Eliakim Carmoly
Encyclopedia
Eliakim CarmolyEliakim Carmoly (August 5, 1802, Soultz-Haut-Rhin
, France
—February 15, 1875, Frankfort-on-the-Main) was a French-Jewish scholar. He was born at Soultz-Haut-Rhin
, then in the French department of Haut-Rhin
. His real name was Goschel David Behr (or Baer); the name Carmoly, borne by his family in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, was adopted by him when quite young. He studied Hebrew and Talmud
at Colmar
; and, because both French and German were spoken in his native town, he became proficient in those languages.
Carmoly went to Paris
, and there assiduously studied the old Hebrew manuscripts in the Bibliothèque Nationale, where he was employed. Several articles published by him on various subjects in scientific papers made him known; and on the establishment of a Jewish consistory
in Belgium
, he was appointed rabbi at Brussels
(May 18, 1832). In this position Carmoly rendered many services to the newly founded congregation, chiefly in providing schools for the poor. Seven years later, having provoked great opposition by his new scheme of reforms, Carmoly resigned the rabbinate and retired to Frankfort, where he devoted himself wholly to Jewish literature and to the collection of Hebrew books and manuscripts, in which he was passionately interested.
His grandfather was Isaachar Bär ben Judah Carmoly
, rabbi of Sulz.
Besides these works, Carmoly contributed to many periodicals, and edited the Revue Orientale (Brussels, 1841-46, 3 vols.), in which most of the articles were furnished by himself. The most important of these contributions, which constitute works by themselves, were
Soultz-Haut-Rhin
Soultz-Haut-Rhin is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Its inhabitants are called Soultziens.-Geography:The town of Soultz-Haut-Rhin has an enclave located northeast of Goldbach-Altenbach....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
—February 15, 1875, Frankfort-on-the-Main) was a French-Jewish scholar. He was born at Soultz-Haut-Rhin
Soultz-Haut-Rhin
Soultz-Haut-Rhin is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Its inhabitants are called Soultziens.-Geography:The town of Soultz-Haut-Rhin has an enclave located northeast of Goldbach-Altenbach....
, then in the French department of Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
. His real name was Goschel David Behr (or Baer); the name Carmoly, borne by his family in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, was adopted by him when quite young. He studied Hebrew and Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
at Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
; and, because both French and German were spoken in his native town, he became proficient in those languages.
Carmoly went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and there assiduously studied the old Hebrew manuscripts in the Bibliothèque Nationale, where he was employed. Several articles published by him on various subjects in scientific papers made him known; and on the establishment of a Jewish consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, he was appointed rabbi at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(May 18, 1832). In this position Carmoly rendered many services to the newly founded congregation, chiefly in providing schools for the poor. Seven years later, having provoked great opposition by his new scheme of reforms, Carmoly resigned the rabbinate and retired to Frankfort, where he devoted himself wholly to Jewish literature and to the collection of Hebrew books and manuscripts, in which he was passionately interested.
His grandfather was Isaachar Bär ben Judah Carmoly
Isaachar bär ben Judah Carmoly
Issachar Bär ben Judah Carmoly was an Alsatian rabbi. At the age of 10, he was sufficiently advanced in his training for the rabbinate to follow the elaborate lectures of Jonathan Eybeschütz...
, rabbi of Sulz.
Works
Carmoly's works have been severely attacked by the critics; and it must be admitted that his statements cannot always be relied upon. Still, he rendered many services to Jewish literature and history; and the mistrust of his works is often unfounded. Carmoly was the author of the following works:- Toledot Gedole Yisrael, a biographical dictionary of eminent Jews, ancient and modern, Metz, 1828 (only one volume, extending to "Aaron ben Chayyim," was published)
- Wessely et Ses Écrits, Nancy, 1829
- Sibbub Rab Petachyah, the travels of Petachiah of RatisbonPetachiah of RatisbonPetachiah of Ratisbon, also known as Petachiah ben Yakov, Moses Petachiah, and Petachiah of Regensburg, was a Bohemian rabbi of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries CE. He is best known for his extensive travels throughout Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the Middle East.Petachiah was...
, translated into French and accompanied by the Hebrew text, Paris, 1831 - Eldad ha-Dani: Relation d'Eldad le Danite, Voyageur du IXe; Siècle, Traduit en Français, Suivie du Texte et de Notes, Brussels, 1834
- Mémoire sur un Médaillon en l'Honneur de Louis-le-Débonnaire, ibid. 1839
- Maimonides und Seine Zeitgenossen, translated from the Hebrew into German, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1840
- Les Mille et Un Contes, Récits Chaldéens, Brussels, 1842
- Aqtan de-Mar Ya'aqob, a kind of MidrashMidrashThe Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
in six chapters on the KhazarsKhazarsThe Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
, published for the first time from two manuscripts, ibid. 1842 - Eldad et Medad, ou le Joueur Converti, translated from Leo di Modena's work, with a biographical notice on the author, ibid. 1844
- Le Jardin Enchanté, Contes, ibid. 1845
- Sefer ha-Kuzarim: Des Khozars au Xe; Siècle, Suivi d'une Lettre du Ministre dAbd el-Rachman III. au Roi de Khozarie et la Réponse du Prince, ibid. 1845
- Histoire des Médecins Juifs, Anciens et Modernes, ibid. 1844
- Halikot Eretz Yisrael: Itinéraires de la Terre Sainte des XIIIe-XVIIe Siècles, translated from the Hebrew, ibid. 1847
- Dibre ha-Yamim le-Bene Yachya, genealogy and biography of the Yachya family, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1850
- Ha-'Orebim u-Bene Yonah (The Crows and the Doves), genealogy of the Rapoport family, Rödelheim, 1861
- Imre Shefer (Words of Beauty), on Hebrew versification, by Abshalom Mizrachi (fourteenth century), with an introduction and an appendix containing literary essays and poems by the editor, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1868
- La France Israélite; Mémoire pour Servir à l'Histoire de Notre Littérature, Paris, 1858
- Mebasseret Tzion" (O Zion, That Bringest Good Tidings), a collection of letters from Jerusalem on the Lost Ten Tribes, Brussels, 1841
Besides these works, Carmoly contributed to many periodicals, and edited the Revue Orientale (Brussels, 1841-46, 3 vols.), in which most of the articles were furnished by himself. The most important of these contributions, which constitute works by themselves, were
- "Vocabulaire de la Géographie Rabbinique de France"
- "Essai sur l'Histoire des Juifs en Belgique"
- "Mille Ans des Annales Israélites d'Italie"
- "De l'Etat des Israélites en Pologne"*
- "Des Juifs du Maroc, d'Alger, de Tunis, et de Tripoli, Depuis Leur Etablissement dans Ces Contrées Jusqu'à Nos Jours"