Pinkas of the Leatherworkers of Jassy, Scribe: Jacob ben Abraham Tov Segal of Berditchev, Jassy: 1832

30 leaves (13  5/8  x 8  1/2  in.; 346 x 217 mm). Ink and gouache on paper. Five leaves, ff.1,3,5, 27, 29, lavishly decorated; ff.1,3, 27, in vibrant colors. Ashkenazic semi-cursive Hebrew script; title and headings in square Hebrew script; modern foliation in pencil: (1), 1-29. Text on recto of odd-numbered folios only; even-numbered folios blank, serving as guards; later glassine guards precede each odd numbered folio. Losses to upper corners throughout, expertly repaired; very light soiling. New endpapers. Gilt-stamped titles on modern blind tooled paneled morocco. Cloth on board slipcase.

In 1832, Russian authorities in Moldovia promulgated new regulations requiring all craftsmen and tradespeople to belong to a trade association. Most Jewish artisans chose to form their own hevrot (societies), rather than joining the established guilds, most of which had an overtly distinct Christian character, thus effectively precluding Jewish membership.

In the major Moldovian city of Jassy, there were at least six different associations representing various groups of Jewish tradesmen, including tailors, hatters, furriers, weavers, shoemakers and leatherworkers. This elaborately decorated and elegantly penned manuscript pinkas (ledger) is the only surviving material witness to these Jewish workers’ groups. It records the founding of the leatherworkers’ hevrah and includes the bylaws governing all aspects of society activities. These included the regulating of apprenticeships, membership requirements, weekly dues, meetings, and the social obligations incumbent on the society members.Though twenty-seven leatherworkers affixed their names on the decorated signature page, two names have been erased; perhaps representing members who were expelled for violating society regulations.

The language and tone of the bylaws enumerated in this pinkas, arranged poetically so that each begins with a succesive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, indicate that the scribe who penned this manuscript was a learned man. The references to traditional Jewish law and customs which run through the text, attest to the religious fidelity and the ethical morality of the leatherworkers themselves.

Literature: Eliyahu Feldman, Jewish Artisans in Moldavia, Jerusalem:1982. pp. 125 ff. Illustrated: pl.6, 7, after p. 136.