Joseph Hirsch Weiss ( hu, Weiss (Weisz) József; 1800,
Podola ( sk, Podolie),
''Nyitra vármegye'',
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
– 1881,
Erlau
Erlau is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen in Saxony in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
(german: Erlau)) was a
Hungarian rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
.
He was a descendant of a long line of rabbis resident in
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The me ...
in the 17th and 18th centuries; his family name was originally Weissfeld.
He officiated for some time as rabbi of the congregation of
Sook-Szelocze ((Sók)Szelőce, sk, Selice), and in 1840 was appointed chief rabbi of
Erlau
Erlau is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen in Saxony in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...
, where he remained until his death. He was one of the leaders of the
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
party in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, and one of the chief opponents of the founders of the Reform movement in
Pest. Identified with the
Kossuth movement in 1848, he was obliged to seek refuge for a time in the monastery of Erlau under the protection of the resident
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
. Later he was arraigned before the royal authorities at
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
on a charge of
sedition
Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
, but was ultimately acquitted. A considerable portion of his library, consisting mainly of ''
responsa
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
'', was presented by his grandson
Stephen S. Wise to
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York.
Descendants
*
Aaron Wise
Aaron Wise (May 2, 1844 – March 30, 1896) was an American rabbi.
Life and work
Wise was educated in the Talmudic schools of Hungary, including the seminary at Eisenstadt, where he studied under Azriel Hildesheimer. Later he attended the univ ...
* Rabbi
Stephen Samuel Wise
Stephen Samuel Wise (March 17, 1874 – April 19, 1949) was an early 20th-century American Reform rabbi and Zionist leader in the Progressive Era. Born in Budapest, he was an infant when his family immigrated to New York. He followed his father ...
References
*
Haredi rabbis in Europe
19th-century German rabbis
19th-century Hungarian rabbis
Hungarian Orthodox rabbis
Chief rabbis
Hungarian people of Czech descent
People from Nové Mesto nad Váhom District
People from Šaľa District
People from Pest, Hungary
People from Eger
1800 births
1881 deaths
{{Hungary-rabbi-stub