R. Shmuel Aboab's letters to the Palestinian sages held captive in Malta and Messina

Abstract

In the diaries and letters of R. Shmuel Aboab at the Montefiore Library in Jews College, London) there are seven letters that give important information about the work of the Society and about his own activities in securing release of the captives, information that helps considerably in completing our knowledge of the subject. The letters were addressed to four sages from Palestine who were held captive in Malta and one in Messina between the years 1647 and 1666, that is, from the Society's foundation to close on the time of the letters in its minute-books. Therefore, this article is based on those letters and the involvement of The 'Redemption of Captives' Society on the Palestinian captives held in Malta and Messina.