Israel of Krems
Encyclopedia
Israel of Krems was an Austria
n rabbi who flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries. He was the great-grandfather of Israel ben Petahiah Isserlein, who quotes him in his commentary on Rashi
to the Pentateuch, section "Wayeḥi." Israel was the author of Haggahot Asheri, notes on Rabbeinu Asher's Talmudic compendium, printed with the text. Grätz
identifies Israel of Krems with the Israel whom Emperor Rupert appointed, by a decree of May 3, 1407, chief rabbi of all the German communities ("Hochmeister über alle Rabbinen"), giving him a certificate declaring him to be a great Talmudic scholar and a good man.
But as Israel's functions included the civil control of the Jews, and especially the collection of the taxes, the German rabbis opposed his appointment. Some of them even threatened him with excommunication
in case he did not resign. The emperor, upon hearing of this, confirmed Israel's appointment as chief rabbi by a second decree (November 23, 1407), imposing a fine of twenty gold marks on any one refusing to submit to him. But the edicts had little effect, and the office of the chief rabbi became obsolete soon after its creation. No further mention of Israel occurs until 1415, when he is mentioned in a document of Emperor Sigismund, appointing him to superintend the collection of the Jewish taxes, in which office he was the subordinate of the hereditary chamberlain Conrad of Weinsberg.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n rabbi who flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries. He was the great-grandfather of Israel ben Petahiah Isserlein, who quotes him in his commentary on Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
to the Pentateuch, section "Wayeḥi." Israel was the author of Haggahot Asheri, notes on Rabbeinu Asher's Talmudic compendium, printed with the text. Grätz
Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
identifies Israel of Krems with the Israel whom Emperor Rupert appointed, by a decree of May 3, 1407, chief rabbi of all the German communities ("Hochmeister über alle Rabbinen"), giving him a certificate declaring him to be a great Talmudic scholar and a good man.
But as Israel's functions included the civil control of the Jews, and especially the collection of the taxes, the German rabbis opposed his appointment. Some of them even threatened him with excommunication
Cherem
Cherem , is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. It is the total exclusion of a person from the Jewish community. It is a form of shunning, and is similar to excommunication in the Catholic Church...
in case he did not resign. The emperor, upon hearing of this, confirmed Israel's appointment as chief rabbi by a second decree (November 23, 1407), imposing a fine of twenty gold marks on any one refusing to submit to him. But the edicts had little effect, and the office of the chief rabbi became obsolete soon after its creation. No further mention of Israel occurs until 1415, when he is mentioned in a document of Emperor Sigismund, appointing him to superintend the collection of the Jewish taxes, in which office he was the subordinate of the hereditary chamberlain Conrad of Weinsberg.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., viii. 102-104;
- Stobbe, Die Juden in Deutschland, pp. 148, 259, Brunswick, 1866;
- Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, pp. 702–703;
- Frankel-Grün, Gesch. der Juden in Kremsier, i.14, 15, Breslau, 1896.