1838 Safed Plunder

{{Infobox
|title = 1838 Safed Plunder
|image        = [[File:Space holder.jpg|215px|alt=1838 Safed Plunder]]
|header1 = Hebrew:
|data2  = ביזת צפת בשנת תקצ"ד
|header5 = Description:
|data6   =  Attack on the Jews of Tzfat in 1834 by invading Druzes and local Arabs.
}}

The '''1838 Safed Plunder''' was led by local Druze tribes as part of their revult against Egyptian governor Ibrahim Pasha who had taken over the [[Ottoman Rule of Safed 1760 to 1918|Ottoman rulership of the area]]. Druze rebels, joined by local Arabs attacked the [[Old-City-Safed|Jewish Quarter]] looting the homes and [[Tzfat-Synagogues|synagogues]] over a three-day period. Although there were no fatalities, this was a finalizing event in a series of disaster that befell [[Safed]], including a plague in 1812, the month-long [[1834 Safed Arab Pogrom|Arab attack of 1834]] and the [[Safed-1837-Earthquake|1837 earthquake]]. Most remaining residents left the city after the plunder leaving a only population of 1,350 who decided to stay.

== Overview ==
The ruling [[Ottoman Rule of Safed 1760 to 1918|Ottoman Turks]] lost control of Palestine for ten years between 1831 and 1841 to the Egyptians. Local tribes revolted against Ibrahim Pasha, the Egyptian governor during this time. In January 1838 the Druze revolted and captured an Egyptian garrison outside of Tzfat. The Jews of Tzfat relied on the protection of the Arab governor but he was not able to withstand the attack. The local militia fled Tzfat and the Druze rebels, the very same people that defended the Jews 4 years earlier during the [[Jews 1834 Safed Arab Pogrom|Arab riots]], attacked the [[Old-City-Safed|Jewish Quarter]].

== Plunder ==
The local Arabs joined the Druze in plundering the Jewish Quarter. The Druze and Arabs believed that the Jews had hidden treasures and they looted the homes and [[Tzfat-Synagogues|synagogues]] of the Jewish Quarter over a three-day period. There were no fatalities but this episode convinced almost all of Tzfat’s remaining Jews to leave.

== Survivors ==
According to a census taken by Judith and Moses Montefiori, who visited Safed in 1839, only  1,357 Jews were left in Safed after the pogrom. Most were Sephardic and a few Ashkenazi. Montefiori donated large sums of money to restart the community and fund its institutions and the residents who were prepared to stay and revitalize the city.



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[[Category:Safed]]
[[Category:Jewish History]]