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Hillel Yaffe (1864-1936) was a Russian Jewish physician and Zionist leader who immigrated to the Land of Israel in the First Aliyah during the Ottoman Empire. In the early 20th century he was instrumental in curing malaria, which at that time was the main cause for death of Jews, and helped improve the medical infrastructure of the Yishuv during the same period. The Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera is named after him. Letter signed “Hille Yaffe”, 1pp., datelined September 23, 1918, Hebrew, translated “"Due to the present situation we have been suddenly torn apart from Haifa and more importantly Damascus and thus remain for the time-being with no means. We were supposed to receive our payment for a third of August and all of September from Haifa. However, we received a letter today from Mr. Dizengoff saying that he sent everything he had to the Galilee for immigrants and schools there, for he is hopeful that we can come up with the means here ourselves. Indeed we notified Jaffa yesterday through the committee members who are here, and they promised verbally to send money immediately. In the meantime we are penniless, we must spend several Napoleons [silver coins) every day on the students and also settle small debts to pensions and the like. Therefore, we are asking you to lend us a sum of 500 pr. [pruta, a denomination of currency used in Israel prior to 1960] which we will thankfully pay back once our payment arrives from Jaffa. We have strong hope that you will not leave us empty handed and we are signing with feeling of respect and a blessing of salvation and revival..."