep his word.

The wicked men came to the Rav's home, seized him, tied his hands behind his back with ropes and took other hostages with him. They brought them to the stronghold known as the castle of Yosef ben Gurion and beat him almost to death. Then they put swords to his neck and threatened his life unless they were given a thousand purses of coins, each purse containing some five hundred grush, equal to fifty silver reinisch. The Jews did not have nearly such a sum.

The holy Avritcher asked for water to wash his hands and, accepting the Divine decree, called out, “My children, allow me to call upon Hashem and bless Him for His true judgment that He has judged me today.” He sat to await the Heavenly decree.

In His great mercy Hashem saved His people. At that moment another Arab burst in and shouted that Ibrahim Pasha and his soldiers were on their way and would leave no survivors. Seized with fear, the captors fled for their lives and left behind all their loot and their hostages. Later another group of Jews arrived and cut the bonds of the Rav and the other hostages and set them free. They returned to find their homes in ruins, and they thanked Hashem for sparing their lives.