The corvee of operating the mines in Siderokapisi and its effects on the Jewish community of Thessaloniki in the 16th century
Part of : Balkan studies : biannual publication of the Institute for Balkan Studies ; Vol.34, No.1, 1993, pages 29-47
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29-47
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Articles
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The pluralistic nature of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki in theearly Ottoman era is very well known. The community of Thessaloniki comprisedseveral congregations, each contered on its own synagogue and namedafter a district or town in the Iberian Peninsula or southern Italy. The raisond'etre of each congregation was to conduct Jewish life according to thecustoms and traditions the immigrants had brought with them from the “oldcountry”. The congregations vied with one another energetically to win betterconditions for the payment of taxes by their members, to induce wealthyindividuals to become members, and to prevent wealthy members fromleaving. In addition, within each congregation, the social classes fought oneanother bitterly to achieve optimal arrangements, with powerful individualsstruggling to impose their will on the congregation or even the entire community.Nevertheless, the need to ensure the survival of the Jewish presencein the town forced the various elements of the community to cooperate to a certain extent, in several instances against their will, and certainly againsttheir preferences.The tension between these opposing forces is mirrored in three importantJewish texts dealing with the efforts of the Jewish community of Thessalonikito reach an internal agreement governing relations with the Ottoman authoritiesin regard to the taxes imposed on the community and their collections. Thethree texts refer to a bill of rights obtained by the Thessaloniki communityfrom the Ottoman authorities in 1568 in regard to the assessment and collectionof taxes from the former.The paper presents a new source which sheds light on the events whichtook place in Thessaloniki prior to the tax arrangement with the Ottomans.The document is an unpublished letter written in 1567 by Jews from Siderokapisito Thessaloniki in regard to one of the corvées imposed on the Thessalonikicommunity, that of operating the mines.
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Ισραηλιτική κοινότητα της Θεσσαλονίκης, 16ος αιώνας, Εβραϊκή κοινότητα
