Simon Abeles (1681 – 21 February 1694) was a

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Jewish 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""The ...

boy who died under unclear circumstances in the age of twelve. His

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

contemporaries put Simon's death in context of his desire to be

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

and was considered a religiously motivated murder.

Life and death

Simon Abeles was born in a prominent Prague Jewish family. His father Lazar Abeles was a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

. Simon's grandfather Moyses ben David Bunzel Abeles was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the Jewish Community in Prague. In the 1690s the Prague

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

led an aggressive missionary campaign focused on Jewish children and adolescents, encouraging them to become Christian. In the summer of 1693, 12-year-old Simon Abeles decided to resolve his problematic relations with his father by running away from home to the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s in

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(St. Clement's Jesuit College in the

Old Town of Prague The Old Town of Prague ( cs, Staré Město pražské, german: Prager Altstadt) is a medieval settlement of Prague, Czech Republic. It was separated from the outside by a semi-circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava river at both of its ...

) where he learned the basics of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

faith. Later his father took him back home. The tension continued between the fierce-tempered father and the defiant son, who was often beaten. On 21 February 1694, the boy's severe punishment ended in tragedy. Simon was hit so hard (probably by his relative Löbl Kurtzhandel in presence of Simon's father Lazar) that he fell and broke his neck. The two men tried to cover up the incident by hastily burying the body, but the affair soon came to light as a result of denunciation. The authorities ordered the body exhumed and arrested the boy's father, his third wife Leah and their cook. Lazar hanged himself, from fear of being tortured. Kurtzhandel was arrested and later was the only one to stand trial. There are alternative interpretations of the incident that indicate another conclusion. The Jesuits sought the boy's

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

. The

appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

of the

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allegedly fabricated a charge of premeditated murder out of hatred for the faith. On 31 March 1694 the boy was buried as a martyr with great pomp in the

Church of Our Lady before Týn The Church of Mother of God before Týn (in Czech language, Czech ''Kostel Matky Boží před Týnem'', also ''Týnský chrám'' (''Týn Church'') or just ''Týn''), often translated as Church of Our Lady before Týn, is a Gothic architecture, G ...

in Prague. Löbl Kurtzhandel was sentenced to be broken on a wheel. In order to reduce his suffering, however, he agreed to be baptized and before his beheading publicly admitted to the killing (although not to murder).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abeles, Simon Converts to Christianity 1694 deaths Czech children Czech Jews 1681 births Catholic martyrs Christian hagiography Jewish Czech history