Sir Moses Montefiore Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet (1784-1885), was a British financier and banker, philanthropist, activist and Sheriff of London. He was born to an Italian Jewish family and donated large sums of money to promote industry, business, economic development, education and health amongst the Jewish community in the Levant, including the founding of Mishkenot Sha'ananim in 1860, the first settlement of the New Yishuv. As President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, his correspondence with the British consul in Damascus Charles Henry Churchill in 1841-1842 is seen as pivotal to the development of proto-Zionism.