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{{Short description|Ottoman military adviser (1760–1820)}}
'''Haim Farkhi''' (also '''Chaim''', '''Farhi''') (] - August 21, ] by assasination) was the ] advisor for the rulers of the ] in the days of the ], and during ]'s travels in the land of ].
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Haim Farhi
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Haim Farkhi Acre,.jpg
| image_size = 275px
| alt =
| caption = <small>Artistic impression</small>
| native_name = חיים פרחי
حيم فارحي
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1760 <!-- {{Birth date||MM|DD}} -->
| birth_place = ]
| disappeared_date = <!-- {{Disappeared date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (disappeared date then birth date) -->
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_status =
| death_date = August 21, 1820 (aged 60)<!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place = ]
| death_cause = Assassination
| body_discovered =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline}} -->
| monuments =
| nationality = ]
| other_names = Haim El Muallim
| citizenship =
| occupation = Chief advisor, financial vizier and de facto ruler of Acre
| years_active =
| employer = ]
| agent =
| known_for =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| movement =
| opponents =
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}}
{{Yishuv haYashan}}
'''Haim Farhi''' ({{langx|he|חיים פרחי|}}, {{transl|he|''Hayyim Farhiy''}}; {{langx|ar|حيم فارحي}}, also known as '''Haim "El Mu'allim"''', {{langx|ar|المعلم}} lit. "The Teacher"), (1760 – August 21, 1820) was a ] adviser to the governors of the ] in the days of the ], until his assassination in 1820.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=ברטל |first=ישראל |title=הישוב הישן הספרדי בארץ ישראל |publisher=מכון בן-צבי לחקר קהילות ישראל במזרח של יד בן-צבי והאוניברסיטה העברית |editor-last=בן-נאה |editor-first=ירון |pages=16 |language=he |chapter=הארץ ויהודיה |issn=1565-0774 |editor-last2=הלד דילהרוזה |editor-first2=מיכל}}</ref>


Farhi was a chief advisor to ], an Ottoman governor based in ], whose whims included blinding Farhi and leaving him physically scarred. Until his assassination in 1820, instigated by Farhi's own protege ], Farhi was the financial ] and de facto ruler of Acre. After the murder, Abdullah Pasha ordered Farhi's body cast into the sea and confiscated all his property.<ref name="farhi_org">{{Cite web |title=Farhi Org Main Page |url=http://www.farhi.org/history.htm}}</ref> Two of Farhi's brothers, Soliman and Rafael, living in ], organized a siege against Abdullah Pasha in Acre to exact revenge.<ref name="farhi_org" />
He was a central figure in the pilgrimage of the students of the ], in the year 1777, and their absorption in the Galilee and also in the repulsion of the Napoleon seige over the city of ] in 1799.


Revered among Jews as ''] Haim'' due to his extensive ]ic knowledge,<ref>Mikhayil Mishaqa, ''Murder, Mayhem, Pillage, and Plunder: The History of the Lebanon in the 18th and 19th Centuries,'' tr. W.M.Thackston, Jr. SUNY, Albany New York, 1988 p.49</ref> Farhi hailed from a prominent family of traders and bankers in Damascus.<ref name=":02" /> He extended his protection to the Jewish communities of Palestine, especially those of ] and ], who were under the jurisdiction of the governors of the ] ]. Revered for his power and wealth, both Jews and European Christians recounted tales of his wealth and influence.<ref name=":02" />
==Historical Backgroud==


== Historical background ==
After the occupation of Israel by the hands of the Ottoman empire in the year 1516, Israel became part of the empire. Still, the central Turkish rule was weak. Throughout the empire, lasting over vast areas of ], ], ], the ] and ], came many local rulers, which created a neat ] rule, whose connection to the main rule in ] was loose.
After the Ottoman conquest of the Levant from the ] in 1516, Galilee became part of its empire. Vast areas of ], ] and ] were ruled almost autonomously by local governors. The Levant in particular, split into numerous feuding power centers.<ref>] ''Islamic Imperialism: A History'', Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2007 p.95</ref>


The central rule at nothern Israel was supposed to come from ], where the gouvernor of Damascus would be the person responsible in from of the throne in Turkey. During the 18th century rose a strong local leader by the name of ], who cut ties with the empire. This leader was defeated at 1775 by the Turkish officer ], and the Turkish re-established their control over the north of the land. Rule over the ']' (roughly present-day northern Israel) was supposed to derive from the authority of the ] ] and its ]. In the 18th century, a powerful local leader, ], effectively severed ties with the empire and initiated widespread reforms, improving road infrastructure and security, and encouraging Christian and Jewish merchants to settle in the area and revive commerce.


After the ] was signed with Russia on July 21, 1774, ] ] sought to reassert Turkish sovereignty by attacking Dhaher and blockading the port of Acre. His troops rose in revolt and murdered their leader. In 1775 a Turkish officer, the ] ] ] took over, and the Turks regained control over the northern areas of the land.<ref name="friedman">Isaiah Friedman, ''Germany, Turkey , Zionism 1897–1918'', Transaction Publishers,New Brunswick, New Jersey (1977) 1998 p.26</ref>
In the days of Dhaher El-Omar and Ahmad Al-Jazar, the Galilee was being resettled by Jews. Dahar invited ]<sup></sup> of ] to return to his homeland and resettle ].


Zahir al-Umar actively encouraged Jewish resettlement and personally invited ] of ] to settle in the Galilee. The rabbi, born in ], then part of the ] ''Mutassariflik'' (Governorate/District), returned in 1740 and was received with full honours by Zahir. He settled in ], which was restored from its ruinous state. An impressive synagogue was built, roads were constructed, and Jewish agricultural settlements were founded at ], ], and ]. These policies continued under Ahmad al-Jazzar.<ref name="friedman" />
An existance of a strong local ruling, which enforced and prevented road robbery, as in the days of Dahar and Al-Jazar, turned the Galilee to a center of attraction for many - ] from ] and ], and also Jews from the east and the west.


The existence of a strong local authority enforced the law and prevented ] banditry on the roads. Zahir was one of the most tolerant and efficient local leaders and meted out justice equally to Muslim, Christian and Jew.<ref name="friedman" /> This was the case in the days of Zahir and al-Jazzar who transformed the Galilee into a region that attracted both ] from ] and ], and Jews from the east and west.
==Al-Jazar's Advisor==


== Adviser to al-Jazzar ==
Haim Farkhi was born to a respected Jewish family in ], and some say he was related to the royal house of ]. For many years the family members, among them Haim Farkhi's father Shaul Farkhi, as the treasurers of the Damascus district, and it is possible that they also used as mediators between the Jewish community and the rule, It is known that they tried to alleviate the burden of the taxes on the Jews of ]. Haim Farkhi was used early on as the banker of the ruler of Damascus. He acquired so influence with the Turkish rule, and became the advisor for the ruler of ], Ahmad Al-Jazar. Al-Jazar recognized the gifts of his advisor and acted by his advice, he also gave an alleviance on the Jewish taxation by his request.
]


Haim Farhi was born to a respected and ancient Jewish family in ]. His father Saul had established a banking business that flourished to the extent that it expanded to control Syria's finances, banking and foreign trade for nearly a century.<ref>Lucien Gubbay, ''Sunlight and Shadow:The Jewish Experience of Islam'', Other Press, New York (1999) 2000 p.130</ref><ref>Thomas Philipp, ''The Farhi Family and the Changing Position of the Jews in Syria, 1759–1860'', in ''] ''No. 20, October, 1984, pp.37-52 ''passim''</ref> Together with other family members, Farhi worked as a financial agent in the Damascus district.<ref>Itzhak Ben-Zvi, ''Eretz-Israel under Ottoman Rule'', 2nd ed. Jerusalem (Heb)1966 pp.319-22,339-43, cited Norman A. Stillman, ''The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book'', The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1979 p.338 n.7. </ref> Contemporary sources often mention the family as being the "real rulers of Syria".<ref>Isaiah Friedman, ''Germany, Turkey , Zionism 1897–1918'', Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey (1977) 1998 p.26.</ref>
Notwithstanding this, Al-Jazar was a violent and cruel individual who's title "Al-Jazar" means "The Butcher". In violent attacks he would find pretext and do harm to his Jewish advisor and as a result he had pierced his eye and cut off the edge of his nose. A famous illustration of those days shows Al-Jazar sitting in Justice in front of his Jewish advisor who is wearing an eye patch.


They may also have mediated between the Jewish community and the authorities, trying to alleviate the tax burden placed on the Jews of ]. Farhi succeeded his father as banker of the ruler of Damascus. He gained extensive influence with the Turkish government and became the adviser to ], ruler of Acre. This was probably due to his intrigues that led to the execution of the previous advisor, Mikhail Sakruj, a Christian merchant from ].<ref>Thomas Philipp, ''Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831'', Columbia University Press, New York 2002 p. 161</ref>
In the days of Al-Jazar, in the year ], Napoleon tried to conqour the land of Israel. His journies in the land started at February 1799 when Napoleon and his army arrived from the south, captured ] and massacrred 2000 Turkish prisoners within' it, and afterwards moved north, captured ] and the ] and layed seige upon Akko. Al-Jazar's troops lasted the seige for a month and a half and refused to surrender. These soldiers used the help of english sailors who were at the command of ]. Also, they have used a ] expert by the name of Antwan DeFilippo.


Al-Jazzar was a violent and cruel ruler, which is evidenced from his title 'al-Jazzar' meaning 'The Butcher'. He would often find pretext to lash out in savage assaults. At different times he had Farhi's right eye plucked out, cut off his nose, and severed his right ear.<ref>{{cite book |title= Murder, Mayhem, Pillage, and Plunder: The History of the Lebanon in the 18th and 19th Centuries by Mikhāyil Mishāqa (1800-1873) |translator= Wheeler M. Thackston Jr. |year= 1988 |publisher=] |page= 50 |isbn= 1438421990 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=luSpb6AI4mcC&pg=PA50 |access-date= 7 March 2024}}</ref> A famous illustration from the time (see above) shows al-Jazzar sitting in judgment in front of his Jewish adviser, who is wearing an ].
The mind behind the defence of Akko was Farkhi. As the advisor and right hand man of Al-Jazar, Farkhi had a direct hand at the way the war was run. Farkhi and DeFilippo fought against Napoleon a cruel and dodgey war. At it's peak, the seige as managed to breach the wall and with many casualties Napoleon's soldiers had tried entering into the city only to dicover that within the weeks since the seige has started, Farkhi and DeFilippo have built a second wall, several Feet into the city where Al-Jazar's garden was. The construction of the second wall made Napoleon and his men realise that they will probably not be able to take over the city. The seige was removed and Napoleon returned on his way to Egypt. Some say that Napoleon's articulation during the war, that if he would succeed and conqour the land it will be returned to the Jews, was meant to capture the heart of Farkhi and make him switch sides.


== Defeating Napoleon's siege ==
== Decline and Murder of Farhi ==
{{See also|Siege of Acre (1799)}}
] near a sign commemorating Farhi. The Hebrew inscription on the sign reads: ''Farhi vs. Napoleon. Jezzar's right hand in resisting ]'s harsh siege was the Jewish Haim Farhi, senior adviser and minister of finance'']]]
It was during the reign of al-Jazzar, in 1799, that the French general and future Emperor ] tried to conquer the Damascus governorate. In February ] and his army arrived from the south, ]. They then moved north, captured ] and the ] and laid siege to Acre. Al-Jazzar's troops, refusing to surrender, withstood the siege for one and a half months. A British naval force under the command of ] came to the town's defense, and an ] expert from the fleet, Antoine DePhelipoux, redeployed against Napoleon's forces artillery pieces which the British had intercepted from the French at sea.


Farhi played a key role in the city's defense. As al-Jazzar's adviser and right-hand man, he directly supervised how the battle against the siege was run. At the culmination of the assault, the besieging forces managed to make a breach in the walls. After suffering many casualties to open an entry-point, Napoleon's soldiers found, on trying to penetrate the city, that Farhi and DePhelipoux had, in the meantime, built a second wall, several feet deeper within the city where al-Jazzar's garden was.
After the death of Al-Jazar in 1804, the role of ruler of the Galilee was given to his son Suliman. Suliman ruled over the region until his death in 1819. where he gave the power to his adopted son Abdallah.


Discovery of this new construction convinced Napoleon and his men that the probability of their taking the city was minimal. The siege was raised and Napoleon withdrew to Egypt.
Suliman continued working with Haim Farkhi and utilized him the same way his father did, however, his adopted son, Abdallah has made the decision to get rid of Farkhi. Farkhi did get word on the decision but he did not escape since he feared for the Jews of the kingdom.


Some hold that a statement attributed to Napoleon during the war, according to which he promised to return the land to the Jews if he were to succeed in his conquest of ''Palestine'' (Southern Syria), was meant to capture Farhi's attention and betray his master by switching his support to the French. However, Napoleon never showed any particular interest in winning over the Jews of Ottoman Syria during his campaign there,<ref>Henry Laurens, ''La Question de Palestine: L'invention de la terre sainte, 1799–1922'', Fayard, Paris 1999 p.18</ref> though his account of the military campaign records that a rumour among Syrian Jews had it that after Napoleon took Acre, he would go to Jerusalem and restore ].<ref>Franz Kobler, ''Napoleon and the Jews'', Masada Press, Jerusalem,1975 p.51</ref>
On 21 August 1819, soldiers appeared at Farkhi's residence, announced to him that he is a traitor and killed him on the spot with strangulation. His house was ransaked by the soldiers and his body was refused burial. His family escaped to Damascus but his wife was unable to withstand the hardship of the journey and she died along the way in Safed.


== Involvement in Jewish matters ==
==Blood Vengence for Farkhi==
Farhi provided support for Jewish immigrants who made '']'' and settled in Safed and Tiberias, including '']'', '']'', and ], offering assistance with their tax burdens. During his tenure, the Jewish population in Acre grew to 800 individuals. The Jewish neighborhood in Tiberias also grew significantly as Rabbi Yitzhak Aboulafia, appointed by Farhi as governor and secretary of Safed and Tiberias, expanded its boundaries through the acquisition of a significant tract from Suleiman Pasha in 1805.<ref name=":02" />


== Murder ==
When word has arrived to the Farkhi family in Damascus about the events his brothers, Solomon, Refael and Moshe Farkhi, swore to avenge his killing. They had hired Turkish officers in Damascus and ] and produced a ] by "He who belongs to Islam" (the supreme religious authority in the Ottoman empire) that Abdallah was to be killed.


After the death of al-Jazzar in 1804, his ''mamluk'' ] succeeded to the ] of Akko. Under him, the Jews enjoyed, according to one traveller, 'perfect religious freedom', and were relieved of the substantial fines they were frequently compelled to pay under al-Jazzar, and were obliged to pay only the customary ''kharadj''.<ref>], ''Travels in Syria and the Holy Land'', London 1822 pp.327-8, reprinted in Norman A. Stillman, ''The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book'', The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1979 pp.338-9.</ref> Sulayman continued working with Farhi and employed him much as his own father had. Sulayman held sway over the region until his death in 1819, when he bequeathed his power to Farhi's adopted son, ], the orphan of a ] who had died prematurely.<ref name="Moise Franco 1897 pp.130-1" /> However, Abdullah determined to rid himself of his foster-father, Farhi. When Farhi got word of the decision, he refused to flee, believing such an action would imperil his fellow Jews in the kingdom.
On April 1821 the Farkhi brothers arrived with a large army to the land of Israel. they went past the Galilee defeating Abdallah's armies along their way and appointing new rulers in his place at each place they reached. Afterwards, they had seiged Akko for 14 months. During the seige the eldes brother, Solomon, was poinsoned by emissaries of Abdallah and the brothers grew despair of the seige and went back with their troops to Damascus.


On 21 August 1820, soldiers appeared at Farhi's residence in ], denouncing him as a traitor. They seized and strangled him to death, and ransacked his house. His family was denied permission to bury his body. The family assets were expropriated and Farhi's body was cast into the sea. The family escaped to Damascus; Farhi's wife, unable to withstand the rigours of the journey, died on the way, in ].
==Haim Farkhi's Legacy==


Abdullah then compelled the Jews of Acre and Safed to pay in full all the back taxes they would have owed had they not been exempted, through Farhi's good offices, from paying over the years.<ref name="Moise Franco 1897 pp.130-1">{{cite book|last=Franco|first=Moise|title=Essai Sur L'histoire Des Israélites De L'empire Ottoman Depuis Les Origines Jusqu'à Nos Jours|year=1973|orig-year=1897|publisher=G. Olms |location=Hildesheim|pages=130–131|language=fr}}</ref>
Farkhi's residency stands until today in Akko, but it is not open for visitors. In Akko there is a central city square at the old city in his name. Farkhi will be remembered as a contributor to the pilgrimage of the students of the ], in the year 1777, and their absorption in the Galilee. This pilgrimage is considered an important milestone in the Jewish resettlement in the Galilee.


Farhi's murder precipitated what one recent historian of the city called "the first, serious ... existential crisis" for Acre.<ref>Thomas Philipp, ''Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831'', Columbia University Press, New York 2002 p. 90</ref>
==Further Reading==


== Retaliation ==
* Avraham Yeari, "Memories of the land of Israel" (זכרונות ארץ ישראל), published by the dept. of youth matters of the Zionist Histadrut, 1947.


When word of Farhi's murder reached Damascus, his brothers, Salomon, Raphael, and Moise, swore to avenge him. They hired Turkish officers in Damascus and ] to that purpose, wrote to Chalabi Carmona, an influential Jew of ], to ask the Sultan for justice, and requested a ] to that effect. Carmona obtained from ] of Constantinople ], the supreme religious authority of the ], a firman requiring the governors of Damascus, Aleppo and two other pashas to lend their troops to the three brothers in their pursuance of justice against Abdullah.<ref name="Moise Franco 1897 pp.130-1" />
==External Links==

In April 1821 the Farhi brothers arrived with a large army in the Akko Sanjak. They first conquered the ], defeating the armies Abdullah sent to meet them, and appointing new rulers to take away his authority in every region they conquered. When they finally reached Acre, they besieged it for 14 months. During the siege, the eldest brother, Salomon, was poisoned (according to some sources, stabbed) by Abdullah's emissaries, and the surviving brothers, despairing of the siege, withdrew with their troops to Damascus.

== Legacy ==

Farhi's residence still stands today in Acre, but it is not open to visitors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=בית חיים פרחי - עכו העתיקה |url=https://www.oldakko.co.il/category/%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%99 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=www.oldakko.co.il}}</ref> Acre also has a square in his honour in the old sector of the city.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Avraham Yeari, "Memories of the land of Israel" (זכרונות ארץ ישראל), published by the department of youth matters of the Zionist Histadrut, 1947.

== External links ==
* *
*
* {{in lang|fr}}
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{{authority control}}

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Latest revision as of 15:04, 1 January 2025

Ottoman military adviser (1760–1820)
Haim Farhi
חיים פרחי حيم فارحي
Artistic impression
Born1760
Damascus
DiedAugust 21, 1820 (aged 60)
Acre
Cause of deathAssassination
NationalityOttoman
Other namesHaim El Muallim
Occupation(s)Chief advisor, financial vizier and de facto ruler of Acre
EmployerAhmad al-Jazzar
Old Yishuv
A sepia photograph shows three elderly Jewish men sporting beards and holding open books, posing for the camera. Against a backdrop of leafy vegetation, the man in the centre sits, wearing a black hat and caftan, while the two others stand, wearing lighter clothes and turbans.Jewish community in the Land of Israel under Ottoman rule
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Haim Farhi (Hebrew: חיים פרחי, Hayyim Farhiy; Arabic: حيم فارحي, also known as Haim "El Mu'allim", Arabic: المعلم lit. "The Teacher"), (1760 – August 21, 1820) was a Jewish adviser to the governors of the Galilee in the days of the Ottoman Empire, until his assassination in 1820.

Farhi was a chief advisor to Jazzar Pasha, an Ottoman governor based in Acre, whose whims included blinding Farhi and leaving him physically scarred. Until his assassination in 1820, instigated by Farhi's own protege Abdullah Pasha, Farhi was the financial vizier and de facto ruler of Acre. After the murder, Abdullah Pasha ordered Farhi's body cast into the sea and confiscated all his property. Two of Farhi's brothers, Soliman and Rafael, living in Damascus, organized a siege against Abdullah Pasha in Acre to exact revenge.

Revered among Jews as Hakham Haim due to his extensive Talmudic knowledge, Farhi hailed from a prominent family of traders and bankers in Damascus. He extended his protection to the Jewish communities of Palestine, especially those of Tiberias and Safed, who were under the jurisdiction of the governors of the Sidon Vilayet. Revered for his power and wealth, both Jews and European Christians recounted tales of his wealth and influence.

Historical background

After the Ottoman conquest of the Levant from the Mamluks in 1516, Galilee became part of its empire. Vast areas of Asia, North Africa and Southeastern Europe were ruled almost autonomously by local governors. The Levant in particular, split into numerous feuding power centers.

Rule over the 'Sanjak of Acre' (roughly present-day northern Israel) was supposed to derive from the authority of the Damascus governorate and its Walis. In the 18th century, a powerful local leader, Zahir al-Umar, effectively severed ties with the empire and initiated widespread reforms, improving road infrastructure and security, and encouraging Christian and Jewish merchants to settle in the area and revive commerce.

After the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji was signed with Russia on July 21, 1774, Sultan Abdul Hamid I sought to reassert Turkish sovereignty by attacking Dhaher and blockading the port of Acre. His troops rose in revolt and murdered their leader. In 1775 a Turkish officer, the Bosnian Mameluk Ahmad al-Jazzar took over, and the Turks regained control over the northern areas of the land.

Zahir al-Umar actively encouraged Jewish resettlement and personally invited Hayyim ben Jacob Abulafia of İzmir to settle in the Galilee. The rabbi, born in Hebron, then part of the Jerusalem Mutassariflik (Governorate/District), returned in 1740 and was received with full honours by Zahir. He settled in Tiberias, which was restored from its ruinous state. An impressive synagogue was built, roads were constructed, and Jewish agricultural settlements were founded at Pekiin, Shefa-'Amr, and Kafr Yasif. These policies continued under Ahmad al-Jazzar.

The existence of a strong local authority enforced the law and prevented Bedouin banditry on the roads. Zahir was one of the most tolerant and efficient local leaders and meted out justice equally to Muslim, Christian and Jew. This was the case in the days of Zahir and al-Jazzar who transformed the Galilee into a region that attracted both Arabs from Syria and Lebanon, and Jews from the east and west.

Adviser to al-Jazzar

"Jezzar Pacha Condemning a Criminal". Farhi is pictured standing with paper in hand.

Haim Farhi was born to a respected and ancient Jewish family in Damascus. His father Saul had established a banking business that flourished to the extent that it expanded to control Syria's finances, banking and foreign trade for nearly a century. Together with other family members, Farhi worked as a financial agent in the Damascus district. Contemporary sources often mention the family as being the "real rulers of Syria".

They may also have mediated between the Jewish community and the authorities, trying to alleviate the tax burden placed on the Jews of Safed. Farhi succeeded his father as banker of the ruler of Damascus. He gained extensive influence with the Turkish government and became the adviser to Ahmad al-Jazzar, ruler of Acre. This was probably due to his intrigues that led to the execution of the previous advisor, Mikhail Sakruj, a Christian merchant from Shefa-'Amr.

Al-Jazzar was a violent and cruel ruler, which is evidenced from his title 'al-Jazzar' meaning 'The Butcher'. He would often find pretext to lash out in savage assaults. At different times he had Farhi's right eye plucked out, cut off his nose, and severed his right ear. A famous illustration from the time (see above) shows al-Jazzar sitting in judgment in front of his Jewish adviser, who is wearing an eye patch.

Defeating Napoleon's siege

See also: Siege of Acre (1799)
19th-century cannon, set in the wall of Acre near a sign commemorating Farhi. The Hebrew inscription on the sign reads: Farhi vs. Napoleon. Jezzar's right hand in resisting Napoleon's harsh siege was the Jewish Haim Farhi, senior adviser and minister of finance
The remains of the internal fortification line erected by Farhi and De-Phelipoux within the walls of Acre, during Napoleon's siege, May 1799.

It was during the reign of al-Jazzar, in 1799, that the French general and future Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte tried to conquer the Damascus governorate. In February Napoleon and his army arrived from the south, captured Jaffa and massacred 2,000 Turkish prisoners. They then moved north, captured Haifa and the Jezreel Valley and laid siege to Acre. Al-Jazzar's troops, refusing to surrender, withstood the siege for one and a half months. A British naval force under the command of Admiral Sidney Smith came to the town's defense, and an artillery expert from the fleet, Antoine DePhelipoux, redeployed against Napoleon's forces artillery pieces which the British had intercepted from the French at sea.

Farhi played a key role in the city's defense. As al-Jazzar's adviser and right-hand man, he directly supervised how the battle against the siege was run. At the culmination of the assault, the besieging forces managed to make a breach in the walls. After suffering many casualties to open an entry-point, Napoleon's soldiers found, on trying to penetrate the city, that Farhi and DePhelipoux had, in the meantime, built a second wall, several feet deeper within the city where al-Jazzar's garden was.

Discovery of this new construction convinced Napoleon and his men that the probability of their taking the city was minimal. The siege was raised and Napoleon withdrew to Egypt.

Some hold that a statement attributed to Napoleon during the war, according to which he promised to return the land to the Jews if he were to succeed in his conquest of Palestine (Southern Syria), was meant to capture Farhi's attention and betray his master by switching his support to the French. However, Napoleon never showed any particular interest in winning over the Jews of Ottoman Syria during his campaign there, though his account of the military campaign records that a rumour among Syrian Jews had it that after Napoleon took Acre, he would go to Jerusalem and restore Solomon's temple.

Involvement in Jewish matters

Farhi provided support for Jewish immigrants who made aliyah and settled in Safed and Tiberias, including Hassidim, Perushim, and Ma'aravim, offering assistance with their tax burdens. During his tenure, the Jewish population in Acre grew to 800 individuals. The Jewish neighborhood in Tiberias also grew significantly as Rabbi Yitzhak Aboulafia, appointed by Farhi as governor and secretary of Safed and Tiberias, expanded its boundaries through the acquisition of a significant tract from Suleiman Pasha in 1805.

Murder

After the death of al-Jazzar in 1804, his mamluk Sulayman Pasha succeeded to the Pashalik of Akko. Under him, the Jews enjoyed, according to one traveller, 'perfect religious freedom', and were relieved of the substantial fines they were frequently compelled to pay under al-Jazzar, and were obliged to pay only the customary kharadj. Sulayman continued working with Farhi and employed him much as his own father had. Sulayman held sway over the region until his death in 1819, when he bequeathed his power to Farhi's adopted son, Abdullah Pasha ibn Ali, the orphan of a bey who had died prematurely. However, Abdullah determined to rid himself of his foster-father, Farhi. When Farhi got word of the decision, he refused to flee, believing such an action would imperil his fellow Jews in the kingdom.

On 21 August 1820, soldiers appeared at Farhi's residence in Acre, denouncing him as a traitor. They seized and strangled him to death, and ransacked his house. His family was denied permission to bury his body. The family assets were expropriated and Farhi's body was cast into the sea. The family escaped to Damascus; Farhi's wife, unable to withstand the rigours of the journey, died on the way, in Safed.

Abdullah then compelled the Jews of Acre and Safed to pay in full all the back taxes they would have owed had they not been exempted, through Farhi's good offices, from paying over the years.

Farhi's murder precipitated what one recent historian of the city called "the first, serious ... existential crisis" for Acre.

Retaliation

When word of Farhi's murder reached Damascus, his brothers, Salomon, Raphael, and Moise, swore to avenge him. They hired Turkish officers in Damascus and Aleppo to that purpose, wrote to Chalabi Carmona, an influential Jew of Constantinople, to ask the Sultan for justice, and requested a firman to that effect. Carmona obtained from Grand Mufti of Constantinople Sheikh ul-Islam, the supreme religious authority of the Ottoman Empire, a firman requiring the governors of Damascus, Aleppo and two other pashas to lend their troops to the three brothers in their pursuance of justice against Abdullah.

In April 1821 the Farhi brothers arrived with a large army in the Akko Sanjak. They first conquered the Galilee, defeating the armies Abdullah sent to meet them, and appointing new rulers to take away his authority in every region they conquered. When they finally reached Acre, they besieged it for 14 months. During the siege, the eldest brother, Salomon, was poisoned (according to some sources, stabbed) by Abdullah's emissaries, and the surviving brothers, despairing of the siege, withdrew with their troops to Damascus.

Legacy

Farhi's residence still stands today in Acre, but it is not open to visitors. Acre also has a square in his honour in the old sector of the city.

References

  1. ^ ברטל, ישראל. "הארץ ויהודיה". In בן-נאה, ירון; הלד דילהרוזה, מיכל (eds.). הישוב הישן הספרדי בארץ ישראל (in Hebrew). מכון בן-צבי לחקר קהילות ישראל במזרח של יד בן-צבי והאוניברסיטה העברית. p. 16. ISSN 1565-0774.
  2. ^ "Farhi Org Main Page".
  3. Mikhayil Mishaqa, Murder, Mayhem, Pillage, and Plunder: The History of the Lebanon in the 18th and 19th Centuries, tr. W.M.Thackston, Jr. SUNY, Albany New York, 1988 p.49
  4. Efraim Karsh Islamic Imperialism: A History, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2007 p.95
  5. ^ Isaiah Friedman, Germany, Turkey , Zionism 1897–1918, Transaction Publishers,New Brunswick, New Jersey (1977) 1998 p.26
  6. Lucien Gubbay, Sunlight and Shadow:The Jewish Experience of Islam, Other Press, New York (1999) 2000 p.130
  7. Thomas Philipp, The Farhi Family and the Changing Position of the Jews in Syria, 1759–1860, in Middle Eastern Studies No. 20, October, 1984, pp.37-52 passim
  8. Itzhak Ben-Zvi, Eretz-Israel under Ottoman Rule, 2nd ed. Jerusalem (Heb)1966 pp.319-22,339-43, cited Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1979 p.338 n.7.
  9. Isaiah Friedman, Germany, Turkey , Zionism 1897–1918, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey (1977) 1998 p.26.
  10. Thomas Philipp, Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831, Columbia University Press, New York 2002 p. 161
  11. Murder, Mayhem, Pillage, and Plunder: The History of the Lebanon in the 18th and 19th Centuries by Mikhāyil Mishāqa (1800-1873). Translated by Wheeler M. Thackston Jr. State University of New York Press. 1988. p. 50. ISBN 1438421990. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  12. Henry Laurens, La Question de Palestine: L'invention de la terre sainte, 1799–1922, Fayard, Paris 1999 p.18
  13. Franz Kobler, Napoleon and the Jews, Masada Press, Jerusalem,1975 p.51
  14. John Lewis Burckhardt, Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, London 1822 pp.327-8, reprinted in Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book, The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia 1979 pp.338-9.
  15. ^ Franco, Moise (1973) . Essai Sur L'histoire Des Israélites De L'empire Ottoman Depuis Les Origines Jusqu'à Nos Jours (in French). Hildesheim: G. Olms. pp. 130–131.
  16. Thomas Philipp, Acre: The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian City, 1730–1831, Columbia University Press, New York 2002 p. 90
  17. "בית חיים פרחי - עכו העתיקה". www.oldakko.co.il. Retrieved 2024-05-17.

Further reading

  • Avraham Yeari, "Memories of the land of Israel" (זכרונות ארץ ישראל), published by the department of youth matters of the Zionist Histadrut, 1947.

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