Leopold Löw
Encyclopedia
Leopold Löw was a Hungarian rabbi
.
, Moravia
, he received his preliminary education at the yeshibot of Třebíč
, Kolín
, Lipník nad Bečvou
and Eisenstadt
(1824 – 35), and then studied philology, pedagogics, and Christian theology
at the Lyceum of Bratislava
and at the universities of Pest
and Vienna
(1835 – 41). After having been a teacher at Prostějov
, he succeeded to the rabbinate of Nagykanizsa (10 September 1841).
Löw early in his career acquired a knowledge of Hungarian
, and was the first to introduce it into the synagogue
service, his first sermon
in that language being printed in 1845. In 1844 he began his literary activity in behalf of the emancipation of the Hungarian Jews, taking the lead in that struggle until its object was attained (1867). The periodical "Ben Chananja," edited by him from 1858 to 1867, was an especially influential factor in this movement.
In 1846 Löw had been called to Pápa
, where he encountered many difficulties. After the revolution he was denounced by his enemies, and was arrested, but was pardoned by General Haynau (14 December 1849) and liberated after two months' imprisonment. In consequence of this persecution he accepted a call to Szeged
, where he was installed 10 December 1850. He refused subsequent calls to Lviv
, Brno
, and Bucharest
, as well as to the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums at Berlin
.
He died at Szeged
, Hungary
.
, especially in the vernacular, and was invited to participate in nearly all the patriotic celebrations and synagogal dedications. His Hungarian sermons (1870) formed the first Jewish collection of the kind issued in that language. Löw combined the careful, logical arrangement of the Christian sermon with a clever analysis of complicated haggadic sentences. His studies, beginning with the history of the Halakhah, subsequently included the entire Jewish archeology of post-Talmudic time. He endeavored to determine the development of Jewish life and law as it appears in the halakhic literature, and to disprove, in the interest of Judaism
, the view that Judaism remained stationary in its manners and customs down to the beginning of the German Reformation. His most important archaeological studies and responsa were written for the purpose of proving the development of various institutions and of showing the influence, in many cases, of foreign customs.
Löw was a leading authority both from a scientific point of view and in questions of practical theology. The absolute (1850 – 66) as well as the constitutional government (1867) of Austria
and especially that of Hungary were guided by the replies he gave to their questions in matters referring to the organization of the Jewish ritual and schools. Jewish education throughout Hungary owed much to him. Down to his death he was the leader of the progressive Hungarian Jews, especially after the general congress — which was convened against his advice and in which he did not take part — had resulted in a schism
among the Jews of Hungary instead of the union that had been anticipated.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
.
Biography
Born in Černá HoraCerná Hora (Blansko District)
Černá Hora is a market town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 1,900 inhabitants.Name of the place come from a hill whose vegetation is darker than the neighbourhood....
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, he received his preliminary education at the yeshibot of Třebíč
Trebíc
Třebíč is a city in the Moravian part of the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.Třebíč is situated 35 km southeast of Jihlava and 65 km west of Brno on the Jihlava River. Třebíč is from 392 to 503 metres above sea-level....
, Kolín
Kolín
Kolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic some east from Prague, lying on the Elbe river.-History:Kolín was founded by king Přemysl Otakar II in the 13th century, first mentioned in 1261. Later on, 1437, a castle was founded here...
, Lipník nad Bečvou
Lipník nad Becvou
Lipník nad Bečvou is a small town located in the Olomouc Region, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The nearest larger towns are Přerov and Hranice, approximately ten to twelve kilometers distant....
and Eisenstadt
Eisenstadt
- Politics :The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Andrea Fraunschiel ÖVP.The district council is composed as follows :* ÖVP: 17 seats* SPÖ: 8 seats* Austrian Green Party: 2 seats* FPÖ: 2 seats- Castles and palaces :...
(1824 – 35), and then studied philology, pedagogics, and Christian theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Lyceum of Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and at the universities of Pest
Pest (city)
Pest is the eastern, mostly flat part of Budapest, Hungary, comprising about two thirds of the city's territory. It is divided from Buda, the other part of Budapest, by the Danube River. Among its most notable parts are the Inner City, including the Hungarian Parliament, Heroes' Square and...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(1835 – 41). After having been a teacher at Prostějov
Prostejov
Prostějov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there....
, he succeeded to the rabbinate of Nagykanizsa (10 September 1841).
Löw early in his career acquired a knowledge of Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, and was the first to introduce it into the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
service, his first sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
in that language being printed in 1845. In 1844 he began his literary activity in behalf of the emancipation of the Hungarian Jews, taking the lead in that struggle until its object was attained (1867). The periodical "Ben Chananja," edited by him from 1858 to 1867, was an especially influential factor in this movement.
In 1846 Löw had been called to Pápa
Pápa
Pápa is a historical city in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 33,000 inhabitants, it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the region....
, where he encountered many difficulties. After the revolution he was denounced by his enemies, and was arrested, but was pardoned by General Haynau (14 December 1849) and liberated after two months' imprisonment. In consequence of this persecution he accepted a call to Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, where he was installed 10 December 1850. He refused subsequent calls to Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
, and Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, as well as to the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
He died at Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Influence on Hungarian Reform
Löw brought his thorough knowledge of history, theology, and esthetics to bear upon the reform of the ritual in agreement with modern views. He was the foremost preacher of HungaryKingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, especially in the vernacular, and was invited to participate in nearly all the patriotic celebrations and synagogal dedications. His Hungarian sermons (1870) formed the first Jewish collection of the kind issued in that language. Löw combined the careful, logical arrangement of the Christian sermon with a clever analysis of complicated haggadic sentences. His studies, beginning with the history of the Halakhah, subsequently included the entire Jewish archeology of post-Talmudic time. He endeavored to determine the development of Jewish life and law as it appears in the halakhic literature, and to disprove, in the interest of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, the view that Judaism remained stationary in its manners and customs down to the beginning of the German Reformation. His most important archaeological studies and responsa were written for the purpose of proving the development of various institutions and of showing the influence, in many cases, of foreign customs.
Löw was a leading authority both from a scientific point of view and in questions of practical theology. The absolute (1850 – 66) as well as the constitutional government (1867) of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and especially that of Hungary were guided by the replies he gave to their questions in matters referring to the organization of the Jewish ritual and schools. Jewish education throughout Hungary owed much to him. Down to his death he was the leader of the progressive Hungarian Jews, especially after the general congress — which was convened against his advice and in which he did not take part — had resulted in a schism
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
among the Jews of Hungary instead of the union that had been anticipated.
Works
Aside from his works on the Halakhah, Löw left only one other larger work, Ha-Mafteaḥ (1855), a history (in German) of exegesis among the Jews: this remained authoritative into the twentieth century. After the emancipation, when he gave up the editorship of 'Ben Chananja, he devoted himself to larger archeological monographs, of which the following were published: Die Graphischen Requisiten (1870 – 71) and Die Lebensalter in der jüdischen Literatur (1875). Fragments of a third volume, Der Synagogale Ritus, were published posthumously (1884). His smaller works have appeared in five volumes (Szeged, 1889 – 1900), the last of which contains a complete bibliography of his works.Sons
- Immanuel LöwImmanuel LöwImmanuel Löw , was a Hungarian rabbi, scholar and politician.-Early life:Löw was born in Szeged, Hungary, 20 January 1854, the son of Hungarian rabbi Leopold Löw. He was educated in his native town and in Berlin, where he studied at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums, graduating as...
, a rabbi and Orientalist (born at Szeged, Hungary, 20 January 1854), was educated at his native town and at BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he studied at the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums and at the university, graduating as rabbi and as Ph.D. in 1878. The same year he became rabbi in Szeged. Among his books (which include biographies) may be mentioned: "Aramäische Pflanzennamen," Vienna, 1881; "A szegedi zsidók," Szeged, 1885; "A szegedi chevra," ib. 1887; "Alkalmi beszédek," ib. 1891; "Az ezredév: nyolc beszéd," ib. 1896; "Löw Immánuel beszédei," ib. 1900; "Imádságok," 3d ed. ib. 1903; "Vörösmarty Mihály," ib. 1900; "Szilágyi Dezsö," ib. 1901; "Tisza Kálmán," ib. 1902; "Kossuth Lajos," ib. 1902; "Templomszentelő," ib. 1903; "Deák Ferenc," ib. 1903. He has furthermore contributed articles on Syriac lexicography to various volumes of the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, and has edited the following works: "Schwab Löw, Emlékeztetés a vallásban nyert oktatásra," 5th ed. Szeged, 1887; "Löw Lipót, Bibliai Történet," 10th ed. Budapest, 1902; "Leopold Löw: Gesammelte Schriften," i.-v., Szeged, 1889-1900.
- Samuel (born PápaPápaPápa is a historical city in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 33,000 inhabitants, it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the region....
, September 1846), studied at Szeged and Vienna [M.D. 1871]), was a physician. In 1873 he went to BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, where three years later he founded the "Pester Medizinisch-Chirurgische Presse." In this periodical, of which he was (1904) the editor-in-chief, most of his scientific articles appeared.
- Theodor (born PápaPápaPápa is a historical city in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 33,000 inhabitants, it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the region....
, 14 November 1848), was a lawyer in Budapest. The following were his chief works: "Iromány Példák az uj magyar csődeljáráshoz" (Budapest, 1882), on the new Hungarian bankruptcy proceedings, and "A Magyar Büntető Törvénykönyv a bűntettekről és vétségekről" (ib. 1884), on the Hungarian criminal and civil codes.
- Tobias (Nagykanizsa, 5 June 1844 – BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, 7 June 1880) served as Acting Attorney-General until his death. In 1874 he founded the , a legal periodical in the interests of Hungarian jurisprudence and legislation. Löw took an active part in the preparation of the Hungarian penal code, for which he edited the material (1880).
- WilliamWilliam LowWilliam Low was a chain of supermarkets based in Dundee, Scotland, until it was bought out by Tesco for £257m in 1994....
, was a lawyer and editor in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He translated Imre MadachImre MadáchImre Madách de Sztregova et de Kelecsény was a Hungarian writer, poet, lawyer and politician. His major work is The Tragedy of Man . It is a dramatic poem approximately 4000 lines long, which elaborates on ideas comparable to Goethe's Faust...
's "The Tragedy of ManThe Tragedy of ManThe Tragedy of Man is a play written by the Hungarian author Imre Madách. It was first published in 1861. The play is considered to be one of the major works of Hungarian literature and is one of the most often staged Hungarian plays today. Many lines have become common quotations in Hungary...
" and also wrote a biography of his father (available in Google ebookstore), published in 1912 celebrating the centenary of Leopold Loew's birth.