This prayer was written in honour of Montefiore’s mission to Rome in April 1859 to save the Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara. A special prayer service was held in the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London prior to his trip, and special prayers were written to wish Montefiore well on his journey:
Bless Sir Moses Montefiore and his illustrious Consort. During many years they have cheerfully braved every danger, presenting themselves before mighty kings, in order to intercede on behalf of their people, and now they venture to go to a distant land for the purpose of vindicating the just cause of a persecuted brother.
The story began in late 1857 when an inquisitor in Rome heard that a young Jewish boy, Edgardo Mortara, had been baptized. According to Catholic law, this made the boy Catholic, and the law forbade Jewish families from raising Catholic children. In 1858, papal soldiers seized the child and took him to the Vatican, where he was placed in the care of the church. The church refused to return the boy, causing international outrage. Many international leaders, including Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I, Napoleon III of France, and US President Ulysses S. Grant tried to influence the Pope to return the child to his family. After six months of canvassing in Britain, Montefiore travelled to Rome to try and return the boy to his Jewish family. However, the Pope refused to meet with Montefiore, who returned to Britain having failed in his attempt. Mortara remained with the Christian church and later in life became a priest.
Sir Moses Montefiore was a leading member of the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London. It was there that the congregation held a prayer for the success of his mission to free Mortara. The Bevis Marks Synagogue was built in 1701 by the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community. It is the oldest synagogue in Britain, and the only European synagogue in continuous use for over 300 years.
Would You Like to Know More?
Moses Montefiore - Moses Montefiore was born on October 24, 1784 in Livorno, Italy while his parents were visiting their Italian family. The Montefiore family returned to London where Moses grew up, was educated, and began his career in business. He became one of the twelve “Jew Brokers” – Jewish merchants who had the right to trade on the London exchange. In 1812, he married Judith Cohen, whose sister was married to Nathan Mayer Rothschild. The two brothers-in-law became successful business partners, until in Moses retired from business in 1824 and began a civic career. After retiring from business, Montefiore devoted his life to philanthropy. He invested much money and effort helping Jews throughout the world, travelling to Syria, Italy, Russia, Morocco, and Romania to protect Jews from blood libels, pogroms, and other troubles. He was president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews from 1835–1874 and a member of London’s Bevis Marks Synagogue. In Israel, he is perhaps best known for building Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the first Jewish neighbourhood outside the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem. He also donated large sums of money to the promotion of industry, education, and health among the Jewish community of Palestine. One of these projects was the building of a windmill that still stands next to the Yemin Moshe neighbourhood that was named after him. Sir Moses Montefiore died in 1885 at the age of 100.
