Samuel Joseph Fuenn | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 15 October 1818 |
Died | 11 January 1891 Vilna, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire | (aged 72)
Children | Dr. Benjamin Fuenn |
Writing career | |
Language | Hebrew |
Subject | |
Literary movement | Haskalah |
Notable works |
|
Signature | |
![]() |
Samuel Joseph Fuenn ( Hebrew: שמואל יוסף פין, romanized: Shmuel Yosef Fin; 15 October 1818 – 11 January 1891), [note 1] also known as Rashi Fuenn (רש״י פין) and Rashif (רשי״ף), was a Lithuanian Hebrew writer, scholar, printer, and editor. He was a leading figure of the eastern European Haskalah, and an early member of Ḥovevei Zion. [7]
Fuenn was born in Vilna, Russian Empire, the son of merchant and Torah scholar Yitsḥak Aizik Fuenn of Grodno. [8] Though he received a traditional religious education until the age of 17, [4] he also acquired an extensive general knowledge of German literature and other secular subjects, and became proficient in Russian, French, Latin, Polish, and English. [5] He afterwards joined Vilna's circle of young maskilim. [9]
In 1848 the government appointed him teacher of Hebrew and Jewish history in the newly founded rabbinical school of Vilna. [10] Fuenn filled this position with great distinction till 1856, when he resigned. The government then appointed him superintendent of the Jewish public schools in the district of Vilna, [11] in which he introduced instruction in secular studies and modern languages. [1] Since Fuenn (Russian финѣ) was employed in the Russian civil service, there was a special feature for him as a Jew, he had to legally sign in Russian according to the applicable Russian laws. Excerpt from the text of the law § 6 The Jew of the Russian Empire in translation: "The use of the Jewish language is not permitted in legal transactions. However, Hebrew home wills are permissible. If a Jew who does not speak any language other than Jewish, a document written or signed in Hebrew must be accompanied by a translation and the signature duly notarized. [12] [13]
He was a prolific writer, devoting his activity mainly to the fields of history and literature. [1] With Eliezer Lipman Hurwitz he edited the short-lived Hebrew periodical Pirḥe tzafon ('Northern Flowers', 1841–43), a review of history, literature, and exegesis. [14] For twenty-one years (1860–81), he directed the paper Ha-Karmel ('The Carmel'; at first a weekly, but from 1871 a monthly), devoted to Hebrew literature and Jewish life, with supplements in Russian and German. [15] The paper contained many academic articles by the leading Jewish scholars of Europe, besides numerous contributions from Fuenn's own pen, [11] including a serialized autobiography entitled Dor ve-dorshav. [16] He opened a new Hebrew printing press in Vilna in 1863. [17]
Besides his scholarly work, Fuenn owned some property in Vilna, including a bathhouse on Zarechye Street. [18] He took an active part in the administration of the city and in its charitable institutions, and was for many years an alderman. [1] In acknowledgment of his services the government awarded him two medals. [5] He also presided over the third Ḥovevei Zion conference in Vilna, at which he, Samuel Mohilever, and Asher Ginzberg were chosen to direct the affairs of the delegate societies. [19]
Fuenn died in Vilna on 11 January 1891. He bequeathed his entire estate to his son, Dr. Benjamin Fuenn, his daughter having converted to Catholicism some years earlier. [18] After Benjamin's death, Fuenn's extensive library was added to the collection of the Strashun Library . [20]
Fuenn was married off by his parents at a young age. His first wife died in 1845 while their daughter was still a baby, and his second wife died in the 1848 cholera pandemic, shortly after giving birth to their son Benjamin. He married a third wife in 1851. [7]
His niece was the Labour Zionist politician Manya Shochat. [21]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews and Jewish literature from the
destruction of the
Temple to 1170.
[23]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews of Vilna, with an introduction by
Mattityahu Strashun.
[24]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews and their literature, in two volumes (the first dealing with the period extending from the banishment of
Jehoiachin to the death of
Alexander the Great; the second from Alexander's death to the installation of
Simon Maccabeus as high priest and prince).
[23]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Selected letters of Hebrew
stylists from
Ḥasdai ibn Shaprut to modern times.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A fictional narrative based on people from the time of the
Geonim, translated a German work of the same name by
Lehmann.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew translation of
Moses Mendelssohn's Die Sache Gottes.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew adaptation of Lehmann's Graf und Jude.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Russian laws relating to conscription.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A Hebrew translation of a German novel by
Philippson.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A
Hungarian village tale by Hurwitz, translated from German into Hebrew.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Essay on the value and significance of the Hebrew language and literature in the development of culture among
Russian Jews.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew adaptation of Honigmann's Die Erbschaft.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A
Hebrew and
Aramaic dictionary giving Russian and German equivalents for the words of the
Bible,
Mishnah, and
Midrashim.
[25]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Biographical lexicon of notable Jews.
[26]Fuenn left in manuscript form a treatise on Jewish law entitled Darkhei Hashem ('The Paths of God'), written as a response to Alexander McCaul anti-Jewish work The Old Paths. [27] Other unpublished works included Ha-moreh ba-emek ('The Teacher in the Valley'), a commentary on Maimonides' Moreh nevukhim; Mishna berurah ('Clarified Teaching') and Ḥokhmat ḥakhamim ('Wisdom of the Sages'), commentaries on the Mishnah; Ha-Torah veha-zeman ('The Torah and Time'), on the evolution of laws and regulations; Sum sekhel, glosses on the Bible; Pirḥe Levanon ('Flowers of Lebanon'), a collection of verses; and Bein ha-perakim ('Between the Chapters'), a commentary on Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer. [20]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain:
Rosenthal, Herman;
Broydé, Isaac (1903).
"Fuenn, Samuel Joseph". In
Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.).
The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 526.
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Samuel Joseph Fuenn | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 15 October 1818 |
Died | 11 January 1891 Vilna, Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire | (aged 72)
Children | Dr. Benjamin Fuenn |
Writing career | |
Language | Hebrew |
Subject | |
Literary movement | Haskalah |
Notable works |
|
Signature | |
![]() |
Samuel Joseph Fuenn ( Hebrew: שמואל יוסף פין, romanized: Shmuel Yosef Fin; 15 October 1818 – 11 January 1891), [note 1] also known as Rashi Fuenn (רש״י פין) and Rashif (רשי״ף), was a Lithuanian Hebrew writer, scholar, printer, and editor. He was a leading figure of the eastern European Haskalah, and an early member of Ḥovevei Zion. [7]
Fuenn was born in Vilna, Russian Empire, the son of merchant and Torah scholar Yitsḥak Aizik Fuenn of Grodno. [8] Though he received a traditional religious education until the age of 17, [4] he also acquired an extensive general knowledge of German literature and other secular subjects, and became proficient in Russian, French, Latin, Polish, and English. [5] He afterwards joined Vilna's circle of young maskilim. [9]
In 1848 the government appointed him teacher of Hebrew and Jewish history in the newly founded rabbinical school of Vilna. [10] Fuenn filled this position with great distinction till 1856, when he resigned. The government then appointed him superintendent of the Jewish public schools in the district of Vilna, [11] in which he introduced instruction in secular studies and modern languages. [1] Since Fuenn (Russian финѣ) was employed in the Russian civil service, there was a special feature for him as a Jew, he had to legally sign in Russian according to the applicable Russian laws. Excerpt from the text of the law § 6 The Jew of the Russian Empire in translation: "The use of the Jewish language is not permitted in legal transactions. However, Hebrew home wills are permissible. If a Jew who does not speak any language other than Jewish, a document written or signed in Hebrew must be accompanied by a translation and the signature duly notarized. [12] [13]
He was a prolific writer, devoting his activity mainly to the fields of history and literature. [1] With Eliezer Lipman Hurwitz he edited the short-lived Hebrew periodical Pirḥe tzafon ('Northern Flowers', 1841–43), a review of history, literature, and exegesis. [14] For twenty-one years (1860–81), he directed the paper Ha-Karmel ('The Carmel'; at first a weekly, but from 1871 a monthly), devoted to Hebrew literature and Jewish life, with supplements in Russian and German. [15] The paper contained many academic articles by the leading Jewish scholars of Europe, besides numerous contributions from Fuenn's own pen, [11] including a serialized autobiography entitled Dor ve-dorshav. [16] He opened a new Hebrew printing press in Vilna in 1863. [17]
Besides his scholarly work, Fuenn owned some property in Vilna, including a bathhouse on Zarechye Street. [18] He took an active part in the administration of the city and in its charitable institutions, and was for many years an alderman. [1] In acknowledgment of his services the government awarded him two medals. [5] He also presided over the third Ḥovevei Zion conference in Vilna, at which he, Samuel Mohilever, and Asher Ginzberg were chosen to direct the affairs of the delegate societies. [19]
Fuenn died in Vilna on 11 January 1891. He bequeathed his entire estate to his son, Dr. Benjamin Fuenn, his daughter having converted to Catholicism some years earlier. [18] After Benjamin's death, Fuenn's extensive library was added to the collection of the Strashun Library . [20]
Fuenn was married off by his parents at a young age. His first wife died in 1845 while their daughter was still a baby, and his second wife died in the 1848 cholera pandemic, shortly after giving birth to their son Benjamin. He married a third wife in 1851. [7]
His niece was the Labour Zionist politician Manya Shochat. [21]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews and Jewish literature from the
destruction of the
Temple to 1170.
[23]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews of Vilna, with an introduction by
Mattityahu Strashun.
[24]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A history of the Jews and their literature, in two volumes (the first dealing with the period extending from the banishment of
Jehoiachin to the death of
Alexander the Great; the second from Alexander's death to the installation of
Simon Maccabeus as high priest and prince).
[23]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Selected letters of Hebrew
stylists from
Ḥasdai ibn Shaprut to modern times.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A fictional narrative based on people from the time of the
Geonim, translated a German work of the same name by
Lehmann.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew translation of
Moses Mendelssohn's Die Sache Gottes.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew adaptation of Lehmann's Graf und Jude.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Russian laws relating to conscription.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A Hebrew translation of a German novel by
Philippson.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A
Hungarian village tale by Hurwitz, translated from German into Hebrew.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Essay on the value and significance of the Hebrew language and literature in the development of culture among
Russian Jews.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Hebrew adaptation of Honigmann's Die Erbschaft.
[6]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) A
Hebrew and
Aramaic dictionary giving Russian and German equivalents for the words of the
Bible,
Mishnah, and
Midrashim.
[25]{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) Biographical lexicon of notable Jews.
[26]Fuenn left in manuscript form a treatise on Jewish law entitled Darkhei Hashem ('The Paths of God'), written as a response to Alexander McCaul anti-Jewish work The Old Paths. [27] Other unpublished works included Ha-moreh ba-emek ('The Teacher in the Valley'), a commentary on Maimonides' Moreh nevukhim; Mishna berurah ('Clarified Teaching') and Ḥokhmat ḥakhamim ('Wisdom of the Sages'), commentaries on the Mishnah; Ha-Torah veha-zeman ('The Torah and Time'), on the evolution of laws and regulations; Sum sekhel, glosses on the Bible; Pirḥe Levanon ('Flowers of Lebanon'), a collection of verses; and Bein ha-perakim ('Between the Chapters'), a commentary on Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer. [20]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain:
Rosenthal, Herman;
Broydé, Isaac (1903).
"Fuenn, Samuel Joseph". In
Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.).
The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 526.
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)