| LC control no. | no2018016601 |
|---|---|
| Descriptive conventions | rda |
| Personal name heading | Cerf Berr, of Médelsheim, 1726-1793 |
| Variant(s) | Cerfberr, Herz, 1726-1793 Herz Cerfbeer, of Médelsheim, 1726-1793 Hirtz, of Bischheim, 1726-1793 Hirtz, of Médelsheim, 1726-1793 Medelsheim, Naphtali Hirz ben Dov Berr, 1726-1793 Naftali ben Dov Beer, 1726-1793 נפתלי הערץ בן דוב-בער |
| Located | Bischheim (France) Lorraine (France) Paris (France) Romanswiller (France) Strasbourg (France) Cimetière israélite de Rosenwiller |
| Birth date | 1726 |
| Death date | 1793-12-07 |
| Place of birth | Medelsheim (Gersheim, Germany) |
| Place of death | Strasbourg (France) |
| Field of activity | Ashkenazim--Emancipation--France Finance, Public--France France. Armée--Supplies and stores Yeshivas Jewish religious schools Jewish old age homes Synagogues |
| Profession or occupation | Arms dealers Philanthropists Publishers and publishing Politicians |
| Special note | Non-Latin script reference not evaluated. |
| Found in | O'Leary, Margaret R. Forging freedom, 2012: title page (Cerf Berr of Médelsheim) page 95, etc. (He usually signed his name Cerf Berr of Médelsheim but also used the names Hirtz of Bischheim and Hirtz of Médelsheim; born 1726; died December 7, 1793; secretly buried in the Rosenwiller cemetery that had been desecrated and closed by the French Revolutionary Government only weeks before his death) Encyclopedia Judaica, online, February 6, 2018 (Cerfberr, Herz, 1726-1794, French politician and philanthropist. Born in Medelsheim, Alsace, Cerfberr prospered as an army contractor and employed his wealth and influence to promote the welfare of his community. After receiving French citizenship in 1775 "for services to the country," Cerfberr established several factories where he employed Jews. In this way he realized an ideal characteristic of the Emancipation era: to help Jews to withdraw from petty trading and to engage in manual labor. With his sons Max and Baruch, Cerfberr played a prominent part in the struggle for Jewish emancipation in France. In 1780 Cerfberr asked Moses Mendelssohn to help him in his efforts on behalf of the Alsatian Jews. Mendelssohn referred Cerfberr to C.W. Dohm, who included Cerfberr's memorandum in his Ueber die buergerliche Verbesserung der Juden, which had great influence in the fight for Jewish emancipation. Cerfberr had Dohm's book translated into French. These efforts brought about the appointment of a commission which was to report to the king on the legal condition of Jews, and led to the abolition of the poll-tax for Jews. Cerfberr was arrested and imprisoned for a year on suspicion of royalist sympathies during the Reign of Terror.) <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCX2587504113&docType=Brief+biography&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE%7CCX2587504113&searchId=R1&userGroupName=nysl_me_yeshival&inPS=true> Wikipedia, viewed February 6, 2018 Herz Cerfbeer of Medelsheim (1730-December 7, 1793; in Yiddish: Naftali Ben Dov-Beer = נפתלי הערץ בן דוב-בער. Being acquainted with the Talmud, Cerfbeer took a great interest in Jewish literature. He supported a yeshiva at Bischheim and published at his own expense rare Hebrew books, among which was the Lechem Setarim of Solomon Nissim Algazi.) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herz_Cerfbeer_of_Medelsheim> Federation des societes d'histoire et d'archeologie d'Alsace, viewed February 6, 2018 CERF BERR Medelsheim (Naphtali Hirz ben Dov Berr Medelsheim; born 1726; died Strasbourg 7.12.1793; lived in Bischheim, Strasbourg, Tomblaine en Lorraine, Paris, Romanswiller. In the pre-revolutionary period, he was in Paris representing the Jews in the États généraux and held the title of Syndic of the Jews of three provinces. He contributed to many Jewish causes in Alsace, schools at all levels, an old age home, and synagogues.) <http://www.alsace-histoire.org/fr/notices-netdba/cerf-berr-medelsheim.html> |
| Associated language | yid fre |
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