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Darke Zion  

Jewish Theological Seminary

A book published in 1915
[Jewish Theological Seminar New York ref. DS 106 S82]
provides excerpts of

"Darke Zion" by Mose ben Israel Naftali Porjes (Mose Präger)

"Beiträge zur Palästinakunde aus neueren jüdischen Quellen"

It is reproduced below, in the left column,
with a (rough) computer-generated translation in the right column.

Library of Meyer Sulzberger

Daniel Dov Polakovic (Prague) is the author of a thesis on Darke Zion.

"I want only to add that I wrote a diploma on the work of Rabbi Moshe b. Naftali Porit (Porges) "Darkhey Tziyon" (1650) including a complete translation of this work from the original prints (Jerusalem, Oxford) with the remarks, and added with the short study on Porges family in the 15th-17th century in Prague.

The original name of this work is: "Mose Jisrael b. Naftali Porit (Porges) a jeho dielo Darchej Cijon (1650)" (Moshe Israel b. Naftali Porit (Porges) and his work Darkhey Tziyon (1650)) and is completly in Czech, 94 pp., 19 tbs.

The first chapter was published in complete Czech translation in "Zidovska rocenka" (The Jewish annual) in Prague 2000.
With the best wishes,
Yours sincerely

In 2003, Dan Polakovic provided a copy of his work.
Edita Atteck, a member of the von Portheim family, kindly translated the Porges related excerpts from Czech to English.

Thesis at the Charles University in Prague, department of Middle East and Africa, written in the summer of 2000 by Dan Polakovic.

Page 5
Title of the thesis is “Mose b. Jisrael Naftali Porges: Darchej Cijon (1650)”
( “Darchej Cijon means “Roads to Sion”).

  • It’s not a classical Jewish itinerary from the Middle Ages, however, rather a “manual” for Jewish immigrants searching for peace and home where their home once used to be – in Erec Israel.
  • The author of the book, Mose Porges, wasn’t the only Jew in the 16/17th century in the Czech land who traveled to the sacred land and left behind the message of that time. Rachel, a Prague’s Jew, wrote letters to her father about life in Jerusalem at the end of the 16th century…

Page 29-34

  • Very little is known about the biographical details of Mose Porges.
  • Mose came from Prague, worked in Jerusalem (he likely settled there in the first half of the 17th century). According to some authors, he was also a direct companion/partner? of rabbi Horovitz on the trip to Erec Israel in 1621.
  • He assembled his book as a letter and was likely selling it himself during visits in Diaspora.
  • Some authors assumed that he returned to Europe in 1649 (Prague, Germany), where he assembled and published this book.
  • His father, Jisrael Naftali called Hirsh was a rabbi.
  • His brother, Gutman Porit, also settled in Erec Israel. Another relative, Jesaja H-Levi Horovic.
  • Bibliotheca Hebreaea from 1733 mentions M. Porges as the author of Darchej Cion.
  • Hebrew literature from the first half of the 18th century mentions two authors with name “Mose ben Jisrael – one worked as a rabbi in Rhodose and Alexandria, the other worked in Wurzburg.
  • Porges family in Prague is registered until half of the 17th century as “Purja-Pfefferkorn (on the tombstones) and from the end of 17th century with altered female version of the name “Porit”.
    This name was preserved in the non-Jewish and non-Hebrew sources given the influence of German pronunciation in the form of “Porges or Porjes, Pories, Porias, Purges, Borges, Borgis, Burges, etc. and remained in this form till today.
  • The oldest notes about this family is in the listing of members of the family of rabbi Meir ben Natan Purja-Pfefferkorn in the directory of Jewish families owning a letter of safe-conduct in 1546.
  • Meir ben Natan was likely a physician and had ten children: sons Jicchak, Gutman, Eliezer, Natan, David, Jehuda, Jona, Mose, Jaakov and daughter Cipora.
    Some of his children have their name as the original dual name Purja-Pfefferkorn on tombstones, however, majority has only the shortened version of Purja or Porit.
    Their successor didn’t use the name Pfefferkorn and after 1639, this name is no longer mentioned nor is it found on tombstones.
  • There are several theories of the origin of the name Porit or Porges :
    1. The current users of the name emphasize this hypothesis – it originated in Spain, when Jews were forced to leave in 1492 and they moved to Germany and the Czech land. This theory has no support in remaining onomastick (?) sources.
    2. Name originated from female name Cipora;
    3. Name originated from the German name of Prague – Prag, Prager, Prags.
  • The Porges family belonged to the oldest Jewish nobility in the Austrian monarchy. Brothers Moses (1781-1870) and Leopold Juda (1784-1869), both businessmen in the field of cotton manufacturing and owners of factories in Smichov (note: Smichov is a part of Prague) received title of “Porges von Portheim” in 1841 from Ferdinand in 1841.
  • In 1892, Simon Hock published a list of 205 tombstones of the Porges family members from years 1573-1787 (it's only a preview of the names, often without all data from the tombstones).
  • The real number according to Dr. Otto Munels (1892-1967) is over 300 tombstones.
    He estimates 313 tombstones, 16 without details.
    The most of tombstones are from 1639, the so-called “plague years”.
    The smaller cemetery on Fibich street in Prague had 39 tombstones in good condition from years 1792-1890 (this was noted during 1960s).
  • The author’s father was rabbi Zvi named Hirsh b. Selomo Porit (Porges).
    He functioned as a “dayan” (Dayan is a rabbi who is judge in a rabbinical court (Beit Din)) of the Jewish religious community in Prague.
    He died on 31 Aug 1639 in Prague.
    His tombstone indicates that he was very knowledgeable, respected elder (old man).
    His wife Ciperl (Cipora) died on 28 Jul-1646.
    They had several children: son Mose (author of the book), Gutman, Abraham, and daughter Sejla (wife of Abraham Bondy).
  • Abraham Porit worked as a rabbi in Kolin in the middle of the 17th century and later as a “dajan” in Prague. He died 14-Dec-1673 in Prague.
  • Gutman Porit became a dayan in 1646. His wife Dina died in 1649 in Prague.


Contributions to the Study of Palestine from More Recent Jewish Sources.

I and II.

Communicated by Dr. M. Steinschneider in Berlin.

Preliminary remark.

Although ZUNZ already 40 years ago, in his treatise on the geographical literature of the Jews, listed various edited and unedited writings that deal in one way or another with the Promised Land, to my knowledge little of this literature has been brought to closer examination. TOBLER's Bibliographie has indeed largely ignored these works, as will become apparent from the soon-to-appear supplements by Messrs RÖHRICHT and MEISNER, into which several corrections and additions to ZUNZ have been incorporated from my Catalogus librorum hebr. in Bibl. Bodleiana (Berlin 1852–60) and from other sources — some 70 to 80 entries that are missing in TOBLER. Admittedly, the literature of travels and tombs has unfortunately found an unqualified editor in E. CARMOLY, whose Itinéraires de la Terre Sainte (Brussels 1847), partly not translated directly from the Hebrew (cf. my Catal., p. 2695), suffers from inaccuracies, inventions and unrestrained plagiarism from ZUNZ. Following an anonymous Hebrew text that appeared in Venice in 1636, I published the story of a momentous calamity of late 1624 under the heading « The Governor's Regime in Jerusalem » in the anthology Sippurim, edited by PASCHELES, Vol. IV, 1856, p. 49 (2).

The following communications are drawn from two small writings that in any event belong to the extremely rare. I present them from excerpts I made 30 years ago from the originals in the Bodleian Library. I can therefore no longer verify their accuracy — in particular some printing errors and incorrect transcriptions of foreign words and names that occur in No. I. Since the most essential information about both writings has been given in the catalogue mentioned above, only an extremely brief description follows here.

In selecting the material I have primarily kept in mind cultural-historical and historical matters of more general interest, but I have also included some passages that especially concern the co-religionists of the authors who wrote for them. I felt that such material should not be omitted here either, since only very scant information is available about the Jews in Palestine during the last centuries, and more recent travellers take these inhabitants into consideration without knowing their prior history. From the first writing, which actually belongs to ritual literature, I have reproduced almost only the first section, which contains precise information about the travel routes and their costs in the middle of the 17th century.

As regards the relationship of my communications to the originals, I have given only individual passages verbatim and have mostly limited myself to a condensed summary. The latter I had already drafted in German in Oxford from the Hebrew original of the second writing, and noted only a few text passages, which I have only now translated. I have not given in to the temptation of providing explanations and notes, but have instead presupposed a certain knowledge in the readers of these pages that renders such additions superfluous. I will only further remark that I do not overestimate the value of my communications, but trust I have not wasted the space granted to me.

Berlin, April 1880.

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From Darke Zion ("Ways of Zion") by Mose ben Israel Naftali Porjes (Mose Präger)

The booklet (Bodleian Library, Oppenheim Collection 267 Quart) appeared in 4° with a Hebrew and Yiddish title page, with no place of publication (probably Frankfurt am Main), in 1650; it is otherwise written entirely in Yiddish (cf. Catalogus Bodleianus, p. 487, no. 3226, and Addenda). It begins: « Listen to me, men and women: this is what Mosche Präger the writer wishes enk [Old German for « you »] to know. »

Gate (Section) I — On the journey to the Holy Land. The section begins (folio 2) with a note on currencies and measures: where « Thaler » is mentioned, a Löwenthaler is meant; a rotl, as a weight, is 5 German pounds, and as a measure 1½ Prague pints (Pinte, Nössel). A rotl has 12 ounces, an ounce 75 dirhem. A para is a silver coin, three of which equal two Batzen; a Löwenthaler has 30 paras.

In a wagon for three persons, the fare from Ofen (Buda) to Belgrade is 6 thalers; the journey takes 9 days' marches. From Belgrade to Sofia, three persons also pay 6 thalers, the same again from Sofia to Adrianople, and likewise from Adrianople to Constantinople. The traveller does best to take the opportunity to ride straight through from Ofen, so as not to need extra hauls (Zufuhren, written separated as is often the case in Yiddish) along the way.

Another route, from Adrianople to the community of Lesser Rhodes (Turkish), can be done by three persons for 4 thalers.

From Vienna to Sofia, the « 4 Hungarian 3-Kreuzer » coin is in use (the text has a misprint; read Tselm, « image », for « Kreuz » with the German diminutive ending — still used today by uneducated Jews in southern Germany and Austria). One coin is called the « Spanish 80-Kreuzer », equal to 80 Polish groschen; these pass for one Reichsthaler, in Jerusalem too. The Löwenthaler is just as good along the way as in Jerusalem. From Constantinople onward and farther into Turkey, the Reichsthaler does not pass quite as well as « in these countries, even in Jerusalem ».

The old coins called alte Dreier in Poland are worth, all along the route to Jerusalem, 13½ to one Reichsthaler — that is, one such Dreier is 6 aspers, and 80 aspers make a Reichsthaler. New x (?) are worth 5 to one Reichsthaler as far as Belgrade. All kinds of ducats are worth 10 Kreuzer less along the way than in « these countries ». Venetian ducats or zechinos pass along the way as in « these countries », but must be of full weight.

In Jerusalem a zechino is worth 2½ Löwenthaler. A Realthaler is worth everywhere, including Jerusalem, the same as one Reichsthaler.

In Jerusalem there is a silver coin, the para, struck in Egypt. In Greater Rhodes one gets 33 paras for a Löwenthaler, in Jerusalem 30 for a Reichsthaler.

Clothing should be bought in Ofen (Buda). In the month of Av (August) one should be in Constantinople, since in Elul (September) many ships sail from there, so that one can travel cheaply and, by the nature of things, be safe from robbers.

Another route goes from Lemberg (so written), beginning in Iyyar (May) with a caravan of merchants, with which one signs up. « There are some good people engaged on it. »

From Constantinople to Jerusalem there are two ways: either by water from Constantinople itself, or from Lesser Rhodes. Each person pays as far as Greater Rhodes 1½ thalers. One should not engage passage to Mizrayim (Egypt?), which lies « beyond Jerusalem », etc.

In Greater Rhodes many persons together hire a ship which has 25 large oars and is entirely safe both from robbers and from bad weather, hugs the coast, and is only once on the open sea, by day and by night.

At departure from Greater Rhodes each person pays a tax or toll of 1/3 Löwenthaler to the captain; including the crew, 4 Löwenthaler are paid to Jaffa, which is half a day's march from Jerusalem. With a fair wind the voyage from Greater Rhodes to Jaffa takes six days. On landing, each must pay 10 (!) Löwenthaler in tax, and one Löwenthaler to the « Compagnie » (?), which rides along as far as Jerusalem. In return, the tax-collector gives each person a donkey to ride to Jerusalem.

Customs must be paid on anything that can be called merchandise, for which reason linen cloth should be cut into pieces. It is always better to settle with the customs officer if one can, so that he does not « visit » (i.e., search) and one's goods be plundered. At the gate of Jerusalem, one must wait for the broker and pays two Löwenthaler tax.

After all this, it turns out that the journey from Vienna to Jerusalem requires 50 Reichsthaler; from Lemberg, even more. The land journey from Constantinople to Jerusalem takes 7 weeks, a distance of 350 German miles. From Constantinople one crosses over to Scutari, where the caravan assembles. The journey is made on mules. Each person carries 2 sacks weighing one German hundredweight as baggage. From there to Jerusalem at least 33 Löwenthaler are needed (including taxes), apart from food and other miscellaneous expenses, as on any journey.

Not everyone can endure such riding, especially women, since one must keep one's feet « lying flat, and one's back gives out » for want of a backrest. Therefore women should have a sedan-chair or a chair made for them in Constantinople, which is then strapped onto the donkey. This costs more, however, because someone must then lead the animal. The Jewish communities along the way to Jerusalem are: Angaria, Haleb (i.e. the well-known designation for Aleppo), Hama, Damascus.

Most caravans do not go via Angaria and Aleppo, but directly to Hama and Damascus. From Damascus one can, if one wishes, go to Safed and Sichem (Nablus), and from there to Jerusalem; or from Damascus directly to Sichem. The cost is the same, except that at Safed each person must pay 2 Löwenthaler tax — but one can pray at many graves of the pious.

The total cost of the overland journey from Vienna or Lemberg to Jerusalem therefore comes to 100 Reichsthaler.

One should not bring much silver and gold, even if one is rich, for it « attracts much attention ». Gold, moreover, is cheaper in Jerusalem than outside the country. Nor should one bring fine furs (linings), for the sake of appearance. Spices are cheaper in Jerusalem; only mace is rarely seen. Saffron is cheap and not very good — a German pound costs 6 Kreuzer.

In an ordinary year, a rotl of grapes costs 2 Kreuzer; from this one obtains ½ rotl of wine, i.e. 3 Prague Seidel, or one Frankfurt Maaß.

Those who live in the courtyard of the Sanctuary, where the synagogue and the two houses of study are located, live cramped and have little water; in return, they can attend the morning prayer in good time, since the courtyard is closed after the evening prayer and is opened only at daybreak — and is therefore inaccessible to others.

Every head of a family, even a poor man with no house of his own, must pay 3 Löwenthaler of kharadsch (poll-tax), half in summer, half in winter. All kinds of food and drink are available in Jerusalem, but little money. The rich man finds everything cheap; the poor man goes without (« is shy of asking ») more than anywhere else in the world, for the community is heavily in debt, particularly since the great devastation in Poland [1648], from where several thousand used to come yearly.

Gate II — On Prayer. Near the beginning, and on folio 7b, the author cites what he heard from his brother Gutmann Porjes [this name still occurs today in Prague as the family name Porges]. Only a few details of this section need be mentioned here. The worshippers don the prayer-shawl (tallit) and phylacteries (tefillin) for the afternoon prayer also; penitential prayers are recited as in the morning. During the reading of the Torah, no one may speak a single word aloud.

(Folio 7) On the festival of Simchat Torah (« Rejoicing of the Law »), the synagogue is hung with curtains, etc.: « This is surely pleasing to God and all the archangels. »

On folio 8, the author speaks of a Gutachten (legal opinion) that his kinsman, « who was a Nasi (prince, head) in Palestine, Yeshayahu Halevi Horowitz » (originating from Horovice in Bohemia), formerly chief rabbi of Prague, sent out from Palestine. In it many citations from the Talmud and Midrash were brought together, and it was demonstrated that the poor of Palestine are everywhere to be regarded as « the poor of your city » (i.e. local poor). The author has heard a similar interpretation in the name of Isaac Cohen, « who made the German Chumash », son-in-law of Hirsch A. Löb.

Gate III (folio 9) — Gate of Instruction. Pious women stand outside the house of study to listen to the studying, and they read German prayers. After the evening prayer, all members of the school study the Mishnah. — Not far from the cemetery there are two holes in a rock; it is said that one of them is the entrance to Gehinnom (the ancient notion of entrances to the underworld can be traced among the Jews back to the Talmud; see the references in the Hebräische Bibliographie 1864, p. 105, where « Menachem » Porges is erroneously printed for Mose). At the tomb of Rachel one prays, preaches, dances around, eats and drinks. — Whoever is to be called up to the Torah receives beforehand a silver plaque.

Gate IV — Gate of Remembrance. The lighting of lights in memory of the deceased, etc.

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