Signature of Tsebi Hirsch Lehren

Signature of Tsebi Hirsch Lehren

Lehren, Tsebi Hirsch

This is the signature of Tsebi Hirsch (also Zvi Hirschel) Lehren (1784-1853), a wealthy Dutch merchant and Orthodox rabbi.

In 1810, along with Abraham Prinz and Solomon Rubens, he founded the Pekidim and Amarkalim organization to support and raise funds for the yishuv (Jewish community of Erets Yisrael (Palestine)). Through the Pekidim and Amarkalim, Lehren reformed the system of collecting money for the yishuv and consolidated the donations from all of Western Europe.

He became involved in a dispute in 1829 with other members of the Halukkah (החלוקה fund distribution committee) after banning further contributions to Jerusalem. Accusations against Lehren and his defense in the matter were published in Hebrew and German in the 1840s.

Lehren is also known for forming his own ‘breakaway sect’ (also described as a private synagogue) in response to the growing popularity of the Reform movement. After arousing considerable anger in Amsterdam, he and his followers were exiled to The Hague in 1823 where he continued to attempt to hold his own religious services. He failed to receive permission to do so. In 1832 was permitted to return to Amsterdam where he persisted in his efforts until 1834 when he was forced to shut down.

He was the uncle of Dutch author and bibliophile N.H. van Biema, whose bookplate also appears in the Brisman collection. His signature is preceded by the acronym מו"ה, which stands for מורנו הרב, meaning "our teacher the rabbi."

Lehren, Tsebi Hirsch

Answers

Encyclopedia.com: Lehren

Encyclopedia.com: Va'ad Ha-Pekidim Ve-Ha-Amarkalim

Hebrew Wikipedia: Lehren

Hebrew Wikipedia: Irgun ha-pekidim

Jewish Encyclopedia

Wikipedia

http://garfield.jtsa.edu:1801/view/action/singleViewer.do?dvs=1406126558566~160&locale=en_US&VIEWER_URL=/view/action/singleViewer.do?&DELIVERY_RULE_ID=10&frameId=1&usePid1=true&usePid2=true

Sicker, M. “Reshaping Palestine: From Muhammad Ali to the British Mandate, 1831-1922.” p. 10. Connecticut, 1999.

Morgenstern, A. “The Correspondence of the Pekidim and Amarcalim of Amsterdam as a Source for the History of Erez Israel.” In Dutch Jewish History, ed. J. Michman and T. Levie, pp. 433-463. Jerusalem, 1984.

Eliav, M. “R. Akiva Lehren: the man and his work.” In Dutch Jewish History 2, ed. J. Michman, pp. 207-217. Jerusalem, 1989.

Digital Image: Washington University in Saint Louis

Ink

Hebrew

Signature

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