Letter from the Principal of the Mefitsei Haskalah School to the Vilna Kehilah

This was a letter from the principal of the Mefitsei Haskalah school requesting that the Vilna kehilah, which was the Jewish community council, give it a piano and sofa. The sofa was a special request from the school doctor, Dr. Khayet, who saw the need for a “soft sofa for children to lie on when they don’t feel well.” A note at the bottom of the page signed by Dr. Zemach Shabad reads: “I support this request.” Jewish schools in Poland often lacked even basic amenities. Other letters sent to the kehilah requested money for mops and cleaning rags.

Digitization of this artifact has been made possible by the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections project.