Obtaining the “Ferman” – in 1911, the “Ezra” company, through attorney Asher Malach, was able to obtain the required construction license from the Ottoman government in order to establish the technical school on the slopes of Carmel in Haifa.
Transcription of the article in the local newspaper “Shahaf”:
An article about the license for the construction of the Technion granted in 1911 by the Turks: Rare documents, including among other things maps of the construction site, where the Technion was built, were handed over this week to its president, Amos Horev, by Ms. M. Bissel. Her father, Attorney Asher Melach, acted over 60 years ago with the Turkish authorities in Constantinople to obtain the approval for the construction of the first buildings of the “Technikum”. The documents, which date from 1911, were given to the Technion after a festive ceremony, during which a plaque bearing the names of Attorney Asher Melach and his wife was unveiled in the main catalog hall of the Elishar Library. Asher Melach, born in Thessaloniki, was a lawyer by profession and resided in Constantinople, where he was well acquainted with the Turkish authorities due to his connections. Thanks to these connections, he succeeded in persuading the Turks to approve the establishment of the Technion building – a matter that was contrary to their anti-Zionist policy. In November 1911, the Turkish government notified Attorney Melach of their agreement, and in December of that year, the license was granted.
Transcription from the original article:
“I have just been informed, and I hasten to announce it to the readers of ‘HaOr’ that the ‘Ezra’ Society has achieved a great victory in Constantinople. After considerable effort, Dr. Paul Nathan has managed to obtain an official license from the Turkish government for the Haifa College, or as the members of the ‘Ezra’ Society call it, the Technikum. The joy is immense and all lovers of the Land of Israel see this as a good sign. Indeed, there is no doubt that the Haifa College will be not only beneficial to the Jews residing in the land but also to the greater Ottoman homeland.” Written by: Hemda Ben Yehuda, HaOr newspaper, 1911.