THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
639
Amsterdam
camo
Danzig and Memel. thus abundantly providing
have been
the Jews of Poland and Lithuania." Besides the printing-house of Mauasseh ben Israel, there were tho.se of David Tartas, Imanuel BenXT V,
The results woiUl to ail ijrnomiiiious fnil. far more serious for the Pormiriiese con" gregation in Amsterdam had not the " nuiliamiid (board of wardens) persuaded the magistrates to sanction a resohition in lOTOtliat no one might sever his connection with the congregation under penally of the severest excommunicatinii. Jleanwliih', the financial resources of the congregation lieiiig in exeelleni condition, the members conceived the idea of building a svnagogne worthy In 1670 of the continually increasing membership. the plans took detinite form, and in 1671 the corner-
SEPll.UIIIIC SVNAl. "ilE
SI)
monies, took
laid, and four years the consecration, with imposing cerejilace.
Jews and Chiistians alike gloritied this, certainly the most famous .synagogue of Europe, and iiunicopperplate engnivings, .still made by the most celebrated Dutch engravers, depict its imposing
eroiis
The Amsterdam
extant,
proportions. At its consi'cralion the Portuguese Syn- coMgregation numbered t<it8male menibers, of whom o.so were married and ag'Og'ne.
Mi
single.
Peace now reigned and a ensued.
|ieriod of (piiet progress Thecoiigiegalioii liecami'the focus towar<l
which all literary emleavor in Judaism converged. Menass<h ben Israel compliMicl the printing of the first Hebrew book in Amslerdam. January 1. 1627 (cninpare Steins<hneider. "t'al. Bodl." No. 'iVi'J). thereby laying llie fiiuiidalion for llial develo])menl of Ileiirew lypoiinipliy and pulilishing in which, until the beginning of the nimlccnlh ceiilMiy. AmRti'rdam bad never been eipialed by any oilier cily. So highly esleemeil was ihe Amslerdam imprint that even foreign reprints claimed Ihe credit of being printed "wilh Amslerdani typi" How far-reaching the Anistirdam book trade was may be .seen from a docuiiK'nl, dalid Kibriiary 7. t>>*'i. found in the ciiy " .Monats.sehrift," !*<!•<«. ailvised airainsl tlii' eslnblislimeni of pn.ss in Silesia, "because there are three
nrchivesof lireslau iHninn.iii p. ~l>),
a
which
Hebrew
nil
and Joseph and Imanuel Ath-
In theGerman(A.shkenaz)comnluV the best-known presses were tlKjse
j-,., ^^^ pi„^.i,„^ ha Levi and i^nlonion ben Joseph Proops. the latter the founder of a family of printer-publishers who have suiiplied all Europe wiili their products (see Steinschneider and Cassel," Ji'idische Typographic und Judischer Buch-
eneTUiag by P. Foutrufl, Jr.)
new synagogue was
later (1075)
_ v,r°i,i-UDUsning.
veniste, j,j^
.M .MMKIU1.VM AS SKKX FKOM THK ' BRKE^TK.^.^T.' (From
Stone of the
Meorew iTinung
for
very large Jewish prinling eslablishments at Amsterdam in Holland, whence books are sent bv sea to
hanilel." in Ersch anrl Gruber's "Encyklopildie." ii. 2S, 64-74). Il was therefore not strange that Jews, from all jiarts of the world, were induced to visit Amslerdam. either to get their books printed or to .seek the patronage of the inlliiential men there. in Onin. Algeria: died 16!)S),wliobecamecliief rabbi of the Portuguese community after Aboab's death, in his responsji. "Ohel Yaakob" (.Amsterdam, 17:17|. relates many things about the literary life of Amslerdam. The Jewish school of the Sephardic conimunily (see below) also became ilistinguished forsiholarship (seeShabbethai Bass "Sil'le Yeshenim," preface; Gl'idemann,"Quel-
Jacob Sasportas (born 1610
lensehrifleii," p. 112. Berlin. ISlll).
The successor of Jacob Sasixulas was Solomon de Oliveyra (died 1708), a .scholar and piolilie writer, who ill turn was followed by Solomon Jiidali Ayllon Ayllon, who had formerly (born at Safed, 1664). been a zealous paitiznn of Shabbethai Zebi, came to Amsliidam from London, ami was assoeialed in the While nibbinale wilh Solomon de Oliveyni (171)1). chief rabbi in Amsterdani he lieeaiin> the centnd personage in the contests that were instigated by Neheniiali Hiyyali Hayyuii ll7i:!i, shortly after the Besides him, Hakam hitler's arrival in .Vmsterdani. /ebi. then chief rabbi of the Ashkeiiaz community, and Moses Hages. an emissjiry from Jerusiilem (born aboul 1660, ilird about 741 ). iook part in this mattiT ifor parlicularssei-Gnltz, "(Resell, il. Jiiden," x. note AvUon died in 172S. He was followed by I>ivid 6). 1
IsraerAthias(died
17.">;i»and
Isaac Hayyini .Vbeiidami "rabbis together.
de Britto (died 1700). wlio were chief
