Preserving Jerusalem: The Turkish "Modesty Patrol"

About 300 years ago, a letter from Constantinople reached Jerusalem. The letter included guidelines on what clothes and jewelry Jews should wear, and what they shouldn’t. Who sent it, and why?

In the Jewish settlement within the walls of Jerusalem, hundreds of Jewish families lived. For many years, they faced significant economic pressures and persecution from non-Jews, but they maintained the continuity of the Jewish presence in the Holy City.

A significant part of their livelihood came from donations by Jews around the world. Special emissaries (known as "Shadarim," an acronym for "emissaries of the rabbis") traveled through Jewish communities worldwide, collecting donations for Jerusalem’s Jews. However, even Jewish communities abroad were not always in good condition and faced many decrees and persecution.

Therefore, several wealthy individuals in Constantinople, present-day Istanbul, established a central committee for sending funds to Jerusalem, the Holy City. This committee was set up in the mid-18th century, nearly 300 years ago. It also allocated and organized donations for the people of Jerusalem, directed individuals wishing to move to Jerusalem, and filed complaints to the Turkish sultan about instances of bribery and extortion, which were common tactics of the Turkish officials.

One day, a Jew from Turkey who moved to Jerusalem struggled socially and economically. He took the first ship back to Turkey. Upon arriving back in Turkey, he didn't just return to his prior state; he started complaining about Jews in Jerusalem: The Arabs dress in rags while the Jews wear silk! The Arab women wear shawls, whereas the Jewish women adorn themselves with jewelry, and so on.

Members of the committee began investigating, and indeed, according to what they were told, there was some truth to it. Rumors started circulating in Constantinople, and donations decreased.

The Jews of Jerusalem, whose sustenance dwindled, also sent emissaries and letters asking why they were being deprived.

The Turkish committee responded to them in a letter: "By our sins, leadership boundaries were breached. Men wear finery and parade in the streets inciting envy. Women excessively adorn themselves with gold and precious stones like never before in Jerusalem...

"And this is our ruin, as the non-Jews now regard the Jews as wealthy and accuse them. Therefore, to save Jerusalem from upheaval, we decree by the power of the Torah and all sworn oaths for a decade: No man or woman in the Holy City shall wear any garment with a green hue (the sacred color for Muslims), neither at home nor outside, and even a bride on her wedding day shall not wear a green garment. Furthermore, no Jewish woman shall wear clothing woven or decorated with silver and gold... embossed and braided... nor shall they wear hats containing silver and gold threads, pearls, or precious stones inside their homes, much less outside. Even the wealthiest bride shall not adorn with any prohibited jewelry, and those possessing such jewelry decreed as forbidden shall sell them and not display them publicly."

Following this preface was a long list of banned garments, belts, and hats, along with an order to publicize the letter in all synagogues in Jerusalem.

The rabbis of Jerusalem, who themselves had warned about this issue for a long time and fully agreed, instructed to read it in synagogues on Shabbat before the Torah reading.

The letter concludes with: "Be modest at home and in public with your clothing as our ancestors did. Let all nations know that we are impoverished so they won't provoke us. This is what we decreed to save Jerusalem!"

This message remains relevant at all times. Jews shouldn't flaunt wealth and extravagance through their clothing, as it only incites the wrath of those who envy them and fail to understand.