Seder tefilot le-moʻadim ṭovim
Seder tefilot le-mo’adim ṭovim: ke-minhag ḳ.ḳ. Sefaradim (Order of Prayers for Festivals According to the Rite of the Sephardi Congregation)
Amsterdam: Naftali Hirts Leṿi, 1739
This tiny prayer book from the Sephardic tradition, Seder tefilot le-mo’adim ṭovim: ke-minhag ḳ.ḳ. Sefaradim (Order of Prayers for Festivals According to the Rite of the Sephardi Congregation), is an impressive example of the miniature Hebrew imprint. The book’s decoration and diminutive size (7 x 5 cm) suggest that it was likely a bar mitzvah gift to an upper-class young man, and based on the name embossed in gold on the binding, the book possibly belonged to Amram Darmon (1815–1878).
Darmon was an interesting figure in the history of the Jewish community in Algeria and a true patriot of France, the first country that granted citizenship to the Jews. A scion of the distinguished Damron family, he was born in Oran, then the largest city of Algeria, and joined the French army in 1834 at the age of 19. He soon became a high-ranking military interpreter thanks to his excellent command of Arabic, Hebrew, and French. The book’s journey—it was printed in Amsterdam before entering the Sephardic community in Algeria—reflects the strong ties between Jewish communities in Europe and North Africa.
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries.
