An edict of Sultan Abdul Mejid dated 1841 which conferred the rights and privileges of a chief rabbi on Rabbi Abraham Gagin and which ordered non-interference with the Jews “in the synagogues, at places of devotional visits and pilgrimages and during the practice of Jewish ritual” was produced today before the Wailing Wall Commission.
This edict was renewed with the confirmation of succeeding chief rabbis as late as 1893. The edict of Sultan Abdul Mejid is considered perhaps the most significant piece of evidence presented by the Jews because it shows the Turkish attitude towards the Jewish religious sites, including the Wailing Wall.
These documents were unearthed by a former Jewish magistrate whom the Jewish Agency had sent to Constant-
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
