Israel Meir Freimann

Israel Meir Freimann (Yiddish: ישראל מאיר פריַימאן‎, also Israel Meier Freimann; b. 27 September 1830 in Cracow, then the Free City, d. 21 August 1884 in Ostrowo, then Posen Province, Germany) was a Polish-born German rabbi, philosopher, and orientalist.

Biography

Born as the younger son of Eliakum Freimann and Esther Breiter,[1] Freimann received his education from his father and in various Talmudical schools (yeshivot) in Hungary.[2] After attending a Gymnasium (grammar school) in 1850 in Leipzig, Saxony, where he stayed with his elder brother Isak (Eisik), in 1852 he moved to Breslau, then Prussia.[2] There he attended the Catholic Royal Matthias-Gymnasium where he took his A-levels (Abitur).[1][2] Between 1856 and 1860 he studied philosophy and Oriental languages at the local Silesian Frederick William University (now Wrocław University).[3] In 1860 Landesrabbiner Gedalja Tiktin, the Silesian provincial chief rabbi, ordained Freimann as rabbi.[1]

In the same year Freimann took up the rabbinate of the Jewish congregation in Filehne, later changing to the same position in Ostrowo, both then in the Prussian province of Posen.[3] In 1865 he graduated (Ph. D.) at the Ducal Pan-Saxon University (Salana) (now Friedrich Schiller University) in Jena upon Saale, then Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.[3] He wrote his doctoral thesis, Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Ophiten (A contribution to the history of the Ophites), supervised by Dean Johann Gustav Stickel.[4]

From 7 September 1871 on he worked as rabbi for the Israelitische Gemeinde Ostrowo,[2] thus ending a vacancy since the death of his predecessor Aron Stössel (d. 31 May 1861).[2] Freimann served his office in Ostrowo until his death.[3] In 1875, after Rector Zacharias Frankel's death, Freimann declined to succeed him as rector of the Breslau-based Jewish Theological Seminary of Fraenckel's Foundation.[3] From 1874 to 1884 Freimann gave Jewish religion classes in the Royal Gymnasium of Ostrowo.[5] In 1900 his fellow townspeople named a street, the "Freimannstraße", in his honour.[3] Freimann's successor was Rabbi Dr. Elias Plessner, son of the Preacher Salomon Plessner from Berlin.[2]

Freimann's edition of the midrashic work והזהיר (We-Hizhir; 2 parts), to which he added the valuable commentary ענפי יהודה (ʿAnpēi Yehûdāh), is indisputable evidence of his learning.[3] The responsa (בנין ציון [Binyan Ẓiyyon]) of his father-in-law Jacob Ettlinger contain many of Freimann's essays.[3] With his wife Helene Ettlinger (1834–1902; mar. 1860) Freimann had eight children, Josef, Nanette (mar. Simonsohn), Isak, Esther (not mar.), Regina (wife of rabbi Jakob Freimann, her cousin), Judith (mar. Pinczower), Aron and Frida (mar. Czapski).

Works
  • author: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Ophiten, Jena: Ducal Pan-Saxon University, Diss., 1865, 142 pp.
  • editor and commentarist: Khefetz ben Yatzliakh (aka Hebrew: חפץ אלוף‎, Khefetz Allouph), ספר והזהיר (Sēfer: Ve-hizhir): 2 vols. with Freimann's commentary ענפי יהודה (ʿAnpēi Yehûdāh)
    • Vol. 1: 'לסדר שמות' [Le-sēder Šemōt], Leipzig: Vollrath, 1873
    • Vol. 2: 'לסדר ויקרא, במדבר' [Le-sēder Vay-yiqrā, Be-midbar], Warsaw: Баумриттер, 1880

References
  • Jarosław Biernaczyk, "Israel Meir Freimann", in: Alma Mater Ostroviensis - Księga Pamięci - Non Omnis Moriar, vol. X, Ostrów Wielkopolski: Komitet Organizacyjny Obchodów 600-lecia Ostrowa Wielkopolskiego and Stowarzyszenie Wychowanków "Alma Mater Ostroviensis", 2003
  • Biographisches Handbuch der Rabbiner: 2 parts, Michael Brocke and Julius Carlebach (eds.), Carsten Wilke (compil.), Part 1: 'Die Rabbiner der Emanzipationszeit in den deutschen, böhmischen und großpolnischen Ländern 1781-1871': 2 vols., vol. 1, pp. 332seq., Munich: Saur, 2004–2009
  • Aron Freimann, Geschichte der Israelitischen Gemeinde Ostrowo, Ostrowo: no publ., 1896. (in German)
  • Handbuch österreichischer Autorinnen und Autoren jüdischer Herkunft: 18. bis 20. Jahrhundert: 3 vols., Susanne Blumesberger, Michael Doppelhofer and Gabriele Mauthe (compils), Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (ed.), Berlin: De Gruyter, 2002, vol. 1: 'A-I', pp. 1–4541, here p. 360.
  • Isidore Singer, "Freimann, Israel Meïr", in: Jewish Encyclopedia, 1901–1906, vol. 7.
  • Aron Freimann, Geschichte der Israelitischen Gemeinde Ostrowo, Ostrowo: no publ., 1896, retrieved on 1 October 2014.
  • Isidore Singer, Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Freimann, Israel Meïr". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls., vol. 7

Notes
  1. Biographisches Handbuch der Rabbiner: 2 pts., Michael Brocke and Julius Carlebach (eds.), Carsten Wilke (compil.), Part 1: 'Die Rabbiner der Emanzipationszeit in den deutschen, böhmischen und großpolnischen Ländern 1781-1871': 2 vols., Munich: Saur, 2004, vol. 1 'Aach - Juspa', p. 332. ISBN 3-598-24871-7.
  2. Aron Freimann, Geschichte der Israelitischen Gemeinde Ostrowo, Ostrowo: no publ., 1896, p. 16.
  3. Isidore Singer, "Freimann, Israel Meïr", in: Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7, retrieved on 1 October 2014.
  4. Biographisches Handbuch der Rabbiner: 2 parts, Michael Brocke and Julius Carlebach (eds.), Carsten Wilke (compil.), Part 1: 'Die Rabbiner der Emanzipationszeit in den deutschen, böhmischen und großpolnischen Ländern 1781-1871': 2 vols., Munich: Saur, 2004, vol. 1 'Aach - Juspa', p. 333. ISBN 3-598-24871-7.
  5. Aron Freimann, Geschichte der Israelitischen Gemeinde Ostrowo, Ostrowo: no publ., 1896, p. 13.
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