The title of this map, written in German and Hebrew, is “Map of the Land of Israel and Syria.” This map, drawn by Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz from Jerusalem, is one of the first attempts by Jews in the Yishuv (the Jewish population of pre-state Israel) to publish a map of the Land of Israel in Hebrew. While a close look reveals Hebrew letters, there are also many words in English, Yiddish, and German.
In addition to the topographical features of the area, such as seas, mountains, and deserts, the map also shows biblical sites, the areas inhabited by the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the route taken by the Children of Israel when they left Egypt, which is marked as a long, thin double line stretching from Egypt to above the Dead Sea.
The Land of Israel is portrayed according to the biblical borders. In the north the border is Aleppo (Aram Tzova) and the Euphrates (River Prat), to the east the border is the Arabian desert and Moav, to the west is the island of Cyprus, and the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt are in the south.
In the Mediterranean sea there is a large ship with verses from the book of Isaiah curving around it (Isaiah 60:4, 60:9, 50: 10-11). These verses relate to the Israelites’ return to Israel and the power of God who will bring them back.
At the bottom of the map are two images of buildings from the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Knesset Yisrael that was built in the 1892 as one of the first Jewish neighbourhoods outside the walls of the Old City. The purpose of the map was to raise money for the Jewish people of the Yishuv, specifically those living in Jerusalem. Their financial situation was precarious, and they depended on charity. It seems that the map was presented to people who donated to the charity or was a way of publicising the cause. On the bottom of the map are the names of Chief Rabbi Samuel Salant and Elia David-Rabinowitz Tumim who were in charge of the charity.
