The Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau (official name: ) was an institution in Breslau for the training of

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 ...

s, founded under the will of Jonah Fränckel, and opened in 1854. The seminary, at what is now an empty building plot (used as a car park) in 14-18 Wlodkowica Street, was closed in 1938 by

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

officials after the

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...

. Commercial Councilor ("Kommerzienrath") Jonas Fränckel, a descendant of a rabbinic family, and a very wealthy bachelor, who devoted his entire fortune to philanthropic and educational purposes, left a

bequest A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the act ...

for the establishment of a training-school for rabbis and Jewish teachers. Fränckel was president of the Breslau congregation, and an enthusiastic supporter of

Abraham Geiger Abraham Geiger (Hebrew: ''ʼAvrāhām Gayger''; 24 May 181023 October 1874) was a German rabbi and scholar, considered the founding father of Reform Judaism. Emphasizing Judaism's constant development along history and universalist traits, Geige ...

, who had no doubt inspired the bequest; and it was probably the founder's intention that Geiger should be the president of the institution (Abraham Geiger, "Leben in Briefen", p. 129, Berlin, 1878). The executors of the Fränckel legacy felt, however, that an institution which should be presided over by a man of Geiger's extreme views would not gain the confidence of the congregations; they therefore called

Zecharias Frankel Zecharias Frankel, also known as Zacharias Frankel (30 September 1801 – 13 February 1875) was a Bohemian-German rabbi and a historian who studied the historical development of Judaism. He was born in Prague and died in Breslau. He was the foun ...

to the presidency (February 7, 1853). Owing to some legal complications, the seminary could not be opened until August 10, 1854, although its constitution had been confirmed by royal order of August 31, 1847. Frankel selected as teachers

Heinrich Graetz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (now Książ Wielkopo ...

and

Jacob Bernays Jacob Bernays (11 September 182426 May 1881) was a German philologist and philosophy, philosophical writer. Life Jacob Bernays was born in Hamburg to Jewish parents. His father, Isaac Bernays (1792–1849) was a man of wide culture and the first ...

, to whom Manuel Joël and Benedict Zuckermann were added as assistants, both being soon afterward promoted to the rank of regular teachers.

Original departments

The institution had at the beginning three divisions, namely: the regular rabbinical department, which admitted only such students as were entitled to enter the university; the preparatory department, receiving students who possessed the knowledge required for entrance to the "Secunda" of a Prussian gymnasium; and a training-school for religious teachers. For a teacher's diploma a three-year course of study was required, while the rabbinical course required seven years. The teachers' seminary, which in the beginning was very well attended, soon declined, and in 1867 was closed on account of lack of students. The preparatory department, originally necessary because the students of the seminary came largely from yeshivot and had no secular training, became superfluous with the increase of students having regular gymnasium education, and was closed in 1887; from then on the seminary had only one department, and provided for theological training only. The administrators of the Fränckel estate inaugurated the seminary with a capital of 100,000

thaler A thaler (; also taler, from german: Taler) is one of the large silver coins minted in the states and territories of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy during the Early Modern period. A ''thaler'' size silver coin has a diameter of ...

s ($72,000) apart from the building and the library; for a teachers' pension fund the sum of 3,000 thalers was set aside; and a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

iary fund for students was started with 5,000 thalers. The last-named fund received many additions in later years, and special foundations were created for graduates who had not obtained positions, e.g., the Director Frankel Stiftung, founded on the occasion of Zecharias Frankel's seventieth birthday (1861), and a similar foundation on the occasion of Graetz's seventieth birthday (1887); two prizes, one founded by

Joseph Lehmann Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1855) with a capital of 1,800 marks, and one by

David Kaufmann David Kaufmann (7 June 1852 – 6 July 1899) (Hebrew: דוד קויפמן) was a Jewish-Austrian scholar born at Kojetín, Moravia (now in the Czech Republic). From 1861 to 1867 he attended the gymnasium at Kroměříž, Moravia, where he studie ...

(1895), in memory of

David Rosin David Rosin (May 27, 1823 – December 31, 1894) was a German Jewish theologian from Rosenberg, Silesia. Having received his early instruction from his father, who was a teacher in his native town, he attended the yeshiva of Kempen, of Mys ...

, with a capital of 4,000 kronen.

Curriculum and staff

The subjects taught at the rabbinical seminary were: Talmudic literature, by the president ("Director"); history and exegesis, by

; philosophy of religion, by

Jakob Bernays Jacob Bernays (11 September 182426 May 1881) was a German philologist and philosophical writer. Life Jacob Bernays was born in Hamburg to Jewish parents. His father, Isaac Bernays (1792–1849) was a man of wide culture and the first orthodox Ger ...

; homiletics and

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

, by Manuel Joël; and the calendar by

Zuckermann Zuckermann or Zuckerman is a Yiddish or German surname meaning "sugar man". Zuckermann * Ariel Zuckermann (born 1973), Israeli conductor * Benedict Zuckermann (1818–1891), a German scientist born at Breslau * Ghil'ad Zuckermann (born 1971), an ...

, who was also librarian. This division was changed in details when the teaching staff underwent changes but remained the same in its general principles. In 1863 Joël became rabbi of Breslau and was succeeded by

Jacob Freudenthal Jacob Freudenthal (20 June 1839 – 1 June 1907) was a German philosopher. He was born at Bodenfelde, Hanover and died at Schreiberhau. Freudenthal received his education at the universities of Breslau and Göttingen, and at the rabbinical semi ...

, who retained his position at the seminary until 1888, when he was appointed professor of philosophy at Breslau University. In 1866 Bernays was called as professor of philosophy and chief librarian to the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

, and he was succeeded at the seminary by

, who held the post until his death (December 31, 1894). After Zecharias Frankel's death (February 13, 1875),

Leyser Lazarus Leyser is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Polykarp Leyser (disambiguation), multiple people *Ottoline Leyser (born 1965), British plant biologist * Henrietta Leyser (born 1941), English historian *Karl Leyser Karl Joseph Leyse ...

was elected president and served as such from September 23, 1875, until his death (April 16, 1879). After Lazarus' death the administration changed.

David Joël David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, brother of Manuel Joël, was called to the institution as professor of the Talmudic branches, with the title of "Seminarrabbiner", and the presidency was to alternate between him and Professor Graetz as the senior of the faculty. Joël, who entered upon the duties of his office January 1, 1880, died September 9, 1882; and since his death the presidency of the seminary was held in turn by the members of the faculty. Joël was succeeded as "Seminarrabbiner" by

Israel Lewy Israel Lewy (7 January 1841 – 8 September 1917) was a German-Jewish scholar. Biography He was educated at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the University in Breslau. In 1874 he was appointed docent at the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft ...

, who took the chair of Talmudic literature on May 1, 1883. After the death of Graetz (September 7, 1891)

Marcus Brann Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...

occupied the chair of history, teaching at the same time exegesis and Talmudic codes. After the death of Zuckermann (December 17, 1891) his position as teacher was not filled, Brann assuming the duties of librarian. Upon Rosin's death (December 31, 1894),

Saul Horovitz Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

was called (January 1896). He taught philosophy of religion, homiletics, and some of the Talmudic branches; so that by 1904 the professorial staff comprised only three teachers (Lewy, Brann, and Horovitz).

Students

The institution remained faithful to the spirit of its first president,

, the principal exponent of "positive-historical Judaism". It proclaimed freedom in theoretical research, but demanded of its disciples a faithful adherence to the practices of traditional Judaism. It claimed to be the earliest seminary of the modern type, in view of the fact that the Séminaire Rabbinique of Paris was hardly more than a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

before its removal from

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

. At all events the Jüdisch-Theologisches Seminar was the first scientific institution for the training of German rabbis; and as such it was the type for those since founded, like

Rabbinical Seminary of Budapest The Budapest University of Jewish Studies ( hu, Országos Rabbiképző – Zsidó Egyetem, or Országos Rabbiképző Intézet / ''Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies'' / german: Landesrabbinerschule in Budapest) is a univ ...

and a seminary in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Later history

The school was destroyed by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

in 1938.

Alumni

* Rabbi

Leopold Treitel __NOTOC__ Leopold Jakob Jehuda Treitel (7 January 1845 – 4 March 1931) was a German Jewish Ancient philosophy, classical Scholarly method, scholar in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the last rabbi of the Judaism, Jewish community in the ...

(1845–1931), scholar and last rabbi of the Jewish community in

Laupheim Laupheim (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Laoba'') is a Große Kreisstadt, major district town in southern Germany in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg. Laupheim was first mentioned in 778 and gained German town law, city rights in ...

. * Rabbi

Leo Baeck Leo Baeck (23 May 1873 – 2 November 1956) was a 20th-century German rabbi, scholar, and theologian. He served as leader of Reform Judaism in his native country and internationally, and later represented all German Jews during the Nazi era ...

(1873–1956), German rabbi, scholar, and theologian * Rabbi

Ismar Elbogen Ismar Elbogen (September 1, 1874 – August 1, 1943) was a German rabbi, scholar and historian. Biography Yitzhak Moshe (Itamar) Elbogen was born in Posen. He was taught by his uncle, Jacob Levy, author of the "'", and then attended the gymn ...

(1874–1943), German rabbi, scholar and historian * Rabbi Dr.

Adolf Kober Adolf Kober (3 September 1879 in Beuthen, Oberschlesien; 30 December 1958 in New York City) was a rabbi and a historian. Life Kober studied History, Philosophy and Oriental Languages at the University of Breslau (Wrocław) and received a P ...

, head rabbi of Cologne, Germany from 1918 to 1939. Kober later moved to New York and was a rabbi there as well. *Rabbi

Arthur Löwenstamm Arthur Löwenstamm (also spelt Loewenstamm) (20 December 1882– 22 April 1965) was a Jewish theologian, writer and rabbi in Berlin and in London, where he came in 1939 as a refugee from Nazi Germany. He was the last rabbi of the Jewish communi ...

(1882–1965), rabbi of

Spandau Synagogue Spandau Synagogue ("Synagoge Spandau") was a synagogue at 12 Lindenufer in the Old Town area of Spandau, Berlin, Germany. It was also known as Spandauer Vereinssynagoge (i.e. Spandau private synagogue). The synagogue was built in 1894–95 and ...

from 1917 to 1938 *Rabbi Dr. Samuel Wolfenstein, who became rabbi in St. Louis, Missouri and later was instrumental in the Jewish Orphanage in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.Polster, Gary. ''Inside Looking Out: The Cleveland Jewish Orphan Asylum''

Bibliography

* Annual reports of the institution, each of which contains a scientific essay; and the periodicals, chiefly the Monatsschrift, from 1853 * Brann, Marcus. ''Geschichte des Jüdisch-Theologischen Seminars (Fraenckel'sche Stiftung) in Breslau. Festschrift zum fünfzigjährigen Jubiläum der Anstalt''. Breslau, 1904
Digitized copy at archive.org
* ''Das jüdisch-theologische Seminar (Fränckelsche Stiftung) zu Breslau, am Tage seines fünfundzwanzigjährigen Bestehens, den 10. August 1879''. Breslau,

879 __NOTOC__ Year 879 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 10 – King Louis the Stammerer dies at Compiègne, ...

* ''Zur Geschichte des Jüdisch-Theologischen Seminars, in Programm zur Eröffnung des Jüdisch-Theologischen Seminars''. Breslau, 1854
Digitized copy at archive.org
* * Miron, Guy. "Th
Breslau Rabbinical Seminary: The last Generation
, in: ''From Breslau to Jerusalem, Rabbinical Seminaries: Research and Reflections'', The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies & Leo Baeck Institute, Jerusalem, 2009, pp. 86–99

References

External links

Juedisch-Theologisches Seminar, Breslau
in the

Jewish Virtual Library Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

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