Moses Hirsh Porges

Moses ben Israel Naftali Hirsh Porges was an emissary of the Ashkenazic community of Jerusalem. He was born in Prague and arrived in Jerusalem following his relative, Isaiah ha-Levi Horowitz. After the pogroms of 1648 and 1649, Porges traveled back to Europe to collect money for the Jerusalem community. In the course of his journey, he wrote Darkhe Tsiyon (Paths to Zion), which was printed after his death, in 1650. In this short booklet, written in Yiddish, the author describes travel conditions and the living situations in Jerusalem, and even offers shopping recommendations.