Hosea Jacobi
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Dr. Hosea Jacobi (Jacoby) (1841 – 1925) was Chief Rabbi
of Zagreb
, Croatia
(De facto Chief Rabbi of Yugoslavia), for 58 years and the spiritual and religious leader of the Jewish community in Yugoslavia.
), Poland
(then pomerania
, Germany
), the son of the merchant Mayer and his wife Sara-Miriam (née Goldberg). His father died when he was ten years old, and his maternal grandfather Rabbi Jacob Moses Goldberg and uncle Rabbi Nachman Abraham Goldberg were his religious instructors.
He attended the Kölnische Gymnasium school in Berlin
. A member of the Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation in Berlin
Jacobi was a student of Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer
and Rabbi Elchanan Rosenstein who ordained him.
He studied Semitic languages
, Hebrew and Theology
, in the universities of Berlin
and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
(Ph.D.
1865, his dissertation being "De loco feminarum apud Iudaeos antiuissimos maxime matrimonii contrahendi ratione habita" - "The Role of Women in Judaism").
Jacobi married Hulda Pander and had seven children.
In 1867 he became Chief Rabbi
of Zagreb
, Croatia
.
Jacobi established and headed, in Zagreb
, the Jewish elementary school (Talmud Torah), taught Jewish Studies
in high-schools, taught Hebrew and Judaism
and established Jewish-Women organizations. He was also active in social welfare projects for the Jewish and General Population in Yugoslavia, for which he was highly respected by the general population and the leaders of other religious denominations.
In 1885 Jacobi delivered the first Synagogue-Sermon in the Croat language thus encouraging the integration of Jews in the general population, he also wrote the first ever Jewish-Studies text-books in Croatian
.
Jacobi's children- his son Dr. Ivan (Hans, Johanan), his daughters Luise Zaloscer and Klara (Loja) Barmaper and his son in law Dr. Hugo Spitzer were among the prominent leaders of the Jewish community and Zionist Movement in Yugoslavia
.
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(De facto Chief Rabbi of Yugoslavia), for 58 years and the spiritual and religious leader of the Jewish community in Yugoslavia.
Biography
Jacobi was born in Jacobshagen (DobrzanyDobrzany
Dobrzany is a town in Stargard County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 2,463 ....
), Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(then pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), the son of the merchant Mayer and his wife Sara-Miriam (née Goldberg). His father died when he was ten years old, and his maternal grandfather Rabbi Jacob Moses Goldberg and uncle Rabbi Nachman Abraham Goldberg were his religious instructors.
He attended the Kölnische Gymnasium school in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. A member of the Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Jacobi was a student of Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer
Azriel Hildesheimer
Esriel Hildesheimer was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering modernizer of Orthodox Judaism in Germany and as a founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
and Rabbi Elchanan Rosenstein who ordained him.
He studied Semitic languages
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
, Hebrew and Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, in the universities of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
(Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
1865, his dissertation being "De loco feminarum apud Iudaeos antiuissimos maxime matrimonii contrahendi ratione habita" - "The Role of Women in Judaism").
Jacobi married Hulda Pander and had seven children.
In 1867 he became Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Jacobi established and headed, in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, the Jewish elementary school (Talmud Torah), taught Jewish Studies
Jewish studies
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history , religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages , political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies...
in high-schools, taught Hebrew and Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and established Jewish-Women organizations. He was also active in social welfare projects for the Jewish and General Population in Yugoslavia, for which he was highly respected by the general population and the leaders of other religious denominations.
In 1885 Jacobi delivered the first Synagogue-Sermon in the Croat language thus encouraging the integration of Jews in the general population, he also wrote the first ever Jewish-Studies text-books in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
.
Jacobi's children- his son Dr. Ivan (Hans, Johanan), his daughters Luise Zaloscer and Klara (Loja) Barmaper and his son in law Dr. Hugo Spitzer were among the prominent leaders of the Jewish community and Zionist Movement in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
Writings
- Ueber die Stellung des Weibes im Judenthum. Vienna, 1865.
- Worauf haben wir bei der Erziehung unserer Kinder zu achten? (Predigt). Zagreb, 1872.
- Was ist der Talmud? und was hat er für Israel gethan? Zagreb, 1880.
- Dereh Hakodeš, Put Svjetlosti (Derech Hakodesch). Zagreb, 1900.
- Biblijska Povjesnica za izraelsku mladež pučkih i nižih srednjih škola. Zagreb, 1923.
See also
- History of the Jews in CroatiaHistory of the Jews in CroatiaThe Jewish community of Croatia dates back to at least the 3rd century AD, although little is known of the community until the 10th and 15th centuries. The community, over 20,000 strong on the eve of World War II, was almost entirely destroyed in the Holocaust. After the WWII half of the survivors...
- Modern Orthodox JudaismModern Orthodox JudaismModern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
- Azriel HildesheimerAzriel HildesheimerEsriel Hildesheimer was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering modernizer of Orthodox Judaism in Germany and as a founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
- Torah im Derech EretzTorah im Derech EretzTorah im Derech Eretz is a philosophy of Orthodox Judaism articulated by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch , which formalizes a relationship between traditionally observant Judaism and the modern world...