Avraham Wolfensohn
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Avraham Wolfensohn (1783–1855) was a Jewish rabbi
, Talmudic judge and leader of the Askenazi community in Safed
, Palestine
in the middle of the 19th century.
in Lithuania
, where he became a disciple of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman
. The Gaon's followers came from the section of the community in Lithuania known as Mitnagdim (Opponents of the Chassidic movement) and were known as Perushim
.
The Gaon believed that the return of the Jews from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel
would bring about the Messianic era. Influenced by the Gaon's vision, Wolfensohn founded an organization called Chazon Tzion ("Prophecy/Vision [of] Zion
"), whose main principles included the ingathering of the Jewish exile.
In 1809, Rabbi Wolfensohn traveled to and settled in the Holy Land as a member of the first of three groups of Gaon disciples. These migrations are considered to be the beginning of the modern return of Jews to their ancient homeland. Included in the groups were members of the Wolfensohn, Ze'ev, Rivlin, Zeitlin and Bassan families - many of the descendants of these disciples became leading figures in modern Israeli society. Their arrival encouraged an Ashkenazi
revival in the land which until this time was mostly Sephardi.
Facing an Ottoman ban on Ashkenazi Jews settling in Jerusalem, most of the Perushim, including the Wolfensohn family, settled in Safed
, forming the basis of the Ashkenazi community there. Rabbi Wolfensohn became the first judge of the Perushim in Safed and was instrumental in ending the friction between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities in the region.
His first marriage to Batya Brina bore three sons and a daughter. His wife and two of his sons were killed in the great Galilee earthquake of 1837
, while Avraham was away in Europe collecting funds for the community. His son Zeev survived because he was studying at a yeshiva in Jerusalem at the time.
Rabbi Wolfensohn then moved to Jerusalem where he married his second wife, Sheindel, with whom he had four children.
As leaders and members of the Perushim community, Rabbi Wolfensohn and his descendants (Wolfensohn, Woolfson, Wolfson, Ze'ev) had a significant influence both on the history of the Yishuv haYashan and the subsequent State of Israel, including:
Most of Avraham’s writings were on religious subjects and were destroyed in the earthquake in 1837. Only one of his manuscripts was saved, and was published after his death. Written mainly in Aramaic, the book contains a short description of Avraham’s life. There are hardly any copies in existence, but one is known to be in the library of David Ben Gurion, the late prime minister of Israel.
Rabbi Wolfensohn died in 1855 and is buried on the Mount of Olives
near the Yad Avshalom
old cemetery.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Talmudic judge and leader of the Askenazi community in Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in the middle of the 19th century.
Biography
Rabbi Wolfensohn was born in Shklov, about 300 kilometers southeast of VilniusVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, where he became a disciple of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kramer, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew acronym Gra or Elijah Ben Solomon, , was a Talmudist, halachist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of non-hasidic Jewry of the past few centuries...
. The Gaon's followers came from the section of the community in Lithuania known as Mitnagdim (Opponents of the Chassidic movement) and were known as Perushim
Perushim
The Perushim were disciples of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, who left Lithuania at the beginning of the 19th century to settle in the Land of Israel, then under Ottoman rule...
.
The Gaon believed that the return of the Jews from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
would bring about the Messianic era. Influenced by the Gaon's vision, Wolfensohn founded an organization called Chazon Tzion ("Prophecy/Vision [of] Zion
Zion
Zion is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The word is first found in Samuel II, 5:7 dating to c.630-540 BCE...
"), whose main principles included the ingathering of the Jewish exile.
In 1809, Rabbi Wolfensohn traveled to and settled in the Holy Land as a member of the first of three groups of Gaon disciples. These migrations are considered to be the beginning of the modern return of Jews to their ancient homeland. Included in the groups were members of the Wolfensohn, Ze'ev, Rivlin, Zeitlin and Bassan families - many of the descendants of these disciples became leading figures in modern Israeli society. Their arrival encouraged an Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
revival in the land which until this time was mostly Sephardi.
Facing an Ottoman ban on Ashkenazi Jews settling in Jerusalem, most of the Perushim, including the Wolfensohn family, settled in Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, forming the basis of the Ashkenazi community there. Rabbi Wolfensohn became the first judge of the Perushim in Safed and was instrumental in ending the friction between the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities in the region.
His first marriage to Batya Brina bore three sons and a daughter. His wife and two of his sons were killed in the great Galilee earthquake of 1837
Galilee earthquake of 1837
The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, was a devastating earthquake that shook the Galilee on January 1, 1837.-Impact:...
, while Avraham was away in Europe collecting funds for the community. His son Zeev survived because he was studying at a yeshiva in Jerusalem at the time.
Rabbi Wolfensohn then moved to Jerusalem where he married his second wife, Sheindel, with whom he had four children.
As leaders and members of the Perushim community, Rabbi Wolfensohn and his descendants (Wolfensohn, Woolfson, Wolfson, Ze'ev) had a significant influence both on the history of the Yishuv haYashan and the subsequent State of Israel, including:
- Assisting in the rebuilding of the Hurva SynagogueHurva SynagogueThe Hurva Synagogue, , also known as Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid , is a historic synagogue located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem....
, which had lain in ruin for 140 years. - Settling the new neighborhoods of Nahalat Shiv'a and Mishkenot Sha’ananimMishkenot Sha’ananimMishkenot Sha’ananim was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on a hill directly across from Mount Zion...
, the first Jewish areas established outside the old walls of Jerusalem. - Helping to found the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea ShearimMea ShearimMea Shearim is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Israel. It is populated mainly by Haredi Jews and was built by the original settlers of the Yishuv haYashan.-Name:...
. - Running the Moses MontefioreMoses MontefioreSir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, Kt was one of the most famous British Jews of the 19th century. Montefiore was a financier, banker, philanthropist and Sheriff of London...
windmill in Jerusalem. - Helping to found the first Jewish hospital in Jerusalem "Bikur Cholim".
- Founding the first Jewish pharmacy in Palestine (Yehoshua Wolfinsohn, 1851–1924)
- Pioneering the printing industry in Palestine - including the production of the first Bible printed entirely by Jews in Palestine.
- Establishing the first institution for blind education in Palestine.
- Involvement in Civic Leadership (Mordechai "Max" Woolfson, 1900-1978 - Town Clerk, Petah Tikva)
Most of Avraham’s writings were on religious subjects and were destroyed in the earthquake in 1837. Only one of his manuscripts was saved, and was published after his death. Written mainly in Aramaic, the book contains a short description of Avraham’s life. There are hardly any copies in existence, but one is known to be in the library of David Ben Gurion, the late prime minister of Israel.
Rabbi Wolfensohn died in 1855 and is buried on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
near the Yad Avshalom
Yad Avshalom
Tomb of Absalom , also called Absalom's Pillar, is an ancient monumental rock-cut tomb with a conical roof located in the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem, Israel...
old cemetery.