Jost Liebmann (died 1701) was a

court Jew In the early modern period, a court Jew, or court factor (german: Hofjude, Hoffaktor; yi, היף איד, Hoyf Id, קאַורט פאַקטאַר, ''Kourt Faktor''), was a Jewish banker who handled the finances of, or lent money to, European, main ...

and court jeweller of Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg (King Frederick I of Prussia), and one of the leaders of the Jewish community of Berlin.

Early life

Originally from

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

, Liebmann arrived in Berlin following his marriage to

Esther Esther is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. In the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, is deposed for disobeying him. Hadassah, a Jewess who goes by the name of Esther, is chosen ...

, the widow of court Jew Israel Aaron, whose position he inherited. His wealth and standing at the court enabled him to exercise great influence in the early period of the Jewish congregation. He acquired the privilege of having his own synagogue, to which he appointed as rabbi his nephew and son-in-law, Aaron ben Benjamin Wolf. Due to his differences with Marcus Magnus, court Jew of the crown prince, the congregation was split into two factions, and after his death the quarrel was continued by his widow and his sons Israel and Liebmann Jost. Among his numerous descendants are the brothers Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Michael and

Wilhelm Beer Wilhelm Wolff Beer (4 January 1797 – 27 March 1850) was a banker and astronomer from Berlin, Prussia, and the brother of Giacomo Meyerbeer. Astronomy Beer's fame derives from his hobby, astronomy. He built a private observatory with a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebmann, Jost Court Jews 17th-century births 1701 deaths Year of birth unknown