fwm rb s mm é am u e l j am ily

CO LLEC TED FRO M ESSAY S

MSS. AND OTHER SO URCES

’ D A MU EL J . B U N FO R S

WITH ILLUSTRA TIONS

!Brita i n for abtihate mu tilation Y B LI I OMPA Y ILA LP IA B J . . PP NCCYIT C N , PH DE H MCM! II 1 3 B ? . EWOI m un . COPY RIGHT 91 . I D

AT T“ WASHINGTON S! UARE PRE S

PHILADELPHIA. 11. 8v “ I a l l 1 21”

C0aunts

PA “ S M PA m LY N N HE KA B NB L RECORD or THE SA UEL , I CLUDI G T TZ B N

II A ND a cnzzs n on r m ; LA 'rzs 'r A ns DO C N SAMUEL , cc s

M S B . IDLE SS. ON THE U JECT

’ EDzLu A NN s 'rO Iu r WA IIL IL ' ' ' N S WII IL A PORTION or or SAUL ,

Ta n: V n B . S Fno MS. or MARCU AND SON, or IENNA

A WS K N P B Y G S V KA RPELES . JE I H I G IN OLAND, U TA E

W n on WS Y P . SAUL AHL, THE JE I H ENC CLO EDIA — A KING Iron A NIGHT THE PO LIs II s WIIO REIGNED

VI WA s s U C WA IIL B Y REV . zu SAUL , DA D

‘ Lu BY S . Sn rcn or REB ECCA AD , MARCU ADLER

l ist of fi lm s

PA

I F Y W DY . THE SAMUEL AMIL TREE (DRA N SAMUEL)

’ P P SA MU EL s MR S HOTOGRA H or SAMUEL SEAL AND . ’ DAV ID SA MU EL s MOURNING RING . .

’ EDELMA NN s SAMUEL FAMILY TREE

M P . PHOTOGRAPH O F TO E OF MEIER OF ADUA .

PORTRAITS O F SAMUEL SAMUEL AND HIs WIPE B RINDELLA

PORTRAITS OF DAV ID SAMUEL AND HIs WIFE HE'I' I'Y Mos s

P GR A P ME O F HA MINz WF HOTO H OF TO NNAH , I E or

P GR PH ME M HOTO A OF TO OF SA UEL JUDAH, SON OF MEIER or PADUA

Returns ofthe £5d family INCLUDING THE KATZENELENBOGEN AND SAMUEL PEDIGREES

F O THE L S ESS B 1188 ON THE S B T R M ATE T ACC I LE . U J EC

IN pe digre e s of the past the Sa m ue l family ha ve mostly sta rte d with Sau l Wahl as their earlies t ancestor . The Tree on the frontispiece of this book starts with Meier of Padua . Most of the a rticles published about Sa u l Wa hl t have be en written by strangers o the family, with one e xception, and that is an account of the Samuel pedi gre e written in Hebrew by Hirsch Edelmann of London

in IS f r . 54. o Dennis Samuel

s k n r Edelmann, in tead of ma ing perso al e searches, f s e ll into the error, as other have done, of compiling his pa mphlet from numerous re sponses to letters he

e n to had writt ra bbis and others the world ove r. The - re sult was tha t he re corded but the oft told fa ble s ha nded down from father to son a mong the Lithu a nia n Jews, most of whose ance stors we re assiste d by the b e que st left by Sa u l Wahl for stu de nts who were - loca ted in his dwelling pla ce of B re st Litovsk in

Lithua nia .

h a n a h h in the M e s ns e d Lit u i , w ic iddle Ag co titut an n e n n re a a s e i d pe de t lm, w unit d in I569 with Poland, an) : m antel mm

and in the dismemberment of Poland in 1772 —1793

1 795, passed to Russia . Edelmann acknowledged that if one went to War saw, there are many records in the archives there which

n would substa tiate the Saul Wahl legends , but who will make a search for these treasured manuscripts ?” In 1895 a story was written by Gustave K a rpe le s “

. m called A Jewish King of Poland It is a ra bling, interesting talk about Saul Wahl, divided into two — “ parts legend and history . It mentions that Our last and strongest witness , one compelling the respect

ful attention of the severest court, and the most inci - sive attorney general, is the writing of the Russian

B e rscha dsk professor z y , the author of an invaluable

work on the history of the Jews in Lithuania . He vouches not indeed for the authority of the events

related by Rabbi Pinchas , but for the reality of Saul ” Wahl himself . “ c n He produces do uments of inco testable authority,

Béthori I 8 which report that Stephen , in the year 57 ,

n the third of his reig , awarded the salt monopoly for

u dis ch — the whole of Poland to Saul J , that is, Saul

the Jew . “ In 1 80 5 his name, together with the names of the

heads of the Jewish community of Brest, figures in a lawsuit instituted to establish the claim of the Jews

upon the fourth part of all the municipal revenues . “ r u I I 1 88 On Feb ary , 5 , Sigismund III issued a

f Slu a notice making him a royal o ficial ( g Krolewski) , a bs g amuel arm

I a sort of court Chamberlain . In 593 he pleads for the Jews of Brest who desire to have their own ju risdic tion , and the last public mention of his name occurs

I h in the records of 596, when in conjunction wit his Christian townsmen he pleads for the renewal of an

Withold old franchise, granted by the Grand Duke ,

r exempting impo ted goods from duty . He died at the age of 80 .

ewis h World 2 1 0 In an article in the j of July 4 , 9 3, D “ written by the Rev. . Wasserzug, called a King for ” “ ” a Night, The Polish Jew who reigned, Saul Wahl, he “ says : Saul settled in Brzesc, where he became known

u d as Saul J isch, and late r assumed the name of Shor

(Ox, which in Polish is Wohl or Wahl) ; hence his name ” ’ D a ss e r u s Saul Wahl . Rev . . W z g account of Saul is another repetition of the fables with some Polish his tory added , and ends by giving the names of some of “ his English descendants, as follows : Chief rabbis

Rev . Hart Lyon and the Rev . Solomon Hirschfeld ; an ecclesiastical assessor, Dayan A . L . Barnett ; a lord

r Chancellor, Lord He schel ; a peer and a member of a conservative administration , Lord Pirbright ; two lord mayors, Sir Benjamin S . Phillips and his son Sir George Fa u de l Phillips ; several members of parlia

Golds m id ment, Sir Julian , Sir Samuel Montague, Sir

Harry S . Samuel, Stuart M. Samuel, Herbert Samuel ; two countesses, the Countess of Rosebery and the Countess of Orkney ; besides hosts of less exalted ” personage s . m; e Samuel arm

To the above list could be added David and Moses M Samuel, whose sons Samuel Samuel and S . . Samuel

r were p ominent Hebrews, being the grandfathers of some of the above mentioned celebrities .

' ew rh hron cle 1 1 0 In the j z C i of June 1 , 9 9, is an article “ ” called The Adler Family, by Marcus N . Adler. He says : Our grandfather, Mordecai Adler, married

Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin Frankel, chief rabbi

K le n of Hanau . He belonged to the a tze ne boge n family ” w and a s a lineal descendant of Saul Wahl ; also that, “ r S . M. Samuel and Dennis Samuel were so p oud of their lineage that when they were m ade barons they ” assumed the name of De Vahl .

A MS . recently procure d in Vienna, compiled by B .

Son 1 1 1 Marcus and , dated April 2 9, 9 , contains an - interesting and well writte n account of Saul Wahl . “ : 1 It says Saul Wahl, born in 154 , at Padua, Italy, died at Brzesc in Lithuania, at the age of 76, and was

s buried at Brzesc . He w a a Jewish notable at the end of the fifteenth century and emigrated from Padua to

Lithuania . He was chosen president of the Jewish congregation - at Brzesc, as well as presiding officer of the so called ’ Four Lands Synod . In him, Talmudic knowledge,

r n p ofane k owledge, and riches united themselves ; also he was held in high honor and re spect not only by his coreligionists but also by the reigning Polish king, so that the saying arose that Saul Wahl for one night must have held the Polish royal dignity . t he b anana tim e

He built in Brzesc a synagogue to the memory of his wife, and had a memorial tablet placed there on h written in Hebrew wit a German translation . “ Only one family of note in Lithuania trace their origin to Saul Wahl , and their name is Wohl . It is presumed that in the course of time the name Wahl

Changed to Wohl . Saul Wahl left a trust fund of

Polish gulden, the interest of which was paid ” to his poor relations .

Also he left some rea l estate, for about the year

1 6 n Bu rd 8 3 Russia agents called on nfo Samuel, of

London, eldest son of Samuel Samuel, asking if he could produce certain deeds to real estate in Russia , which the go vernment conte mplated buying ; but Bu nfordhad destroyed all the Saul Wahl papers

n i his possession a few weeks before, because he said he was tired of keeping such old musty docu ments . Some photographs of the tombs in the old Jewish cemetery at Pa dua, Italy, procured by Baron Camille

T év B n l r e s dei o fi i of Padua, show the resting place of

Ka n l Meier and Samuel Judah tze e e nb oge n, also of ’ M Meier s wife, Hannah inz, daughter of Abraham

Min . O n z these tombstones are Hebrew inscriptions, b which have een translated by Dr . Cyrus Adler and accompany this history . They give the dates of their deaths and eulogize them as gentle -folks of superior ’ “ intellect . In Meier s eulogy it ends by saying De ” ceased was perfect .

orbs Samuel arm that ultimately resulted in the confiscation and burn ” ing up of all Hebrew books in Italy .

The Jewish Encyclopedia says , under the heading of “ Wahl , That Saul Wahl was a remarkable personage

r n who, acco ding to traditio , occupied for a short time

the throne of Poland . The story connected with his

reign then follows , and is made up from portions taken

’ K a r e le s s ff from p tory and others , but o ers no new

information on the subject, excepting that the name Wahl was given to Saul Wahl from the German

word Wahl, meaning election . Also it was through ffi the good o ces of Prince Radziwill, surnamed the

Black, who assisted Saul Wahl at Brest in procuring

his supposed election to the Kingdom of Poland . And although this story cannot be supported by any

historical data , it gained a firm place in the belief of ” the people . The surname Samuel first appears in the name of

Du it the eldest son of Joseph c , and his two eldest sons

called themselves Moses and David Samuel, dropping

u c the name D it.

de sce n In conclusion , it must be conceded that the

K a t e ne le nb o e ns dants of the z g , who took their name

from a small village near Hesse Nassau in Germany,

were many and illustrious , making a huge family con

ne c ion t , comprising some of the oldest Jewish families

in Europe and America, who have married and inter m arried, and whose pedigree is not a myth but can be

substantiated . t he Samuel mm

’ A wax impression of S . Samuel s seal is shown here with ; it was made by W . Jonas, seal engraver, No . 6

‘ Hanover Court, opposite Aldgate Church, London ; also the mourning ring worn by the widow of David

n DA V ID A MU EL Samuel, which has the inscriptio S — 1 A 66 . B . 8 ET . O SEPT . 79 The Dennis Samuel coat of arms is mentioned in ’ r 1 8 Burke s General Armo y book, issued in 87 , on page “ ” : 894 , as follows Samuel (granted to Dennis Samuel of London, formerly of Rio Janeiro, descended from an ancient Jewish race, many of whom were chief n rabbis, and to the descendants of his gra dfather

Moses Samuel and his brother David Samuel) . Gules on a cross between in the first and fourth quarters a lion rampant and in the second and third an eagle dis

— A n played argent a rose of the field . Crest eagle

ro displayed argent, above the head a c wn of gold .

— Ha Motto b e nt sua sidera reges . On page 2 82 in the same book is given another coat of arms, on account of the additional surname of De

: Vahl which Dennis Samuel assumed, as follows De ” r Vahl Samuel . Granted by Dom Ped o II of Brazil in

1854 , on his assuming by royal license the additional surname of De Vahl .

w a The coat of arms here ith given is made after , ’ description found amongst Saul Wahl s papers, and which antedates the Dennis Samuel arms by some hundreds of years . “ “ The motto Sua Sidera ha b e nt rege s means Kings ” have their own Stars .

orbs 9 81m m tim e

In writing this Pedigree and History there m a y appear some discrepancies in names and dates ; this

is unavoidable, but to those who are interested in the family the accounts given will be near enough to be

comprehensible .

From all the data recorded, it is quite plain to see

that Saul Wahl never reigned over any community,

x r e cepting as a philanth opist in the city of Brest . The entire stories relating to Saul Wahl are published

na ra tive in this of the authorities quoted, pa rticu ’ le s r la rly Ka rpe sto y, published by the Jewish Publica 8 tion Society of America in 1 95, and whose permission

r to republish this sto y has been granted, all of which is done with the view of enabling all interested to get an

idea of the qualities of each . It is surprising how all of the historians excepting Ka rpe le s refused to chronicle any historical data on

the subject, for, if they had, they would have seen

u disch ‘ that Saul Wahl as Saul J was residing in Brest,

Béthori 1 8 Lithuania , under King Stephen in 57 . a portion of Cha insa ws s tory of g e ntwant

WRITT EN IN 1854 FOR DENNIS SAMUEL W R D OI TE E HEB E ET EV . L. E E TRA NSLATE ! R . LI A LEB

Samuel Judah, chief rabbi of Padua , who was the

1 father of Saul Wahl , died in 597, according to the statements of the rabbis with whom Edelmann corre sponde d.

Saul Wahl was trained in Padua under his father, and was educated at the Academy and the University of Padua ; later he went to Poland to perfect his studies in Jewish lore .

Some time after this, Prince Radziwill, who had been ordered by the Pope of Rome to travel in poverty for three years as a penance for the bloodshed he had caused and the wicked life he had led, finished his wanderings at Padua . ff Desirous of returning to his home, he went to di erent bankers for funds, all of whom refused loaning him l money, because his shabby appearance mi itated against i b his statements . Having failed w th the bankers, he e took himself to Rabbi Samuel Judah, who stood high socially and was an influential Citizen . He invited the prince to his home and supplied him with good clothing and the necessaries of life . In the course of conversation the rabbi told the prince that his son was visiting Poland, but that he had not

IO d Mose s Sa a dia l sa iah

Phine a s

Sa m u e l

Mose s ( 174 2 )

’ Cdelmarm s étory of éaul m m

heard from him for some time . Radziwill promised to search for Saul Wahl on his return to Poland ; he took a likeness of Saul Wahl with him, and he did locate him shortly afterwards . It is needless to tell of the fright of the Jewish community when the prince sent for Saul Wahl . Radziwill took him to his house and gave him help and encouragement .

Saul Wahl married Deborah, daughter of David

Drucker, a very prominent man . The ceremony was performed in the house of the prince and in the pres ence of many high officials . Saul Wahl continued to live in the house of his benefactor, and became his adviser.

In the year 1586 the King of Poland died, and the

Parliament had to elect another king . It s eems, how ever, that they could not agree on a successor, and, as a ruler was necessary, Prince Radziwill was proclaimed the leader, but he declined, and proposed Saul Wahl as a man of great ability and learning . Parliament at

c on e chose Saul Wahl, and he ru led for several months,

s until a succe sor to the king was chosen . During this time Saul Wahl established new laws for the welfare of the land and the good of the people .

Sigismund, the son of the King of Sweden, was

finally elected as King Sigismund III of Poland , and appointed Saul Wahl as one of his counsellors . f Owing to the high o fice Saul Wahl held, he was ffi presented with an o cial chain of gold, which chain he ordered in his will to be sold, so that his heirs might

II use m antel Gites

not become proud and haughty, but rather be humble and kind to all . He also admonished his descendants to be faithful and religious . Abstracts of a copy of his will have been found in a memorandum book in possession of Dennis Samuel, of

London . This book mentions that Saul Wahl estab lishe dreligious bath-houses in his dwelling-place in

Poland .

He bought a large property in Brest Litovsk, and built an academy with many rooms and lecture halls . Students came from the four corners of the world to study law there, and lived in the building . He left many thousands in money to help the poor students who came to study law, and many more thousands that his poor relatives might receive an

’ annual income . From Saul Wahl s time to the present there has been a continuous line of rabbis in the cities of Poland and elsewhere who can trace their descent from Saul Wahl . The head of the academy at Brest

r . Litovsk, on the iver Bug, was one of his descendants

(This academy is now destroyed . ) The fund left as stated above to his poor relations was to be divided as

: follows Fifty crowns to the males, one hundred i crowns to the females on their marriage . Th s legacy is still in force . He also built a synagogue for women in the old city of Brest, and when the great synagogue was destroyed , a stone was found in the wall of the women ’s gallery “ : r on which was the inscription The uler Saul, son of

12 ’ Cbelmann s étm of 5 am g al)!

’ Samuel Judah of Padua, built the women s synagogue for worship and study in memory of his wife Deborah ,

her memory be blessed , and the pious daughter of

ker. May her soul rest in peace . Obit year ” in her home . But the stone was desecrated by the women ; they had smeared many coats of white wash over it ; the parts omitted above were the name of her father and the year and day of her death ; these were broken when the building w a s destroyed . The

r v stone besides was beautifully ca ed . In the minds of some of the contributors to this account, there exists no doubt that there are records in the archives of War saw which would substantiate these statements, but who wi ll make a search for these treasured manuscripts ? It is claimed that the seal of Saul Wahl was a lion rampant, holding in one paw two tablets , with a Latin

r 1- 6—10 insc iption, having lines 5 on one of them and on the other, thus copying the Tablets of the Law.

. 2 M Mr Edelmann has some 80 SS. and letters from

ff r r di e ent rabbis of Aust ia , Galicia, Italy and other

A shke na countries of ze , giving accounts of Saul Wahl , the greater number coming from Poland and Lithuania . ff Many of the statements di er from each other, as for “ example : The son of a prince of Poland was sent to U the niversity of Padua , Italy ; he became ill and spent all of his money . Hearing of the great philanthropy practised by Rabbi Samuel Judah , he appealed to him for help so he could return to Poland, and the rabbi

’ aided him, and he asked the rabbi s son, Saul Wahl, to 13 a b s ! anta s! a re:

accompany him on his return to Poland, and promised to help him in obtaining the education he sought at the academy in Poland . Saul Wahl went with the ” prince and prospered . ’ Saul Wahl s first wife Deborah bore him five sons

d ll e c a n two daughters, a destined to b ome prominent m n e and women . The eldest son of Saul Wahl had five sons - - - 1 u h n in la w ofZa m a n Shor . . J da , so l - - 2 Mose s son in la w of Be n a m n Be inos . . , j i - - Is a e n in la w f a m e Kalishe r . 3. r l, so o S u l - - Be inos son in la w of a cob De ta s. 4 . , J l - - n i a w fW Re inos f Cra co . u a h so n l o o o 5. J d , lf w — e first so NOTE. The fifth, Juda h, wa s na m e d a fte r th n, who die d y ou ng.

m): m um clm hogm s

In 1 312 Count Diether of K a tze ne le nb oge n received permission from Emperor Henry VII to keep twelve

b n r Jews at Ka tze ne le n oge . F om these villagers the family of Ka tze ne le nb oge n trace their descent .

1 b Meir Ka tze ne le n oge n, called Meier de Padua ,

t M dva known amongst Italian Hebrews as Maa am ipa o ,

1 6 was born in and died in 5 5, and was buried in the old Jewish Cemetery at Padua, Italy . He married

Min Hannah Minz, daughter of Abraham z; she died in

1 546. He was a writer on religious topics, and wrote, ’ 1 0 in the year 55 , an annotated copy of Maimonides “ ” Code of the Law, called the Strong Hand, published by Alvise B ra ga dini . 2

Samuel Judah Ka tze ne le nb oge n was born in Padua i w in 1 52 1 and died in 1 597 . He was w dely kno n as a theologian and , above all, as an author of funeral eulogies . A collection of his twelve books was printed

h . at Venice in 1 594 . His only son was Saul Wa l The inscription on his tomb extolled him highly .

3

Ka tze ne le nbo e n Saul Wahl, son of Samuel Judah g , born in 1 54 1 , at Padua, Italy, died at Brest, Lithuania , 15

m) : Batsm clm hogm s

CHILDREN or SAU L or PIc ow A ND DAU GHT ER or JACO D SHO R or

B REsr LITovs x.

Na ta H rsc . 7. ph li i h Mose s ofA ns a c 1 0 0 m a rr e a u te r of E e ze r 8. p h ; 7 , i d d gh li i r He lp in of Fiirth .

CHILDREN or Mos Es or ANSPACH A ND DAU GHTER or ELIEzER HEILPR IN

. P ne a s of Boskow 9 hi itz. 10 E e ze r fA a e f e He a n . li o ls ce ; m a rrie d da ught r o Sa m u l lm ofMe tz.

- ILD o CH r ELIEzER or ALsA CE A ND DAUGHTER or SA MUEL HELMA N or MEI2 .

1 1 Na ta H rs e . ph li i ch of Fra nkfort on the Od r ; m a rr e Ra e e c a u t r of Fe iw e l ofG o a u . i d h l, d gh l g - Most of this fa m ily pe digre e is give n on the title pa ge of ’ Na ta H rsc Ka tze ne le nbo ha -A r Na 1 e n s S . ta ph li i h g f li, 797 . from m9 . of B . mavens ans g en, sauna s

SA W BO 1 A IN UL AHL, RN 54 1, AT PADU ITALY I T B Z IA , D ED A R ESC. LITHUAN

This Jewish notable, son of the learned Samuel Judah Ka tze ne le nb oge n and grandson of Radbbi Meier 1 a n of Padua, was born in the year 154 , married a granddaughter of the noted Talmudist Rabbi

Min Judah z, and held the position of Chief rabbi in

Padua . At the end of the fifteenth century the Polish-Jewish

Talmudic schools attained great fame . Enormous

numbers of French , Italian, and Spanish youths , eager

for learning, streamed into Poland and Lithuania , in o rder to visit the famous Talmudic Aulas at whose

head stood the greatest Talmudic scholars, and so we find that our Saul Wahl also emigrated from Padua to

Lithuania . He was chosen president (Hebrew Nasi) of the Jew

ish congregation in Brzesc (Lithuania) , as well as ffi - “ ” presiding o cer of the so called Four Lands Synod .

In him the winn Talmudic proverb verified itself, “ Talmudic knowledge, profane knowledge and riches

united themselves , so that he was held in high honor

a nd respect in all Poland and Lithuania, not only by his coreligionists but also by the then reigning Polish king

18 m9 . of 15. !Harms ans $011

r and the people, so that the saying a ose that Saul Wahl

for one night must have held the Polish royal dignity .

He built in Brzesc, where he resided, a synagogue to

the memory of his wife Deborah , the daughter of David

Drucker, who had gone home before him, and inscribed

the memorial tablet in Hebrew, with a German trans lation “ This women ’s synagogue was built by the noble

man Saul, son of the celebrated Rabbi Samuel Judah

of Padua, for the study of the Talmud and the worship

cl of God, to the eternal memory of his ear wife Deborah , the upright and devout (blessed be her memory)

Dm cke r daughter of Rabbi David of blessed memory . Saul Wahl was 76 years old when he went home and

was buried in Brzesc . He never lived in Cracow ; on

the contrary, he was allied by marriage with the great e st Jewish aristocracy as well as with the most famous

Ka t l Polish rabbis, and the ze ne e nb oge ns and Horo

vitze s , in Cracow as well as elsewhere, are known as

his descendants . Of the descendants in this country who trace their genealogical tree to Saul Wahl as well as to Rabbi Meier of Padua , there still exists but one family of note, consisting of the banker Meier Wohl of the incorporated firm A . Holzer, together with his

r only son, the banker Aa on Wohl . It is presumed that, in the course of the centuries, the family name Wahl changed to Wohl . Saul Wahl left a legacy of Polish gu lden in the interest of which legacy the poor of his descend ants annually pa rticipate . I9 a 3m m; h ing (It asslann

BY GUSTAVE KARPELES

T EW P B LI T O s xm M I PUDLISHED a t HE J ISH U CA I N oc or A ERICA , N 1895

There is a legend that a Jewish king once reigned

in Poland . It never occurs to my mind without at

the same time conjuring before me two figures . The

one is that charming creation of Ghetto fancy, old ” ’ r Ma lkoh with the stout heart, in Aa ron Be nstein s

M ndel Gibba r r e , who int oduces herself with the proud

’ ' boast : Wi r re m u m s on kbnigliche m Ge bldt We are of

royal The other is a less ideal, less a ttra c

tive Jew, whom I overheard in the Casimir, the Jewish

quarter at Cracow, in altercation with another Jew . i The matter seemed of v tal interest to the disputants .

fli rm e d The one a , the other denied as vigorously, and finally silenced his opponent with the contemptuous “ : argument Well , and if it comes about, it will last ’ just as long as Saul Wahl s Ma laba r

Legend has always been the companion of history.

For each age it creates a typical figure, in which are

r fixed, for the information of futu e times, the fle eting, subtle emotions as well as the permanent cfie cts pro du ce d t by his orical events, and this constitutes the value of legendary lore in tracing the development and

characteristics of a people . At the same time its magic charms connect the links in the chain of generations .

30 a 31m m; 13mg In 190m m

The legend about Saul Wahl to be known and a ppre

cis ted must first be told as it exists , then traced through

its successive stages , its historical kernel disentangled

- : from the accretions of legend makers Saul, the man

s of flesh and blood di covered , and the ethical lessons

it has to teach derived .

’ 1 In 734 , more than a century after Saul s supposed

- r reign, his great grandson, Rabbi Pinchas , esident suc

v i nik ce ss i e ly in Le t , Boskowitz, Wallerstein , Schwarz

burg, Marktbreit, and Anspach, related the story “ ’ of his ancestor : Rabbi Samuel Judah s son was the

great Saul Wahl of blessed memory . All learned in such matters well know that his surname Wa hl (choice)

was given him, because he was chosen king in Poland by the unanimous vote of the noble electors of the

land . I was told by my father and teacher, of blessed

memory, that the choice fell upon him in this wise :

Saul Wahl was a favorite with Polish noblemen, and

highly esteemed for his shrewdness and ability . The

king of Poland had died . Now it was customary for the great nobles of Poland to assemble for the election

of a new king on a given day, on which it was impera tive that a valid decision be reached . When the day

O came, many pinions were found to prevail among

the electors , which could not be reconciled . Evening fell , and they realized the impossibility of electing a

king on the legally appointed day . Loath to transgress

r u their own le, the nobles agreed to make Saul Wahl

king for the rest of that day and the following night,

2 I m) : Sama r! il5m

and thus conform with the letter of the law . And so

rthwith it was . Fo all paid him homage, crying out

‘ ’ in their own language : Long live our lord and king ! h h Saul , loaded wit royal onors, reigned that night . I

r t heard f om my father hat they gave into his keeping .

r all the docu ments in the oyal archives, to which every king may add what commands he lists, and Wahl inscribed many laws and decrees of import favorable to Jews . My father knew some of them ; one was that the murderer of a Jew, like the murderer of a noble

'

su fle r . man, was to the death pe nalty Life was to be

— a ta ken for life, and no ransom allowed law which,

h d the in Poland, a applied only to case of Christians of the nobility . The next day the electors came to an

r u d— agreement, and chose a ler for Polan That this

wi r matter may be remembered, I ll not fail to set fo th the reasons why Saul Wahl enjoyed such respect with the noblemen of Poland, which is the more remarkable as his father, Rabbi Samuel Judah, was rabbi first at

Padua and then at Venice, and so lived in Italy . My father told me how it came about . In his youth , dur

’ ing his father s lifetime, Saul Wahl conceived a desire to travel in foreign parts . He left his paternal home in Padua, and journeying from town to town, from land to land, he at last reached Brzesc in Lithuania .

There he married the daughter of David Drucker, and his pittance being small, he led but a wretched life .

It happened at this time that the famous, wealthy wi prince, Radzi ll, the favorite of the king, undertook

2 2 a 3]m iss k ing in pate nt

a great journey to see divers lands , as is the custom of

a c noblemen . They travel far and wide to become qu a inte dwith the different fashions and governments .

So this prince journeyed in great state from land to land, until his purse was empty . He knew not what to do, for he would not discover his plight to the nobles of

’ i the land in which he happened to be, ndeed he did not care to let them know who he was . Now, he chanced l to be in Padua , and he resolved to unbosom himse f to the rabbi, tell him that he was a great noble of the

Polish land, and borrow somewhat to relieve his press ing need . Such is the manner of Polish noblemen . They permit shrewd and sensible Jews to become inti mate with them that they may borrow from them, rabbis being held in particularly high esteem and favor b by the princes and lords of Poland . So it came a out that the aforesa id Prince Radziwill sought out Rabbi

Samuel Judah, and revealed his identity, at the same time discovering to him his urgent need of money .

The rabbi lent him the sum asked for, and the prince ‘ said, How can I recompense you , returning good for ? ’ ‘ good The rabbi answered, First I beg that you deal kindly with the Jews under your power, and then that

the you do good you would show me to my son Saul, ’ who lives in Brzesc . The prince took down the name

’ and place of abode of the rabbi s son, and having

. d arrived at his home, sent for him He appeare before

r the p ince, who found him so wise and clever that he in every possible way attached the Jew to his own 2 3

a 91m m) k ing in Isolanb

They both lodged with the chief elder of the congre

a tion . g But the pride of our ancestor was overweening .

In his heart he considered himself the greatest, and his

daughter the best, in the land, and he said that his

r daughter must mar y one more exalted than this suitor . Thus he showed his scorn for a sage revered in Israel

S fie de d and for his on, and these two were sore o n at

r The the discou tesy . Jewish community had long been

murmuring against our ancestor Saul Wahl, and it was

resolved to make amends for his unkindness . One of the most respected men in the town gave his daughter to the young Talmudist for wife, and from that day our ancestor had enemies among his people, who con sta ntly sought to do him harm . It happened at that time that the of the king whom the nobles had . wife

Chosen died, and several Jews of Brzesc, in favor with the powerful of the land, in order to administer punish ment to Saul Wahl, went about among the nobles praising his daughter for her exceeding beauty and cleverness , and calling her the worthiest to wear the queenly crown . One of the princes being kindly dis posed to Saul Wahl betrayed their evil plot, and it was ’ frustrated . ’ — Ra bbi Pinchas ingenuous narrative charming in its “ : simple directness, closes wistfully He who has not seen that whole generation, Saul Wahl amid his sons,

-in- sons law, and grandsons, has failed to see the union of the Law with mundane glory, of wealth with honor and princely rectitude . May the Lord God bless us 2 5 m; c ! anta s! mm by permitting us to rejoice thus in our children and children’s children !” Other rabbis of that time have left us versions of the Saul Wahl legend . They report that he founded a B e th ha -Midra s h (college for Jewish studies) and a little synagogue, leaving them, together with nu m e rou s bequests , to the community in which he had lived , with the condition that the presidency of the college be made hereditary in his family . Some add that they have seen in Brzesc a gold Chain belonging to him, his coat of arms emblazoned with the lion of

Judah , and a stone tablet on which an account of his

r r o me ito ious deeds was graven . Chain, escutche n, and stone have disappeared , and been forgotten , the legend alone survives .

? Now, what has history to say

r Unquestionably, an histo ical kernel lies hidden in the legend . Neither the Polish Chronicles of those days nor Jewish works mention a Jewish king of Poland ; but from certain occurrences, hints can be gleaned suf

ficie nt to enable us to establish the underlying truth .

Bét ri . When Stephen ho died, Poland was hard pressed

On all sides arose pretenders to the throne . The most

r r powe ful aspirant was Archduke Maximilian of Aust ia , ’ who depended on his gold and Poland s well-known sympathy for Austria to gain him the throne . Next came the Duke of Ferrara backed by a great army and

e r the favor of the Czar, and th n , headed by the c own

2 6

a 91m m ismu in 190mm

r prince of Sweden, a crowd of less powe ful claimants , so motley that a Polish nobleman justly exclaimed “ ’ If you think any one will do to wear Poland s crown ’ ” C ! upon his pate, I ll set up my oachman as king

Great Poland espoused the cause of Sweden, Little

r Poland suppo ted Austria , and the Lithuanians fur th thered the wishes of e Czar . In reality, however, the election of the king was the occasion for b ringing to a crisis the conflict between the two dominant m a is is b r s i families of Za k and Z o ow k s .

u 1 8 1 The election was to take place on Aug st , 587 .

The electors, armed to the teeth, appeared on the place

r designated for the election, a fo tified camp on the

Vistula , on the other side of which stood the deputies

r of the Claimants . Night was app oaching, and the possibility of reconciling the parties seemed as remote “ ”

s e e r . a v Christopher Radziwill, the castellan of the '

realm, endeavoring to make peace between the factions ,

stealthily crept from camp to camp, but evening deep

r ened into night, and still the famous election c y , ”

Z oda ! l . g (Agreed ) , was not heard

According to the legend, this is the night of Saul ’ s Wahl s brief royalty . It is aid that he was an agent

employed by Prince Radziwill, and when the electors

could not be induced to come to an agreement, it occurred to the prince to propose Saul as a compromise h !” king. Wit shouts of Long live King Saul the

proposal was greeted by both factions, and this is the

nucleus of the legend, which with remarkable tenacity 2 7 fiche ! anta s! a m

has perpetuated itself down to our generation . For the historical truth of the episode we have three wit nesses . The chief is Prince Nicholas Christopher of

Ni sw ie s Radziwill, duke of Olyka and e z, the son of the founder of this still flourishing line of princes .

His father had left the Catholic church, and joined the Protestants, but he himself re turned to Catholicism,

r and won fame by his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, desc ibed in both Polish and Latin in the work Pe r e grina tio

' fl r 0 0 0 m ita na . d Hie rosoly Besides, he o e e 5 ducats for “ the purchase of extant copies of the Protestant Radzi ” will Bible, published by his father, intending to have

r them destroyed . On his return jou ney from the Holy

Land he was attacked at Pescara by robbers, and at

a c Ancona on a Palm Sunday, according to his own count, he found himself destitute of means . He applied to the papal governor, but his story met with incre ’ u l fl rin dit . to o e y Then he appealed a Jewish merchant, g him, a s a pawn , a gold box made of a piece of the holy cross obtained in Palestine, encircled with diamonds,

' D d and bearing on its top the A gm u el . The Jew a v n d n f , a ce one hundred crow s, which su ficed exactly to

n pay his lodging and atte dants . Needy as before, he again turned to the Jew, who gave him another hun t dred crowns, his time without exacting a pledge, a glance at his papal passport having convinced him of ’ r the p ince s identity .

’ R dziwill s This is a account in his itinerary. As far

r as it goes, it bears st iking similarity to the narrative

2 8 a genital) wa s in mum:

of Rabbi Pinchas of Anspach , and leads to the certain conclusion that the legend rests U pon an historical

substratu m . A critic has justly remarked that the

most vivid fancy could not, one hundred and thirty

n one years after their occurrence, invent, in A spach , ’ the tale of a Polish magnate s adventures in Italy . ’ Aga in, it is highly improbable that Saul Wahl s great ’ R d ll s grandson read Prince a ziwi Latin book, detailing

r his experiences to his contempora ies . There are other witnesses to plead for the essential

truth of our legend . The rabbis mentioned before ’ t have given accounts of Saul s posi ion, of his power,

. ru and the splendor of his life Negative signs, it is t e,

the . exist, arguing against historical value of the legend Polish history has not a word to say about the e phe m x eral king . In fact, there was no day fi ed for the

session of the electoral diet . Moreover, critics might adduce against the probability of its correctness the humble station of the Jews, and the low esteem in which the Ra dziwills were then held by the Polish

u nobility . But it is questionable whether these arg ments are su fli cie ntly convincing to strip the Saul

Wahl legend of all semblance of truth . Polish his

r toria ns are hardly fair in ignoring the sto y. Though m it turn out to have been a wild prank, it has so e

historical justification . Such practical jokes are not

r unusual in Polish history . Readers of that histo y will

b ka a bi ' ka recall the Re spu li B m , that society of practical jokers which drew up royal Charters, and issued patents

h d s of nobility . A Polish nobleman a founded the o 2 9

a 3m m) k ing in 190m m

and the verdict was favorable to his side . This was

’ Bét ri s the time of the election of ho successor, Sigis I I mund I , and after his accession to the throne Saul

u ds ch . 1 1 J i again appears on the scene On February , “ 1 : 588, the king issued the following notice Some of our councillors have recommended to our attention

u dis the punctilious business management of Saul J ch, of the town of Brzesc, who, on many occasions during the reigns of our predecessors, served the crown by his wide experience in matters pertaining to duties, taxes, and divers revenues, and advanced the financial ” fi r prosperity of the realm by his conscientious e o ts .

r Saul was now entrusted , for a pe iod of ten years, with the collection of taxes on bridges, flour, and

fl ns brandies, paying gold ori for the privilege . A year later he was honored with the title slu ga kré “ ” e ws ki f l , royal o ficial , a high rank in the Poland of the day, as can be learned from the royal decree con “ r : f fer ing it We, King o Poland, having convinced ourself of the rare zeal and distinguished ability of

u disch Saul J , do herewith grant him a place among f our royal o ficials , and that he may be assured of our favor for him we exempt him and his lands for the rest of his life from subordination to the jurisdiction ‘ ’ C of any astellan, or any municipal court, or of any court in our land, of whatever kind or rank it may be ; so that if he be summoned before the court of any judge or district, in any matter whatsoever, be it

r great or small, c iminal or civil, he is not obliged to

31 t he g amut! Gites

appear and defend himself. His goods may not be

r distrained, his estates not used as secu ity, and he

himself can neither be arrested, nor kept a prisoner . His refusal to appear before a judge or to give bail shall in no wise be punishable ; he is amenable to no

law covering such cases . If a charge be brought against

him, his accusers , be they our subjects or aliens, of any

rank or calling whatsoever, must appeal to ourself, the

u disch king, and Saul J shall be in honor bound to ” appe ar before us and defend himself. This royal patent was communicated to all the “ ” voivode s s a princes, lords, , mar hals, castellans, starost ,

fli c a ls u to and lower o i , in town and co ntry, and the ’ i ch s governors and courts of Poland . Saul Ju ds

name continues to appear in the state documents . In

1 593, he pleads for the Jews of Brzesc, who desire to

have their own jurisdiction . In consequence of his

' oozoode intercession, Sigismund III forbids the : (may ors) and their proxies to interfere in the quarrels of

the Jews , of whatever kind they may be . The last ’ mention of Saul Ju disch s name occurs in the records 6 w of 1 59 , when, in conjunction with his Christian to ns e men , he pleads for the ren wal of an old franchise,

Gra nddu ke Witholdx m o granted by , e e pting imp rted goods from duty.

Saul Wahl probably lived to the age of eighty,

2 2 dying in the year 16 . The research of the historian has established his existence beyond a peradventure . He has proved that there was an individual by the 32

fl sim ianRing in 19018110

name of Saul Wahl , and that is a noteworthy fact in the history of Poland and in that of the Jews in the middle ages .

r . After history, c iticism has a word to say A legend, as a rule, rests on analogy, on remarkable deeds, on notable events , on extraordinary historical phenom ena . In the case of the legend under consideration, all these originating causes are combined . Since the time of Sigismund I , the position of the Jews in Lith u a nia and Poland had been favorable . It is regarded

r . as their golden pe iod in Poland In general, Polish Jews had always been more favorably situated than

r their brethren in faith in other count ies . At the very

r beginning of Polish histo y, a legend , similar to that ’ attached to Saul Wahl s name, sprang up . After the

P ie l death of Op , an assembly met at Kruszwica to fill

the vacant throne . No agreement could be reached , and the resolution was adopted to hail as king the first

person to enter the town the next morning . The gu ard stationed at the gate accordingly brought before

the assembly the poor Jew Abraham, with the surname

dr ke r Prochownik Pow e m a ( ) , which he had received

from his business, the importing of powder . He was

welcomed with loud rejoicing, and appointed king .

But he refused the crown , and , pressed to accept it , finally asked for a night ’s delay to consider the pro

po sal . Two days and two nights passed, still the Jew

did not come forth from his room . The Poles were

very much excited, and a peasant, Piast by name, 33 a n: ! anta s! Gm

raising his voice, cried out : No, no, this will not do !

The land cannot be without a head, and as Abraham ” does not come out, I will bring him out . Swinging his axe, he rushed into the house, and led the trem

bling Jew before the crowd . With ready wit, Abraham “ said, Poles, here you see the peasant Piast, he is the one to be your king . He is sensible, for he recognized that a land may not be without a king . Besides, he is courageous ; he disregarded my command not to

r w enter my house . C own him, and you ill have reason ” to be grateful to God and His se rvant Abraham! nd So Piast was proclaimed king, a he became the ancestor of a great dynasty . It is difficult to discover how much of truth is con ta ine din this legend of the tenth century . That it in some remote way rests upon historical facts is attested by the existence of Polish coins bearing the inscrip “ ” “ ” “ tions : Abraham B a x and Ze va r k Abraham ( Ah ” “ ’ raham the Prince and Abraham s Cas

ia is imir the Great, whose l on with the Jewess Esterka has been shown by modern historians to be a pure fabri

C t r le cation, confirmed the harter of liber ies (p ioi giu m

r e libe rta tir) held by the Jews of Poland f om arly times , and under Sigismund I they prospered , materially and intellectually, as never before . Learning flourished among them, especially the study of the Talmud bein g promoted by three great men, Solomon Sha chna ,

s Solomon Luria, and Moses I se rle s .

Henry of Anjou , the first king elected by the Diet

owed his election to Solomon Ashkenazi, a 34 a 31m m!) B ing in Isolarm

Jewish physician and diplomat, who ventured to te “ mind the king of his services : To me more than to

any one else does your Majesty owe your election .

r t Whatever was done here at the Po e, I did, although, ’ ” dA c s I believe, M . q takes all credit unto himself.

n This same diplomat, together with the Jewish pri ce

s Jo eph Nasi of Naxos, was chiefly instrumental in Béth bringing about the election of Stephen ori . Simon

nsb u r Gu g, the head of the Jewish community of Posen, ’ n had a voice in the king s cou cil , and Bona Sforza, the Italian princess on the Polish throne, was in the habit of consulting with clever Jews . The papal legate

om m e ndoni S r C peaks in a vexed tone, yet admi ingly,

r of the b illiant position of Polish Jews, of their exten

- r sive cattle breeding and ag icultural interests, of their

r r n r t superio ity to Ch istia s as a isans , of their commer

D a n cia l enterprise, leading them as far as tzic in the north and Constantinople in the south , and of their possession of that sovereign means which overcomes ru ler, starost, and legate alike . These are the circumstances to be borne in mind in examining the authenticity of the legend about the king of a night . As early as the beginning of his cen

r tury, recent histo ians inform us , three Jews , Abraham,

ose fowicz Michael , and Isaac J , rose to high positions in Lithuania . Abraham was made chief rabbi of Lith

b e u a nia , his residence being fixed at Ostrog ; Isaac came starost of the cities of Smolensk and Minsk and four years later he was invested with the 35

a 31m m; B ing in sw arm

of his golden chain, of his privileges, and all his memorials , spread from house to house . Parallel cases of legend-construction readily suggest

. n themselves In our ow time, in the glare of nine te e nth century civilization, legends originate in the

: 1 8 same way . Here is a case in point In 75, the Anthropological Society of Western Prussia instituted a series of investigations, in the course of which the complexion and the color of the hair and eyes of the

‘ children at the public schools were to be noted, in order to determine the prevalence of certain racial m traits . The most extravagant ru ors circulated in

D n ic the districts of a tz , Thorn , Kulm, all the way to

Posen . Parents, seized by unreasoning terror, sent

n their childre , in great numbers, to Russia . One rumor said that the king of Prussia had lost one thou sand blonde children to the sultan over a game of cards ; another that the Russian government had sold sixty thousand pretty girls to an Arab prince, and to save them from the sad fate conj ectured to be in store for them, all the pretty girls at Dubna were straightway

r — mar ied OIL Similarly, primitive man , to satisfy his intellectual cravings, explained the phenomena of the heavens, the earth, and the waters by legends and myths , the germs of polytheistic nature religions . In ff our case, the tissue of facts is di erent, the process the same . But legends express the idealism of the masses ; they are the highest manifestations of spiritual life . The 37 Cm m inus! Em

’ thinker s flights beyond the confines of reality, the ’ inventor s gift to join old materials in new combina ’ ’ r t tions, the a ist s creative impulse, the poet s inspira ’ — e tion, the seer s prophetic vision very emanation ’ from man s ideal nature clothes itself with sinews, ’ flesh, and skin , and lives in a people s legends, the

r t . repositories of its a , poetry, science, and ethics ’ r o Legends , mo e ver, are characteristic of a people s

r s - culture . As a child delights in i idescent oap bubbles,

r so a nation revels in reminiscences . Though poet y

r ru lend words, painting her tints, architectu e a le,

is sculpture a chisel, music her tones, the legend itself

r dead, and only a thorough unde standing of national traits enables one to recognize its ethical bearings .

his V e Frorn t point of iew, the leg nd of the Polish king ‘ of a night is an important historical argument, testify ing to the satisfactory condition of the Jews of Poland in the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. The simile

re volu that compares nations , on the eve of a great

n ru tio , to a seething crater, is t e despite its triteness, and if to any nation, is applicable to the Poland of before and after that momentous session of the Diet .

Egotism, greed, ambition, vindictiveness, and envy n added fuel to fire, and hastened destructio . Jealousy v had planted discord between two families, di i ding the state into hostile embittered factions . Morality was undermined , law trodden under foot, duty neg

te d i le c , justice v olated, the promptings of good sense

w a s disregarded . So it came about that the land 38 flooded by m in as by a mighty stream, which, a tiny spring at first, gathers strength and volume from its

r tributaries, and, overflowing its bounds, rushes ove blooming meadows , fields, and pastures, drawing into

’ its destructive depths the peasant s every joy and hope . That is the soil from which a legend like ours sprouts and grows .

This legend distinctly conveys an ethical lesson .

The persecutions of the Jews , their ceaseless wander ings from town to town, from country to country, from continent to continent, have lasted two thousand years, and how many dropped by the wayside ! Y e t they never parted with the triple crown placed U pon

: their heads by an ancient sage the crown of royalty, the crown of the Law, and the crown of a good name . Learning and fair fame were indisputa bly theirs : there fore, the first, the royal crown , never seemed more resplendent than when worn in exile . The glory of a Jewish king of the exile seemed to herald the rea liza tion of the Messianic ideal . SO it happens that many a family in Poland, England, and Germany still cher ishes the memory of Rabbi Saul the king, and that “ ” Ma lkohs everywhere still boast of royal ances try.

Rabbis, learned in the Law, were his descendants, and

Rie sse r men of secular fame, Gabriel among them, proudly mention their connection, however distant, with Saul Wahl . The memory of his deeds pe rpe tu

in ates itself respectable Jewish homes , where gran dams, on quiet Sabbath afternoons, tell of them, as 39 t he Samuel t ree

they show in confirmation the seal on coins to an awe

struck proge ny.

Three crowns Israel bore upon his head . If the crown

r of royalty is legendary, then the mo e emphatically t have the other two an historical and e hical value .

The crown of royalty has slipped from us, but the

crown of a good name, and especially the crown of the

e La w , are ours to keep and b queath to our children ’ and our children s children unto the latest generation .

Saul Sam FROM THE JEWISH ENCY CLOPEDIA

T E WA A LL P B LI E DY PERMISSIO N or UN GN S, U SH RS

— A SA U L WA HL . remarkable personage who accord ing to tradition occupied for a short time the throne of

Poland . The story connected with his reign is as follows : Prince Nicholas Radziwill surnamed the Black,

r who lived in the sixteenth century, desi ing to do pen ance for the many atrocities he had committed while

r a young man, undertook a pilg image to Rome in order to consult the Pope as to the best means for

Cxpiating his sins . v The Pope advised him to dismiss all his ser ants, and to lead for a few years the life of a wandering beggar.

t r Af er the expiration of the pe iod prescribed, Rad ziwill found himself destitute and penniless in the city of Padua, Italy. His appeals for help were heeded by

r nobody, and his story of being a p ince was received with scorn and ridicule . He finally decided to appeal to Samuel Judah Katz l n . e ne e nb oge , the rabbi of Padua The latter received him with marked respect, treated him very kindly, and furnished him with ample means for returning to his native country in a manner befitting his high 4 1

g all ! g al)!

far superior to any one else he knew . That man pos - sessed only one ve ry slight short coming, and if the

diet would make his election unanimous, he, Radziwill, ’ would acquaint it with his name . Accordingly Saul s

name was solemnly proposed, and amid great e nthu i m “ ” s a s , and shouts of Long live King Saul ! Wahl ffi was elected to this o ce . The name Wahl was given “ ” — him from the German word Wahl elected . Tra

di ns tio disagree as to the length of his reign . Some state that he ruled for a night only; others make it a

r few days . All, however, are ag eed that Saul succeeded

in passing a number of very wise laws, and among them some that tended to ameliorate the condition of

the Jews in Poland . Although this story cannot be supported by any

historical data, it gained a firm place in the belief of

the people . a 13mg for a flight

THE POLISH JEWWHO REIGNED—SAUL WAHL W DY REV . DAV ID ASSERZU G

- To the average Gentile of to day, the Polish Jew is a simile for whatsoever grunts in grossness a ndw riggle s with meanness . It was far otherwise in the Poland of the sixteenth century . The commercial genius of the

Jew had made him indispensable to the people, and as - his only trade rival, the German , was anathema mar a na tha to the average Pole, the Jewish race basked in the sunshine of royal and popular favor . Moreover, in the see-saw of the two great religious par ties of the time, the Hebrew enjoyed the momentary advantage of forming a te rti u m qu id. Whereas the reforming movement had by this

time ( 1 575) already subsided in Germany, in the Polish territories the waves of religious and sectarian separation were only now rising and threatening a - general inundation . The profession of anti Papal

the doctrines became fashionable among nobles, and the King Sigismund Augustus practically renounced

Papacy altogether . Thus it came to pass that while

Huguenot and Catholic were at daggers drawn, the Jew was able to discourse the music of compara

tive freedom . 44 a k ing for a flight I THE BEGGAR PRINCE 1 Apshe kre v! A malediction on the varlets ! A pest seize the whole rabble rout ! A pre tty mess they have landed me in !” Such and other furious expletives in a barbarous foreign tongue burst from the lips of a dilapidated cavalier as his unwieldy boots clattered over the cob

1 bled streets of Padua about the year 575. The good - Paduans, turning to scan the loud voiced stranger, saw - a young man soil begrimed and travel-stained ; his once resplendent dress now sadly decayed and leaky . Inde pendently of his speech, his tall massive form, trim of beard and style of dress betokened an inhabitant of a northern clime . “ Not the . sky but my fortune has changed since I ” was a student here six years a go, he now muttered in “ less passionate tones . How can I extricate myself

' from this mess ? “ The syllogism is as follows, mockingly imitating “ the twang of the schools . Prince Radziwill, the pride of Warsaw, is a thousand miles from home ; Prince

Radziwill is without means ; therefore Prince Radziwill,

e albeit the pride of Warsaw, must s ek assistance from ! the nearest friend . Ha I believe we have met before, ?” - have we not, sir stopping a swarthy passer b y dressed in the height of fashion . “ Is it not Prince Radziwill of Warsaw I am speaking

? the P du n to came in dulcet accents from a a . 4 s t he Samuel 11m

P” And you are asked the prince .

son I am Saul, the of the chief rabbi of this town , ” who was a contemporary of yours at the university . “ ! ” Ha well met, Rabbi Saul, rejoined the prince, jovially slapping his college friend on the shoulder ; “ and how is the Rabbi Talmud, and that spawn of ? hell, the Rabbi Kabbalah Perhaps you can find me a

r clue out of my t oubles in their mystic pages . At any

rate, I am right glad to have stumbled across a heretic

like myself, rather than one of those delightful chil - ” dre u of the Anti Christ . And the prince prattled on in the light-hearted cy ni

cal manner of the man of the world, who had accepted the Reformation not from love of the doctrines it

preached, but from hatred of the Pope . Saul checked his heedless talk with a gesture of “ terror. My father will be greatly honored by your accepting his hospitality during your sojourn in this ” a . town, was his graceful invit tion “ ff Right gladly do I accept his pro ered hospitality. He then explained how he had come to his present

plight . He had started from Warsaw with a great host of retainers to do the grand tour of Europe, but during his peregrinations had been deserted by his followers and picked quite clean of all his belongings . Prince Radziwill soon found that the wealthy Rabbi

Samuel Judah, the father of his old fellow student, was able to entertain as lavishly as the most luxurious minded Polish nobleman could desire, and when he 46

a k ing for a 39‘s!” reluctantly took his departure to return to Warsaw the Rabbi sent him away loaded with costly presents .

SAUL SE'I' I‘LES IN POLAND Not many years passed before Saul followed his old college chum to Poland . The liberal conditions which prevailed in that country were not unknown to

Jews living in less favored lands, and when the papal grip once more began to tighten round the throa ts of

Italian Jews, many of them, including Saul, sought an asylum in the northern republic . Saul settled in

' a t tha t Brzesc, which time boasted a considerable con di re a ti n . S u sch g g o Here he became known as aul J , and soon rose to a position of influence among his core

i ists r r lig on . His f iendship with P ince Radziwill greatly promoted his interests . He secured the appointment of farmer of the taxes, and for three consecutive years he farmed the taxes for roubles . In I580 the Jewish congregation of Brzesc entrusted him with a very important and delicate mission . The Christian merchants of the town challenged the claim — made by the Jews a claim which had been granted — - them by charter to receive one quarter of the city revenues . A commission was appointed by the king to inquire into the matter, and Saul was appointed by the Jewish congregation to watch the case on their

1 8 d behalf. In 5 9 we hear further that he had attaine

r the position of Court Chamberlain . His great oppo 47

! fame for a flight

Scores of diplomatic agents scoured the country can va ssing votes and scattering ducats broadcast . The great plain round Warsaw was the meeting

r place of the new diet . Eve y one of the palatines who attended the meeting was surrounded by a bodyguard of at least 10 0 0 horsemen, Cossacks, Heyducks or Wal

—i- i e ca c . lachs . The gentry, too, came armed p p Arque “ ” buses and morning-stars glittered everyw here in the sun, and there were whole forests of lances . In solemn procession the assembly marched to the cathedral , ’ where the primate ascended the president s seat . “ Se iski Sira dia Adalbert , palatinate of , the grand ” master of the order of money hunters, arose and , in a l subt e and crafty speech , advocated the claims of the

Hapsburg nominee . But to his plea the O pposition “ thundered back in tumultuous objection, NO Ger ” man for us ; we will have no German .

After Adalbert came Prince Radziwill, who sup “ of ported the pretensions the northern prince . This is no time for meretricious words, but for meritorious

. the deeds In presence of the Turk at our gates, it behooves us to lay aside all private ends and personal animosities , and with uplifted hand to seek the divine

. r counsels The safety of Ch istendom, of which Sar matia is the iron bastion, depends on the pru dence and ” concord of the estates of Poland . The reference to the capture of Vienna by the Otto man hordes excited a wrathful yell from the supporters of the Austrian prince, and in the tumult that ensued 49 Elie Samuel C ree the primate rose to proclaim the papal representative — — Prince Maximilian King of Poland . Raising the crucifix aloft, he had already pronounced the first “ ” In nom i a tr is words of the coronation formula, m p , when he was interr upted by the more cautious dof his own party, who, to avoid bloodshed, postpone the proclamation till the following day . In these electric conditions the debate was resumed the next day . The scene of election resembled a field of battle . Both parties stood face to face in full pan

r . oply , behind ent enchments bristling with cannon

A bloody civil war hung upon a thread , when a flash of inspiration occurred to Prince Radziwill which only “ men of genius realize, I propose that this discussion fl be put O till to morrow, and in the meantime my ” Jewish factor Saul shall act as king.

r r Home ic peals of laughter burst f om the crowd, and amid loud shouts of “Long live King Saul !” the nobles sheathed their swords and returned home . While the electricity was accumulating and the

d- a nd thun e r clouds were rising ever blacker higher, threatening to explode in the thunder peals and blood

’ Ra diw ill s rain deluges of a civil war, z grim stroke of humor acted like a lightning conductor, drawing the elements of danger noiselessly to the earth , and so averting the catastrophe . And so for a night and a day Saul was invested w ith royal authority . And the spirit of God came upon ” him and he prophesied among the p rophets . 50 a 11mm for a flight

The brief period of power entr u sted to him he used in allaying popular passion, and preparing a way out of the national impasse . When the diet assembled next i day, the debate was resumed without much fr ction , and eventually Prince Sigismund was elected King of

Poland .

Naturally, Saul became a favorite with the new king, who loaded him with honors . On him was con ferred the privilege of setting the crown on the sov

’ e re ign s head at the coronation . He was presentedwith a gold chain , and had a coat of arms granted, charged with a lion couchant and a hand supporting two tables of the Law . Like Mordecai , he made himself acceptable to the multitude of his brethren . He sought the welfare of his people, and spoke peace to all his seed . He em ployed his wealth in building synagogu es and houses of learning and in endowing charitable institutions .

r He mar ied all his daughters to famous rabbis , and

trained his sons in the study of the Law . He later

assumed the name of Shor (ox) , which in Polish is

Wu b l . or Wahl, hence his name Saul Wahl Of his descendants a remarkably large number set

le d r t in this count y, some of them attaining exception

; i ally high positions . Included among them were two

chief rabbis, Rev . Hart Lyon and his son Rev . Solo

mon Hirschfeld ; an ecclesiastical assessor, Dayan A . L .

o Barnett ; a lord chancellor, L rd Herschel ; a peer and

o member of a conservative administration, L rd Pir

bright ; two lord mayors , Sir Benjamin S . Phillips and 51 t he Samuel t ree

n - his son, Sir Geo rge Fa del Phillips ; several members of

G lds m id parliament, Sir Julian o , Sir Samuel Montague,

Mr. Stuart M . Samuel, Mr. Herbert Samuel, Mr. H . t S . Samuel ; wo countesses, the Countess of Rosebery and the Countess of Orkney, besides hosts of less exalted personages . Sketch of Rebecca ables

BY MARCUS ADLER

WI H O I LE O l ’ U E PU B LISHED IN THE J E SH C R N C J N II , I”

Our grandfather, Mordecai Adler, married Rebecca , the daughter of the chief rabbi of Hanau , Benjamin

Ka e ne le nbo e n Frankel . He belonged to the tz g family, and was a lineal descendant of Saul Wahl , who, by a peculiar conjuncture of circumstances , is said to have acted nominally as king of Poland for a short time .

The family of the late S . M . Samuel and Dennis Samuel

a n! were likewise descendants of S Wahl , and were so proud of the lineage that when they were m ade barons they assumed the name of De Vahl . The late Alder man Sir Benjamin Phillips was also descended from that stock . We consider Saul Wahl as merely a link in the lineage which can be traced a good deal further back . His grandfather was Rabbi Meir Ben Isaac of

Padua , commonly called the Maharam of Padua, whose rabbinate extended over northern Italy, includ ing Venice . He had Come from Germany to escape persecution , and proceeded to Padua to study at the celebrated academy of learning established by the i M nz family, who had settled there when they emi - grated from Mayence . Judah ben Eliezer ha Levi

Min 1 0 8 ofli cia te d - z was born 4 , and forty seven years 53 Sketch of l i chens $0181?

as chief rabbi at Padua . The Maharam married his d ’ granddaughter . It thus appears that our gran mother s genealogy extends back to the fourteenth century . She - attained the advanced age of ninety four, remained in possession of all her faculties to the last, and we cherish many pleasant reminiscences of her . I remember her telling me a story about the Rothschilds, who were old friends of her husband, Rabbi Mordecai Adler . One

r winter night early in the nineteenth centu y, they were disturbed by a loud knocking at their street door. Rabbi Mordecai looked out O fthe window and asked what was wanted . The answer was it is R .

r Mayer and R . Amschel Rothschild passing th ough

Hanover. We want the rabbi to bensch us and give us his fir m When they had been made

nd d welcome a had received their blessing, they confide to their friends the mission they were engaged on . It was to inter view a prince who was about to entrust

d r them with his wealth . My gran mother was a cha m ing old lady . Among those whom she captivated was

r a c u a in Sir Moses Monte fio e . After he had made her q tance in 184 7 he never went to the Continent without

r paying her a visit . I have here the ve y portrait of hers elf that she presented to Sir Moses Monte fiore and which, on his death, I became possessed of. Fe ra ha The Powde rm a ke r rra ra u e of 2 6. Ab m ( ) , 33, , D k , Fe u ie l ofGlo a dle r r . n 1 . D . s A . Cyru , 5 g , 7 Fra ke l i a rc s N. . e a . M u , 4 n , B njm n, 4 , 53 Re orde i . be ca ° M ca , 4 , 53, 54 : 4 9 53

l e rt of r ss ia 6. A b P u , 3 Giu sti na ni, 6. ra m a vidWe r e r 6. Am , D n , Goldsmid Sir lia 2 . He f , Ju n, 3, 5 o r . Anju , n y o , 34 Gu nsb u r Si o g, m n, 35. As hke i l . naz , So omon, 34

e r a ch e a i 16. Au b , B njm n , He il rin lie e r 1 p , E z , 7 . He l a Sa e l m n, mu , 17 .

a r e tt a a . L. 1 . B n , D g n A , 3, 5 He r VII ror n y , Empe , 15. Bfithori Ki Ste he 2 2 6 0 , ng p n, , 9, , 3 , He rs che l Lord , , 3, 51 . 2 35. 4 . 48 Hirsch Na hta , p li, 17 .

Be inos e a i 1 . , B njm n, 4 Hirsch e ld Re v. Solo f , mon , 3 51 Wol 1 . f, 4 H e ol r 1 . z , 9 e r ste i a ro 2 0 . B n n, A n, H orovit 1 . z, 9 Be rscha dzs k ro e ssor 2 0 . y , P f , , 3 H orowit hi e a s 16. z, P n , a dini Alvise 1 . Bra g , , 6, 5 ’ r s Ge e ra l r or oo 8. Bu k n A m y B k, Is se rle s Mose s . , , 34

Chm ie lnicki o da 6. , B g n, 3 e wish Pub . Socie t of e rica . J y Am , 9

Cohe Ge rs ho 6. , o a s W. . n, n 8 J n , ,

Com m e ndoni . , 35 ose fowicz ra ha . J , Ab m, 35

s a a c . I , 35 ’ D Ac s . ich e l q , 35 M a , 35, 36.

De Va hl 8, . ndisch l 2 , , a 1 2 6 4 53 I . S u . . 3. 9. 3 . 3 . 3 .

e lta s a co 1 . D , J b, 4 47

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c e a vid1 1 16 1 Ka lishe r Sa e l 1 . r r 2 2 . , mu , 4 D u k , D , , , 9,

ve . e ora h 1 1 1 1 16 1 . Ka r e le s G sta 2 2 0 D b , , 3, 4 , , 9 p , u , , 7, 9,

ne le nbo e n lie e r of ls a ce 1 . Du cit ose h . Katze g , E A , 7 , J p , 7 z

e ir of re st 16. M B , ie r of a da 1 6 1 18 1 de lm a Hirs ch 1 10 1 . e M u , , 5, , 5, , 9, E nn, , , , 3 P

lie e r of lsa ce 1 . E z A , 7 53

ose s ofKhol 16. l a le h Re v. Le o H. 10 . M m, E m , n ,

di e wis h 1 ose s of s a ch 1 . c clo e a . En y p , J , 7, 4 M An p , 7

Na hta li Hirsch 1 . ste r a . E k , 34 p , 7