"de Palacio(s)" (Spanish), "de Palácio(s)" (Portuguese), "Palacci" (Italian ), etc., all ultimately from Collis Palatium
"Pallache" – also de Palacio(s), Palache, Palaçi, Palachi,Palatsi, Palacci, Palaggi, al-Fallashi, and many other variations (documented below) – is the surname of a prominent, Ladino-speaking, Sephardic Jewish family from the Iberian Peninsula, who spread mostly through the Mediterranean after the Alhambra Decree of March 31, 1492, and related events.[1][note 1]
The Pallache family have had connections with Moroccans, Spanish, Netherlands and Portuguese Sephardic Jewish communities, as detailed below.
According to historians Mercedes García-Arenal and Gerard Wiegers, "Les Pallache étaient une famille de juifs d'origine hispanique installés à Fès depuis l'expulsion des juifs d'Espagne en 1492." ("The Pallaches were a family of Hispanic Jews who settled in Fez after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.")[1]
In 1480, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon established a Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition (Spanish: Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition (Inquisición española). Its dual purpose was to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in Spain while replacing the Medieval Inquisition under papal control. On March 31, 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand issued the Alhambra Decree (or "Edict of Expulsion"), thereby ordering the expulsion of practicing Jews from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, its territories, and it possessions by July 31 that year–in four months.[7] Jews who had converted to Christianity ("conversos") were safe from expulsion. Some 200,000 Jews converted; between 40,000 and 100,000 fled from the kingdom.[8] (On December 16, 1968, Spain revoked the Alhambra Edict.[9] On June 25, 2015, King Felipe VI of Spain announced Law Number 12/2015, which grants right of return to Sephardic Jews.[10][11][12] There are criticisms about shortcomings in the law.[13] By October 2016, Spain had processed more than 4,500 applicants, of which only three had gained citizenship based on the actual law: the rest (number unstated) were naturalized by royal decree."[14])
On December 5, 1496, King ManueI of Portugal decreed that all Jews must convert to Catholicism or leave the country. Jews who converted to Christianity were known as New Christians. This initial edict of expulsion turned into an edict of forced conversion by 1497. In 1506, the Lisbon Massacre erupted. In 1535, Portugal launched its own inquisition. Portuguese Jews fled to the Ottoman Empire (notably Thessaloniki and Istanbul and to Morocco. Some went to Amsterdam, France, Brazil, Curaçao, and the Antilles. Some of the most famous descendants of Portuguese Jews who lived outside Portugal are the philosopher Baruch Spinoza (from Portuguese Bento de Espinosa), and the classical economist David Ricardo. While Portugal was under control of the Philippine Dynasty of the House of Habsburg (1581–1640), the Portuguese Inquisition blended with the Spanish.
The combined Spanish-Portuguese inquisitions caused one of the largest diasporas in Jewish history.
(Research is currently underway to connect the Pallache more clearly back from Morocco to the Iberian Peninsula and probable ancestor, Samuel ben Meir Ha-Levi Abulafia / Samuel ha-Levi (ca. 1320–1360) of Cordoba, Andalusia, which would make the Pallache family a branch of the Abulafia family.)
According to Professor Mercedes García-Arenal,[15] the Pallaches were "a Sephardi family perhaps descended from the Bene Palyāj mentioned by the twelfth-century chronicler Abraham Ibn Da’ud as 'the greatest of the families of Córdoba'".[2]
According to Professor Reginald Aldworth Daly, the Pallaches were "persecuted Sephardim Jews of Portugal who were exiled to Holland".[16]
According to Professor Giovanna Fiume,[17] "Verso i Paesi Bassi emigra anche la famiglia Pallache, forse dal Portogallo o dalla Spagna, oppure, secundo un'altra ipotesti, dalla nativa Spagna emigra a Fez." (translation: "The Pallache family also emigrated to the Netherlands, perhaps from Portugal or Spain, or, second, another hypothesizes, they emigrated [directly] from their native Spain to Fez.")[18]
José Maria Abecassis cites historian Abraham ibn Daud of Toledo (c. 1110–1180), who wrote:
Segundo o historiador Abraham Ben Daud (Sepher Ha-Qabbalah, 69) a família Pallache já era célebre em Córdova no séc. 10. Após a expulsão de Espanha em 1492 foi para Marrocos, donde posteriormente se ramificou na Holanda, Turquia, Palestina e em Gibraltar. Outras grafias: Palatio, Pallacío, Payachia. Membros desta familia prestaram serviços eminentes a Marrocos no séc. 17. Distinguiram-se como embaixadores ou enviados dos sultões na Europa, especialmente na Holanda. Estabeleceram relações diplomáticas e criaram importantes trocas comerciais com o seu país. Os Palaçano viviam em Portugal antes da Expulsão. According to the historian Abraham Ben Daud (Sepher Ha-Qabbalah, 69) the Pallache family was already famous in Cordoba in the 10th century. After expulsion from Spain in 1492, they went to Morocco, where later they branched out to Holland, Turkey, Palestine, and Gibraltar. Other spellings: Palatio, Pallacío, Payachia. Members of this family provided eminent services to Morocco in the 17th century. They distinguished themselves as ambassadors or envoys of the Sultans in Europe, especially in Holland. They established diplomatic relations and created important trade with their country. The Palaçano lived in Portugal before the Expulsion.[19]
Jewish presence in Morocco goes back to Carthage, fared moderately, and often prospered under Muslim rule (e.g., the Marinid dynasty). From Morocco, they filtered into Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain, 711–1492) but began to return during the Spanish Reconquista, which mounted in the 10th century. The Spanish-Portuguese expulsions and inquisitions sent floods of Jews back to Morocco on a larger scale. Resultant overcrowding in Moroccan cities led to tension, fires, and famines in Jewish quarters.
Moïse Al Palas (also Moses al-Palas[2]) (???–1535), born in Marrakesh, was a rabbi who moved to Tetuán and lived for a time in Salonica, then in the Ottoman Empire. Before dying in Venice, he published Va-Yakhel Moshe (1597) and Ho'il Moshe (1597), and an autobiography.[2][20][21]
Isaac Pallache was a rabbi in Fez, Morocco, first mentioned in takkanot (Jewish community statutes) in 1588. His sons were Samuel Pallache (c. 1550–1616) and Joseph Pallache. Isaac was married to a sister of Fez's grand rabbi, Judah Uziel; his nephew Isaac Uziel became a rabbi of the Neve Shalom community in Amsterdam.[5]
Jews began to settle in the Netherlands only at the end of the 16th century. Thanks to its own recent (1581) independence from Spanish control, the Dutch Republic attracted Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands as a refuge from a common enemy, Spain.
After an unsuccessful attempt to return to Spain in the mid-1600s, Samuel and Joseph Pallache settled a new branch of the Pallache family in the Netherlands by 1608. There, they represented their benefactor, Zidan al-Nasir of Morocco, as well as the Dutch government, in complex negotiations with Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain, France, England, the Ottoman Empire, and other European states – often on behalf of more than one sponsoring state and (as stateless Jews) on their own behalf.[5]
The sons of both brothers continued in their fathers's footsteps, some remaining in the Netherlands (e.g., David Pallache), others returning to Morocco (e.g., Moses Pallache).
In the Netherlands, the surname solidified as "Palache" (a spelling variation which started in the 16th century), and the family continues as Palache in the Netherlands to the present. In recent times, prominent members have included grand rabbi Isaac Juda Palache (1858–1927) and his son, Professor Juda Lion Palache (1887–1944).
A Man in Three Worlds did not find intermarriage between the Pallache brothers or sons and members of the Portuguese Sephardic community in the Netherlands. In fact, it documents the contrary, e.g., that sons Isaac and Joshuae did not go make such marriages. "It seems significant that no male member of the Pallache family ever married a woman from the Portuguese community... it is surely significant that neither Samuel nor any of his heirs were ever to marry into the great trading families of 'the Portuguese nation'."[5] In September 2016, however, two 1643 marriage certificates were discovered for David Pallache (1598–1650[22][23][24]) and Judith Lindo (??? – October 30, 1665[25][26]) of Antwerp, daughter of Ester Lindo[27][28] Death details for David Pallache also confirm the marriage.[29] Further, three years later, in 1646, Samuel Pallache (1616–???), son of Isaac Joseph Pallache and nephew of David Joseph Pallache, married Abigail (born 1622), sister of Judith Lindo.[30][31][32]
At present, it is unclear as to whether members of the Pallache family went first to Portugal after Spain. However, new findings show that their intermarriage started earlier than supposed in A Man in Three Worlds (see "Netherlands," above).
Jews have lived in Asia Minor (Turkey) since the 5th century BCE. The Ottoman Empire welcomed Sephardic Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. Today, the majority of Turkish Jews live in Israel, while modern-day Turkey continues to host a modest Jewish population.
The first reported Pallache in Turkey (then, the Ottoman Empire) dates to 1695, when Isaac Pallache of Leghorn (Livorno, Italy) wrote a letter to the Dutch consul in Smyrna (1695)[5][21] Currently, it is unknown whether the Pallache settled first in Istanbul or Izmir.
The Pallache appear in Izmir (then, "Smyrna") no later than the time of rabbi Jacob Pallache, who married the daughter of a previous grand rabbi Joseph Raphael ben HayyimHazzan.[33] Jacob's son became grand rabbi Haim Palachi (1788–1868), two of whose sons, Abraham (1809–1899) and Isaac aka Rahamim Nissim (1814–1907) also became grand rabbis there.
According to the Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World:
The Pallache... produced several leading rabbinical scholars in the Ottoman city of Izmir (Smyrna) during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Two of them, Hayyim ben Jacob and his sone Abraham, served as chief rabbi (hakham bashi) and became the focus of a fierce dispute that engulfed the town's Jewish community, while a third, Soloman ben Abraham, contributed to its decline.[3]
In 1863, a London-based Jewish newspaper noted "the chief rabbi of Smyrna, Palacci, a venerable, octogenarian, seems to command universal respect by his truly patriarchal appearance, his countenance reflected the gentleness of his heart."[34] In 1868, Die Deborah (part of The American Israelite) reported a gather of four rabbis who unanimously supported the wish of the late Abraham Palacci that his son (son not named) be appointed in his place.[35] In 1872, the Bulletin de l'Alliance Israélite Universelle reported on a "real famine" for which relief was sent to Chief Rabbi Palacci to distribute.[36] In early 1873, the name of Haim Nissim Palacci appears as treasurer in Smyrna of the Alliance Israélite Universelle (founded 1860).[37] In mid-1873, the "Universal Israelitish Alliance of Paris" and the "Anglo-Jewish Association of London" agreed to establish a school for Jewish boys and girls in Smyrna under the guidance of "Dr. Palacci, Chief Rabbi of Smyrna".[38] In 1891, a newspaper reported the a "good likeness" of chief rabbi Abraham Palacci was on its way from Smyrna to Istanbul as part of books sent there.[39] In 1893, a newspaper reported that the importance of a grand rabbi Palacci (which one, unspecified), aided by his son Nissim Palacci (a commonly used family name).[40]
The Pallache continued in Turkey past the 1922 great fire of Smyrna; some left during Allied evacuation during World War II and were murdered during the Holocaust (see below).[41]
No later than the close of the 19th century, a branch of the Pallache family had settled in Egypt, with some remaining in Cairo into the 1950s.
Which members of the family had what foreign citizenship is as yet undetermined, e.g., Spanish under the Decree-Law of 29 December 1948 (Decreto-Ley de 29 de Deciembre de 1948) to extend Spanish protection for Sephardic Jews in Greece and Egypt:
DECRETO-LEY de 29 de diciembre de 1948 por el que se reconoce la condición de súbditos españoles en 1. extranjero a determinados sefardies protegidos de España: Por Canje de Notas efectuado por España con Egipto el dieciséis y diecisiete de enero de mil novecientos treinta y cinco, y con Grecia el siete de abril de mil novecientos treinta y seis, se convino que España continuarla otorgando su patrocinio y documentando, en consecuencia, a una serie de familias sefardies que, desde tiempos del imperIo ottoman, gozaban en aquellos territorios de tal gracia; y a dicho efecto, y como anejo a las referidas Notas, se establecireron unas listas, cuidadosamente seleccionadas, de esos beneficiarios, cuya futura condición de súbditos españoles se preveía en aquellas Notas...
(Legislative Decree of 29 December 1948 on the condition recognized Spanish subjects in certain Sephardim abroad 1. protected from Spain: Exchange of Notes effected by Spain with Egypt the sixteenth and seventeenth of January in 1935, and Greece on the seventh of April in 1936, it was agreed that Spain continue it by providing sponsorship and documenting, consequently, a number of Sephardic families from the Ottoman Empire times, enjoyed in the territories of such grace; and for this purpose, and as annexed to these notes, few, carefully selected lists of those beneficiaries, whose future status of Spanish subjects envisaged in those Notes were established...)[42]
(Neither "Palacci" nor variations on the surname appear in either the Egyptian or Greek lists.)
Palacci department store
"Au Bon Marché" came to Egypt and inspired imitators like the Palacci department store
In 1897, Palacci brothers Vita, Henri, and family established the "Palacci"[43] (Arabic Balaatshi) department store.[21][44] In 1904, the company's name was "Palacci Menasce et Fils".[45] Shortly thereafter, it had become "Palacci Fils, Haim et Cie",[46] located on Muski street near the old Opera House.[44] By 1907, Vita Palacci had become head of the store.[47] Also in 1907, newspapers mentions "Mr. Vita Pallacci, the distinguished chief of the house of Palacci Pils, Halm and Co., which is well known in Europe and America" as president of the "Ahemia Society,"[48][49] and again in 1908[50] By 1909, the Palacci had partnered with A. Hayam,[44] and the store employed 20 office clerks and more than 100–120 sales staff.[44][51] In 1910, "Albert Palacci & Co." appears as a Cairo firm interested in trading in silk.[52] At an unclear date, "Palacci, Menasce & Co." are recorded as having stores in Cairo, Tanta, and Mansoura.[53]
In 1916, "Palacci, Fils, Haym, and Co." were listed among "persons who have been granted licenses to trade in Egypt, with the British Empire, and with Allies of Great Britain".[54] The same year, "Palacci Fil, Haim & Co." filed a suit against "Mohamed Moh. Sélim".[55]
When Vita died in 1917, his oldest son Albert Vita Palacci succeeded as manager.[56][57] The store had offices overseas in Paris (1922) to purchase draperies and hardware, while its Cairo offices exported household essentials and perfumes.[58] By the mid-1920s, Palacci had branches on Fuad Street and in Heliopolis.[44]
In 1925, the Palacci partook in a "Gran Corso Carnivalesque" in Cairo, organized by the International Union of Commercial Establishment Employees of Cairo, along with 24 other grand department stores, including: Cicurel,[59]Bon Marché, Mawardi, Salamander, and Paul Favre. Other department stores of that time included: Chemla Frères (see Jacqueline Kahanoff), Orosdi-Back, Sednaoui (see Elisa Sednaoui), Hannaux, Chalons, Ades (see Ades Synagogue and Yaakov Ades), Gattegno (see Caleb Gattegno and Joseph Gattegno), Madkur, Ahmad, Yusuf Gamal, Benzion (see owner Moïse Lévy de Benzion and Levi de Benzion), Morum's, Stein's, Raff's, Robert Hughes, Mayer, Tiring.[44] The history Maadi: 1904–1962 lists the following Jewish families around the Adly synagogue including: Rasson, Romano, Gold, Kabili, Rofe, Mizrahi, Chalem, Calderon, Agami, setton, Simhon, Sofeir. It also lists those Jewish families close by, including: Harris, Risolevi, Hettena, Sullam, Ades, Watoury, Palacci, Curiel, Basri, Farhi, Hazan, and Hazan.[60] The history Egypt: The Lost Homeland lists the following Jewish families in Cairo who "were considered Austrian and enjoyed the protection of the Austrian embassy, event though they were not Austrian citizens": Adda, Benarojo, Belilios, Cattaui, Forte, Goldstein, Heffez, Ismalun, Mondolfo, Pallaci, Picciotto, Rossano, and Romano.[61]
In the 1920s, the store advertised in newspapers, e.g., "Visitez Palacci, Haym & Co. – Mousky – Rabais considérables dans tous les comptoirs. Profitez !" ("Visit Palacci, Haym & Co. – Mousky – Considerable discounts at all counters. Enjoy!").[62][63] In 1923, the advertising changed to "Demandez à Palacci, Haym & Co., leurs conditions de Vente à crédit avec facilités de paiement. Prix défiant toute concurrence." ("Ask Palacci, Haym & Co. for their terms of Credit Selling with payment facilities. Price defying all competition.").[64][65] In 1924, it changed for the year to "Vente à crédit chez Palacci, Haym & Co. Facilité de paiements" ("Credit selling at Palacci, Haym & Co. Payment facility.")[66] In 1926, advertising changed to "Chez Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky. Vente à crédit. Facilités de Paiement. Mêmes prix qu’au comptant" ("At Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky. Sale on credit. Payment facilities. Same price in cash").[67] By November 1926, advertisements added a new location in Heliopolis in its next advertisement, "À crédit. Faites vos achats chez Chez Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky-Heliopolis. Vente à crédit. Facilités de paiement. Mêmes prix qu’au comptant" ("On credit. Shop at Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky-Heliopolis. Credit sale. Payment facilities. Same price as in cash").[68][69] In 1927, its new advertisement claimed that it had become a grand magasin (a full, European-style, modern department store), targeting newlyweds: "Grands Magasins de Nouveautés. Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky. Heliopolis. Avant de garnir votre Appartement, visitez notre salon de Mobilier. Vente à crédit – Facilités de Paiement" ("New arrivals at our department stores. Palacci, Haym & Co. Mousky. Heliopolis. Before furnishing your Apartment, visit the Furniture section. Credit sales – Payment facilities").[70][71] In mid-1927, the advertisement tried "Actuellement – chez Palacci, Haym & Co., Mousky. Exposition d’articles de voyage et de bains de mer à prix très avantageux. Visitez-nous" ("Now at Palacci, Him & Co., Mousky. Display of travel and sea-bathing items at very favorable prices. Visit us").[72] Its next ad campaign was "Grande Maison de Nouveautés. Palacci, Haym & Co., Mousky – Héliopolis. Les plus vastes magasins spécialisés dans la vente des Meubles. Prix hors Concurrence – Facilités de Paiement" ("New Arrivals at Department Store. Palacci, Haym & Co., Mousky – Heliopolis. The largest stores specializing in Furniture sales. Unbeatable Prices – Payment Facilities").[73][74] By late 1927, it had begun to advertise not just seasonally[75] or special occasions like weddings[76] and "back to school"[77] but also for specific items like Tapis ("carpets"),[78]Lits en cuivre ("brass beds"),[79] and Chemises, Cravates, Faux-Cols ("shirts, ties, and false collars").[78] In September 1928, it began to advertise only as "Palacci" and dropped Heliopolis as its second location[80] but restored a more French version "Palacci Haym & Cie" as well as the second store in Heliopolis[81] (alternate version "Palacci Haim & Cie.") in the first quarter of 1929,[82] reverting again to "Palacci Haym & Co."[83] In 1930, Palacci added mention of its catalog,[84] by which times its ads began to place on pages 5,[85] 6[86] and even 9[87] of newspapers while settling largely on "Palacci" again on pages 3[88] and finished 1930 and starting 1931 on page 2.[89][90] In 1932, Palacci first used an image with its ads, which faces on furniture and beds.[91]
In 1933, the family of Mahmoud Abel Bak El Bitar had a lawsuit against "Pallaci, Haym & Co."[92] By 1935, the Palacci department store had experienced financial difficulties.[93]
In August 1937, the original department store of les "Grand Magasins" Palacci, Haym & Co. on Mouski Street burned; the family did not rebuild.[93][94]L’Aurore newspaper of Cairo reported:
Tous les amis, tous les clients de MM. Palacci Haym & Co. ont appris avec un regret infini l’incendie de leurs grand Magasins du Mousky jeudi soir dernier. On a lu dans la presse quotidienne les détails de ce sinistre et il n’y reviendront pas. Qu’il nous suffise de dire ici que c’est avec une amicale émotion et une sincère sympathie que nous avons appris la dure épreuve subie par nos excellent amis et coreligionnaires Albert Palacci et Albert Haym dont le dévouement et la labeur inlassable pendant plus de trente années dans ce coin du Mousky à la tête de leur Maison sont connus de tous si avantageusement. Nous leur formulons à nouveau nos sincères regrets et leur adressons nos vœux les meilleurs. Messieurs Palacci, Haym et Co., adressent leurs vifs remerciements à tous leurs amis, fournisseurs, et clients, pour la grande amitié et la sympathie qui leur furent témoignées à la suite de la dure épreuve qu’ils viennent de subir. Ils informent leurs clientèle, Messieurs les Commissionnaires, et leurs fournisseurs qu’ils ont établi un Bureau provisoire dans l’immeuble Liepmann, au-dessus de la poste Hamzaoui. Toute correspondance doit être adressée comme jusqu’ici B.P. 371, Le Caire.
All the friends, all the clients of MM. Palacci Haym & Co. learned with infinite regret of the fire in their Mousky department store last Thursday evening. We read the details of this incident in the daily press and will not come back to it. Suffice it to say here that it is with friendly emotion and sincere sympathy that we learned of the hard ordeal endured by our excellent friends and co-religionists Albert Palacci and Albert Haym, whose dedication and tireless work for more than thirty years in this corner of Mousky at the head of their House are known to all so advantageously. We reiterate our sincere regrets to them and send them our best wishes. Mrs. Palacci, Haym and Co., extend their sincere thanks to all their friends, suppliers and customers for the great friendship and sympathy shown to them following the hard ordeal they have just suffered. They inform their customers, the Commissionaires, and their suppliers that they have established a provisional office in the Liepmann building, above the Hamzaoui post office. All correspondence should be addressed to P.O. Box 371, Cairo.[95]
– Advertisements for the Palacci department store vanish from newspapers.
}}
The family company or derivatives continued. In 1938, an Elie Palacci started advertising in Alexandria: "Faites vos achats chez Elie Palacci, dépôts de denrées alimentaires. 13, Boulevard Saïd 1er. Téléphone 254-17" ("Shop at Elie Palacci, food depots. 13, Boulevard Saïd 1er. Phone 254-17").[96] In 1947, an ad for "La Maison A. V. Palacci & Co." in the Hamzaoui section of Cairo appeared,[97] as did an "H.M. Palacci & Co." as an agent of the G. R. Marshall & Co. exporting company of Richmond, Canada.[98] The 1948 Cairo bombings, which included the Ades and Gattegno stores, did not deter the family; both Albert Vita Palacci and Dr. Victor Palacci appear in a 1955 Who's Who for Egypt,[99] while Henry Menahem Palacci in Cairo appears in the mid-1950s (along with an Albert Palacci in Belgium).[100] By the time Nasser had nationalized all Jewish-owned assets in Egypt (1958), most Palacci had left Cairo in diaspora–yet "Palacci Fils, Hayem et Cie." remained listed as a business in Cairo as late as 1959.[101]
Ahemia Society
As community leaders, the Palacci supported Jewish causes inside and outside Egypt. In 1907, Vita Palacci was serving as president of la société de bienfaisence a "Hachemia" (from Hebrew Hakham: הכם ḥaḵam, "wise"?):
En 1901, fut fondée au Caire une société de bienfaisance israélite dénommée "Hachemia." Cette institution qui est l’œuvre exclusive des israélites de Turquie résidant en Égypte, prend de jour en jour un développement sensible. Pendant le dernier exercice, Hachemia a donné des soins médicaux à 1 000 malades furent visites à raison d’une piastre (0 fr. 25) par visite, sans compter les malades soignés à son compete dans divers hôpitaux du Caire et d'Alexandrie... L’année dernière, le baron Edmond de Rothschild, lors de son dernier séjour au Cairo, fit à cette société un don de 3 000 fr. En 1901 Mme la baronne de Rothschild lui fit un don pareil. Le comité directeur de la Hachemia est composé de personnalités marquantes de Caire. M. Vita Palacci, le distingué chef de l’importante maison de commerce Palacci fils, Haim et Cie, qui est bien connue en Égypte et au Soudain, en est le président actif et dévoué. Parmi ses collaborateurs, citons le Dr. Beneroya, le directeur du journal "La Vara" ; M. Talvi, ingénieur au ministère des Travaux publics, etc. ; Dr. Amster, médecin à l’administration des services sanitaire ; et Dr. Isaac J. Levy d’Alexandrie, médecin de la communauté de l’hôpital Menascé, de la ligue contre la tuberculose et de la Municipalité de cette ville. Ces deux derniers étant membres honoraires théoriquement, actifs, pratiquement.
In 1901, a Jewish mutual aid society was founded in Cairo called the "Hachemia." This institution, which is a charitable organization for Turkish [Ottoman] Jews residing in Egypt, is making positive advances. Since the last fiscal year, Hachemia has provided medical care to a thousand visiting patients at the rate of one piaster (0.25 French francs) per visit, not including patients cared for and covered by Hachemia in several hospitals in Cairo and Alexandria... Last year, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, during his last visit to Cairo, donated 3,000 francs. In 1901, Baroness de Rothschild made a gift in the same amount. The committee leadership of Hachemia is composed of prominent people of Cairo. Mr. Vita Palacci, the distinguished head of the major commercial house Palacci Sons, Haim and Co., well known in Egypt and in Sudan, is the current and committed president of Hachemia. Among the other members of the leadership are: Dr. Beneroya, the editor of the newspaper "La Vara"; Mr. Talvi, an engineer at the Ministry of Public Works, etc.; Dr. Amster, doctor administering health services; and Dr. Isaac J. Levy of Alexandria, doctor at the Jewish Community Menascé Hospital, of Anti-Tuberculosis League, and the Alexandria Municipality. The latter two are honorary members theoretically, actively, and practically.[102]
During 1916–1917, "Palacci Fils, Haym & Co." was one of numerous donors in Egypt to the "Yeshibat Erez Israel (Rabbinical Institution) for the Refugee Rabbis from the Holy Land, established by the Alexandrian Rabbinate." From 1 Year 5676 through Sivan 5677 (4 April 1916 through to 29 June 1917), this group collected 120,427.5 PT (piasters), routed to its treasurer, E. Anzurat and published its third financial report. Donors were from Alexandria, Cairo, "suburbs," England, Australia, Canada, S. Africa, India, France, and the USA. The local collector in Cairo was Rabbi Haim Mendelof. The Palacci donated 500 PT, as did Maurice Calamari, I.M. Cattaui & Fils, Le Fils de M. Cicurel, Jaques & Elie Green.[103]
Cairo residences
The Pallache family settled around the main home of Vita Palacci, a villa ("Palacci-Naggar-Ades Building") at No. 23 Ahmed Basha Street (Ahmad Pasha Street) in Garden City, Cairo.[104][105][106][107] Two of Vita Palacci's grandchildren, siblings Eddy and Colette, have written memoirs of their childhoods in Cairo (and Paris), which document Sephardic Jewish life in Cairo in the 1930s, including traditions, use of Ladino, and food recipes.[93][94][105]
Alexandria
Pallache also settled in Alexandria. "Mordahai Palacci-Miram was likewise a Sephardi but from Constantinople, when he married Rosa Alterman, an Ashkenazi of German origin. Several of their children were born in Constantinople... but to escape an outbreak of plague came to Alexandria..." A "Ventura Palacci-Miram" is also mentioned.[108]
Les commerçants juifs ont contribué à l'émancipation des "indigènes," en les initiant aux produits manufacturés. Ainsi, les boutiques "Au Chic" du Groupe Hasson et "La Coupole" d’Henri Palacci, ouverts, à Léopoldville, vers 1946, vendent à tous et refusent toute forme de discrimination raciale. Leurs rapports quotidiens avec les colonisés distinguaient les Juifs des autres Blancs. Et lors des évènements tragiques de 1960, aucun Juif ne fut molesté par la foule en colère.
Jewish merchants contributed to the empowerment of "indigenous" people by introducing them to manufactured goods. The shops "Au Chic" (Hasson Group) and "La Coupole" (Henry Palacci), opened in Leopoldville, around 1946, selling to all and refusing any form of racial discrimination. Daily contact with colonized Jews differed from other Whites. And during the tragic events of 1960, no Jew was molested by mobs.
(See "Congo Crisis" for more on the emergence of the DR Congo.[109])
Other countries
The Pallache had established themselves in Jamaica by the 19th century in the sugar trade. In 1825, the London Gazette posted notice of a partnership that included Mordecai Palache and Alexander Palache "of Kingston, in the Island of Jamaica."[110] A "Charles, son of Mordechai Palache" is recorded in 1847.[111] Numerous people named Palache continued to appear.[112] Most prominent among them was the Honorable John Thomson Palache ("a coloured solicitor"[113]).[114][115][116]
By 1855, a "Vita Palacci" appears in Argentina.[117]
In 1911, Camille Palacci, daughter of the late Aaron Palacci of Cairo, married Benjamin Bigio in a synagogue on Mauldeth Road in Manchester, United Kingdom.[118]
21st century
Continued expulsions and diaspora have dispersed the Pallache family to many countries in the Americas, Europe, and farther afield.
By the 20th century, the Pallache had established itself within the United States. The family of noted American mineralogist Charles Palache (1869–1954) came to California from Jamaica.[16][119] His descendants include Judith Palache Gregory (1932–2017), aka "an American writer, counselor, educator, and permaculturalist".
Numerous Palacci came to the States in diaspora from Turkey and Egypt, including Colette (Palacci) Rossant.
Samuel Pallache may have helped found the first synagogue in Amsterdam.[21][120] As early as his 1769 Memorias do Estabelecimento e Progresso dos Judeos Portuguezes e Espanhoes nesta Famosa Cidade de Amsterdam, David Franco Mendes records a first minyan in Amsterdam with sixteen worshippers, including Samuel and Joseph Pallache.[121][122] Other sources go further to claim that this first minyan occurred in Palache's home, as they were dignitaries (envoys from Morocco)[123][124] and occurred around 1590[125] or Yom Kippur 1596.[126][127] However, in their book A Man of Three Worlds' on Samuel Pallache, Professors García-Arenal and Gerard A. Wiegers[128] point out that the Pallache brothers arrived in Amsterdam in the first decade of the following century.[5]
Turkey
Around 1840, the Pallache home in Smyrna became today's Beth Hillel Synagogue (Turkish Bet-Ilel Sinagogu) and seat of a yeshiva or beit madras. The synagogue lies in the Kemeraltı marketplace district in Izmir and is named after Haim or Abraham Palacci. Professor Stanford J. Shaw stated it was Haim who founded the Beth Hillel Palacci[129] or his son Abraham. According to Jewish Izmir Heritage, "In the 19th century, Rabbi Avraham Palache founded in his home a synagogue named Beit Hillel, after the philanthropist from Bucharest who supported the publication of Rabbi Palache's books. However, the name 'Avraham Palache Synagogue' was also used by the community."[130] This synagogue forms a cluster of eight extant (from a recorded peak of 34 in the 19th century), all adjacent... [making] Izmir is the only city in the world in which an unusual cluster of synagogues bearing a typical medieval Spanish architectural style is preserved ...[and] creating an historical architectural complex unique in the world."[131] The Zalman Shazar Center also refers to Beit Hillel synagogue as "Avraham Palaggi's synagogue" but then states that "the synagogue was founded by Palaggi Family in 1840" and that Rav Avraham Palaggi "used" it. "The building had been used as a synagogue and a Beit Midrash. The synagogue has not been used since 1960's." It concludes, "The synagogue was founded by the Palaggi family and is therefore very important."[132]
Journey into Jewish Heritage states that Haim Palacci founded the Beit Hillel Yeshiva in Izmir in the middle of the 19th century.[134] Current sources are unclear, but it is likely the same as the Beit Midrash mentioned above.[132]
Israel
A seminary was named in Haim Palachi's honor in Bnei Brak, Israel.[3]
Writings
Haim Palachi – of 82 publications, 36 (as of September 2016) are listed under: Haim Palachi
As the Pallache settled in new cities with new languages, spellings of the surname changed. Sometimes, the families themselves voluntarily changed their surnames while at other times changes occurred via officialdom. In the 20th century, Turkish officials forced all nationals to adopt surnames under the 1934 Surname Law.
Variations on the Pallache name appear on both Spanish and Portuguese lists of Sephardic names. For instance, "Palacci" is listed as Spanish Sephardic,[135] while "Pallache" is listed as Portuguese Sephardic.[136]
Samuel Pallache's name appeared in several forms–including variations that he himself used.[137] A German Vierteljarhschrift mentions both "Duarte de Palacios" and "Duarte Palache" when referring to the same person, thus making direct equation between the names "de Palacios" and "Palache."[138]
The approach that the outline below follows is: 1) use Moïse Rahmani's essay "Les Patronymes: une histoire de nom ou histoire tout court" as a base, 2) add findings from the penultimate chapter of García-Arenal and Wiegers's A Man of Three Worlds: Samuel Pallache, a Moroccan Jew in Catholic and Protestant Europe (1999, 2007), and 3) add further information – all with citations. The index developed for Abraham Galante's Jews of Turkey is another major source for the Izmir branch of the family.
16th–17th Centuries Morocco and Netherlands
Pallache of the 16th–17th Centuries, who originated from Morocco include:
Moïse Al Palas (???–1535), born in Marrakesh, lived in Salonica, died in Venice[20][21]
Isaac Pallache(???–1560[21]), rabbi of Fez (mentioned 1588)[157]
Isaac Uziel (???-1622), nephew of Isaac Palacche, rabbi of Amsterdam's second Separhdic synagogue "Neve Shalom"
David Pallache (1598–1650?), envoy of Morocco to King Louis XIII of France (1631–1632), envoy and dragoman of Morocco (1638-1648/1649), and business partner of Michael de Spinoza (father of Baruch Spinoza)[29][157][173][174]
Pallache of the 17th–20th Centuries in Smyrna / Izmir, Turkey (then Ottoman Empire) include:
Isaac Pallache of Leghorn (Livorno, Italy) and later Izmir, where he wrote letter to Dutch consul in Smyrna requesting projection for "Salomón Moses" (1695)[5][21][157]
Samuel Palacci, died 1732, "among the most ancient graves in Kuşadası cemetery"[177]
[...]
Jacob Pallache (ca. 1755–1828), 18th century rabbi
Abraham Palacci (1809–1899), grand rabbi,[21][157] funded for Beit Hilel yeshiva 1840, chief rabbi 1869, died 1899[177]
Salomon Palacci, eldest son of Abraham, whose candidacy for grand rabbi failed[177]
Nissim Palacci, son of Abraham, who supported his brother Salomon for grand rabbi[177]
Isaac Palacci, son of Haim[177] AKA Rahamim Nissim Palacci (1813–1907), grand rabbi after Haim and Abraham and author of Avot harosh at Isaac Samuel Segura printing house Izmir 1869[177]
Joseph Palacci (1819–1896), rabbi and author of "Voyoseph Abraham Dito Libro en Ladino for las Ma'alot de Joseph ha-Zaddig" (1881),[157] printed book Yosef et ehav at Mordekhai Isaac Barki printinghouse in Izmir 1896[177]
[...]
Benjamin Palacci 1890, later rabbi in Tire (a district of Izmir)[177]
Hilel Palacci, member of Izmir communal council 1929–1933[177]
Jacob Palacci, director of choir Choeur des Maftirim in Istanbul 19th–20th century[177]
Nissim Palacci, helped Jewish Hospital Istanbul early 20th century, member of Galata community committee 1928–1931, member Haskeuy community committee 1935–1939[177]
19th–20th Centuries Egypt
Other Pallache who left Turkey (Izmir or Istanbul) for Egypt include:
Vita Palacci (ca. 1865–1917[56]), left Izmir for Cairo, co-founded Palacci department store (first "Palacci Menasce et Fils",[45]) then "Palacci Fils, Haim et Clie[46]) (1897"[44])
Isaac Palacci (1893–1940), Paris-based négocient for Palacci department store[93][105]
Poster above entrance of anti-semitic exposition called "The Jew and France".
Listed in order of birth date:
Henri Palacci/Palatchi (March 26, 1898–???), deported from Istanbul to France (1942)[41] – seem to match details for Henriette Palatchi (26 March 1898 – 25 March 1943), deported to Sobibor and murdered.[184][185]
Isaac Palacci/Palatchi (April 15, 1900–???), deported from Istanbul to France (1942)[41] – seems to match details for Henry Palatchi (15 April 1900 – 20 May 1944) murdered in Auschwitz.[186][187]
Mordecai Palatchi/Palacci (1903–1942), born in Bursa, Turkey and deported to Drancy internment camp, France[41] – seems to match details for Mordehai Palatchi (1903–1942), murdered in Auschwitz.[188][189]
Sarah Palatchi (5 October 1904 – 30 June 1944), born Sarah Kabili in Salonika, Turkey, deported to Drancy internment camp, France, murdered in Auschwitz.[190][191]
^This entry uses "Pallache" as an unifying name, based on scholarly preference, particularly three (3) entries for "Pallache" in Brill's Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World[2][3][4] and the scholarly historical biography A Man of Three Worlds: Samuel Pallache, a Moroccan Jew in Catholic and Protestant Europe.[5]
^"Decreto-Ley de 29 de Deciembre de 1948"(PDF). Ministerio de la Presidencia del Gobierno de España: Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). 19 January 1949. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
^Beinin, Joel (1998). The Dispersion of Egyptian Jewry: Culture, Politics, and the Formation of a Modern Diaspora. Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 44. ISBN0-520-21175-8.
^"(Advertisement for Elie Palacci)" (in French). Cairo / Alexandria: La Tribune Juive ; seul organe juif paraissant en Égypte. 26 April 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
^"(Advertisement for A. V. Pallaci & Co.)" (in French). Cairo / Alexandria: La Tribune Juive ; seul organe juif paraissant en Égypte. 14 September 1947. p. 66. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
^Galante, Abraham (27 October 1907). "Correspondance Particulière des " Archives "" (in French). Paris: Archives Israélites: Recueil Politique et Religieux (Volume 68). p. 380. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
^"Financial Report No. 3"(PDF). Yeshibat Erez Israel (Rabbinical Institution) for the Refugee Rabbis from the Holy Land. 1917. pp. 6–12 (Alexandra), XX (Cairo), 23 (Palacci). Retrieved 26 October 2016.
^
Rossant, Colette (1999). Memories of a Lost Egypt. Clarkson Potter. pp. 2–3 (photo of Vita Palacci), 19 (Palacci agencies), 30 (Garden City villa), 33 (Ladino) 48–51 (recipes – all over book), 70–76 (marriages). Retrieved 13 September 2016.
^ abcdefg
Rossant, Colette (2004). Apricots on the Nile: A Memoir with Recipes. Atria. pp. 2–3 (photo of Vita Palacci), 19 (Palacci agencies), 30 (Garden City villa), 33 (Ladino) 48–51 (recipes – all over book), 70–76 (marriages). ISBN9780743475617. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
^
Haag, Michael (2004). Alexandria: City of Memory. Yale University Press. p. 232 (Mordahai Palacci-Miram), 347 (Ventura Palacci-Miram). ISBN9780976322641. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
^
Rahmani, Moïse (February–May 2010). "La présence juive au Congo, depuis un siècle" [A Century of Jewish Presence in Congo] (PDF). Kadima No. 016 (in French). Kinshasa: Communauté Israélite de Kinshasa: 15–21. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
^
Kellenbenz, Hermann (1958). Sephardim an der unteren Elbe: ihre wirtschaftliche und politische Bedeutung vom Ende des 16. bis zum Beginn des 18. Jahrhunderts. Steiner. pp. 139, 401.
^
Roth, Cecil. "Sephardic names". History of the Jews of Venice. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
^
Galante, Abraham. "Sephardic names". Histoire des Juifs de Rhodes, Chio, Cos, etc. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
^Benbassa, Esther; Rodrigue, Aron. "Sephardic names". The Jews of the Balkans, The Judeo-Spanish Community, 15th to 20th Centuries. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
^
Faiguenboim, Guilherme; Valadares, Paulo; Campagnano, Anna Rosa. "Sephardic names". Diciionario Sefaradi De Sobrenomes. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
^"Palacci". Les Fleurs de l'Orient. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
^ abStudia Rosenthaliana. Vol. 4–5. Assen: Koninklijke Van Gorcum. 1970. pp. 112 (Palaty), 221 (Palatie). Retrieved 4 September 2016.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy
Laredo, Abraham Isaac (1978). Les noms des juifs de Maroc: Essai d'onomastique judéo-marocaine. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Instituto Arias Montano. pp. 966–971.
^
Romeu Ferre, Pilar (2006). "Masa Hayim: Una Homilía de Hayim Palachi"(PDF). Miscelánea de Estudios Árebes y Hebreos (MEAH): Revista del Dpto. De Estudios Semíticos (in Spanish). Granada: Universidad de Granada: 259–273. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
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