THE

CHILDREN'S JEWISH ADVOCATE.

AUGUST, 1856.

TCHOUFUT KALEH.

IT is not likely that our readers have ever seen so curious a place as that of which a picture is given for the frontispiece. It is Tchoufut Kaleh, the great stronghold of the Caraite Jews in the Crimea.

The drawing was made on the spot by Lady Alicia Blackwood, and kindly sent to us. Another very interesting engraving of BaktschiSerai, we shall hope to give in the next "Record."

In the " Intelligence" of this month will be

found a very interesting account of a missionary journey through the Crimea, which Mr. Stern, our missionary at Constantinople, has undertaken. There it appears that there are about twenty thousand Jews. About half the number are those that are called Caraite Jews. These Jews profess to be guided entirely by the Word of God, and

do not attend to the things which are written in the Talmud.

Our readers will see that Tchoufut Kaleh is built upon a great rock, to which it is almost impossible to get up, except by the road, which is cut out on purpose. It is after a very toilsome march up its steep edges, and many windings and turnings, that the traveller finds himself at the top. The Chief Rabbi of the Caraite Jews lives there, and he received our missionary very kindly, and insisted on his remaining with him for the night.

The Jews in this country seem to be in a very favourable state for receiving the blessed Gospel. Ought we not to seek to enter in, and to declare to them the unsearchable riches of Christ? Then let our readers give us what help they can. We hereby invite them to contribute to the AntHill Fund, for the establishment of " @ MISSION to the CRIMEA."

JEWISH CHILDREN IN GERMANY.

OUR missionaries write us many interesting things about Jewish children in Germany, and other parts of the world. There are many of them who are seeking Jesus, and who, young as they are, believe Him to be the King of Israel -the Saviour of the world.

There are a few of these cases about which we are going to speak. On one occasion, the missionary went to see a Jewish family. He was sorry to find that the father of the family was not at home. He however began to talk to his wife, and offered her a tract. But at first the poor woman was afraid to take it; for although she liked the tract herself, yet she thought that her husband might find her with it, and that it would make him very angry. She however after a time accepted the tract, and when asked by the missionary why she had at first refused to do so, she mentioned how her husband was in the habit of treating their own child.

This little girl goes to a Christian school. She began to love what she learnt there, and when she came home would tell these things to her parents. But whenever she did so it made her father so angry, that he beat her. Poor child! she has to suffer persecution for conscience sake. But she does not forsake her Saviour. She still continues to read the Scriptures in secret, but now relates to her mother only what she learns at school.

There is another very touching case which we shall mention. A Jewish boy bought a New Testament. He learnt to love this precious Book, and it was in his thoughts day and night. But he did not dare to take it home with him,

for he knew that if it was seen, his parents would not only seize it, but they would also punish him very severely.

What was the poor Jew boy to do? He took his book into a loft which was near his father's house, and there he hid it. Day after day he used to go up to his hiding-place, and feed upon that Word which was meat unto his soul.

But as time passed on, his parents wondered where he was in the habit of going. When they missed him, they used to seek for him, but for a long time they did not find out whither he went. At last one day his mother discovered that he had gone up to this loft, and when she came in, she found him reading his New Testament. She was in a dreadful rage, and after calling him many hard names, she took from him his great treasure. The poor boy entreated and prayed that his book might be given to him. But the mother would not listen to him, and he saw himself deprived of that which he so valued. But we need not fear. That God who gave him this love for His Word, will not allow him to perish for lack of the Bread of Life.

We may add here another curious case, that came before the notice of our missionary, Dr. Biesenthal. In one of the towns that he visited, he met with the teacher of the Jewish school. This man had for a long time been in the habit