Taxation and Income.

There is a short account of Jerusalem during this period in Moses Hagiz's "Parashat Ele Massa'ai" (cited in "Hibbat Yerushalayim," pp. 37a et seq.). The taxes were paid from the sum gathered by the congregation from those who had died in Jerusalem, which produced an income of 3,000 piasters. There were then about 9,000 Mohammedans and Christians in the city, and 1,000 Jews, most of whom were Sephardim. In 1758 there were eight Sephardic yeshibot, each with a definite income: (1) that of R. Jacob Ferrara of Holland (1,200 pi. a year); (2) Newe Shalom, founded by R. Isaac Dimayo of Constantinople (700 pi.); (3) Pe'er 'Anawim, founded by the Franco family of Leghorn (600 pi.); (4) Hesed le-Abraham (1,000 pi.); (5) Damesek Eliezer, founded by Eliezer Ashkenazi (450 pi.); (6) Keneset Yisrael, founded by Hayyim ibn 'Attar (600 pi.); (7) that of Mordecai Taluk of the Maghreb (400 pi.); and (8) that of Abraham MeyuHas (1,000 pi.). In addition, there were a cabalistic yeshibah, Bet-el, founded by R. Shalom, and three private yeshibot. There were only a few Ashkenazim at this time; and these had no separate congregation (see letter of the rabbis of Constantinople in "Jerusalem," v. 45).
(see image) The Ashkenazic Synagogue, Jerusalem.(From Schwarz, "Descriptive History of Palestine," 1850.)

In 1782 some trouble arose in regard to the burial-ground on the Mount of Olives, the site of which the Mohammedans wished to use. They were bought off with a large sum of money ("Jerusalem," vi. 43). In 1785 Benjamin b. Elijah, the Karaite, visited Jerusalem (Gurland, l.c. p. 48). He mentions six gates: the Western, David, Hebron, Damascus, Pillar, and Lion. He speaks of two burial-places: a new one under the wall near the Midrash of Solomon, and the old one separated from this by a valley.