קהילת יהודי סיגט

Jekuthiel Judah (Leopold) Greenwald (1889-1955), rabbi and historian (known as Leopold Greenwald in the USA), born in Marmarossziget, Hungary (then part of Austria-Hungary, now Sighet, in Romania). Educated at the yeshiva of Pozsony (Bratislava, now in Slovakia), and at the rabbinical seminary of Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, under Nehemiah Nobel. In 1913 he was appointed assistant professor there. Greenwald also studied at Oxford, Paris, Amsterdam and London. For a short time in 1913 he served as rabbi at Nagyszeben, Hungary.

During the World War I he served as non-commissioned officer in the Austro-Hungarian army, and was decorated for bravery in action.

In 1924 he immigrated to the United States and was appointed rabbi to the Beth Jacob Orthodox Congregation, Columbus, Ohio. He later became chairman of the Ohio board of rabbis, an executive member of the Mizrachi Organization, and then a board member of the Union of American Orthodox Rabbis.

Greenwald's major works in Hungarian, Hebrew and Yiddish include a biography of Jonathan Eybeschutz, chief rabbi of Altona (1908), "Toledot Mishpahat Rosenthal" (1920); "History of the High Priests" (1933); "Treatise on the Babylonian and Palestinian Talmud" (1936); "Toyznt Yor Idish Lebn in Ungarn" (1945). His work "Le-Toledot ha-Reformazyion ha-Datit be-Germanyah u-ve-Ungaryah" (1948) is a history of the Reform movement in Germany and Hungary and also contains a bibliography of Greenwald's work up to 1948. He also wrote works on the history of the Sanhedrin and biographies of leading rabbis, including Joseph Caro and Moses Sofer. Greenwald also compiled an important manual of traditional laws and rites of mourning, "Kol-Bo Avelut" (3 vol., 1947-1952).

Menahem Stern (?- 1834), rabbi, born in a small village near Sziget, Hungary (then part of the Austrian Empire, now Sighet, Romania). Among his teachers were Moses Leib of Sasov, the maggid of Kuzhnitz (Kozienice), and Menahem Mendel of Kosov. He was ordained rabbi by Meshullam Igra of Tismanitz.

Stern served as rabbi of Kalush (Kalusz), Galicia (then part of the Austrian Empire, now in Ukraine), and then, from 1802, as rabbi and rosh bet din of Sighet. On the death of Judah ha-Kohen Heler, author of the Kunteres ha-Sefekot, he was appointed av bet din of Sighet in 1819, a post in which he served until his death.

He was most concerned at the lack of religious knowledge and observance in the Maramaros (Maramures) region and he traveled throughout the outlying villages and saw simple Jews, farm workers who had forgotten the Torah and were becoming indistinguishable from their Romanian and Ruthenian neighbors. He visited many such villages once or twice a month, gathering the inhabitants together and giving them instruction. He established synagogues and ritual baths and arranged eruvin in every village of Maramures. He used to say: "Maramures is my garden; I planted it".

Stern was the author of Derekh Emunah (1856-1860), on the Torah and the festivals. He also wrote a book on the four parts of the Shulhan Arukh, as well as one on the Psalms, but these were apparently lost in the Holocaust.

יוסף סיגטי (1892- 1975), כנר. נולד בבודפשט, הונגריה, למד בבודפשט אצל הובאי (Hubay) והתחיל להופיע ככנר כבר בגיל צעיר. בשנים 1925-1917 לימד בקונסרבטוריון של ז'נבה. סיגטי נחשב לאחד מטובי הכנרים בזמנו, והופיע במסעות קונצרטים רבים בעולם. ב-1940 השתקע בארה"ב, תחילה בניו-יורק ואחר כך בקליפורניה. ניגן בבכורה את הקונצ'רטו לכינור מאת בלוך (קליוולנד, 1938) ואת הקונצ'רטי מאת פרוקופייב. חיבר אוטוביוגרפיה ("קשור במיתרים", Attached With Strings, 1947) וכן את "היצירות לכינור של בטהובן" (1965) ואת "סיגטי על הכינור" (1969). נפטר בלוצרן, שווייץ.

Abraham Guenzler (1840-1910), rabbinical publicist, journalist, born in Satoraljaujhely, Hungary (then part of the Austrian Empire). He had a special gift for writing which he used to defend traditional Judaism. In 1868, he published a pamphlet, "Tokhahat Megullah", in which he attacked Isaac Friedlieber's work "Divrei Shalom" and defended traditional orthodox Judaism and opposed the Reform movement, which was becoming more popular in Hungary.

Guenzler moved to Sziget (now Sighetu Marmatiei, in Romania), a community of Hasidim and maskilim, where he began to publish a Hebrew weekly, "Ha-Tor". It was the first Hebrew journal published in Hungary and exerted considerable influence. The revival of the Hebrew language was his main ambition, and in 1876 he published in Sziget a booklet, "Das Meter Moss", most of which was in Hebrew because "there are people who understand Hebrew better than Yiddish." The journal was published for three years (1874-1876), but it seems that it was not profitable since he moved with it to Kolomyia in Galicia (then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Ukraine) and from there to Krakow (now in Poland).

In 1881 he reported in his journal the pogroms taking place against the Russian Jews with such effect that the Russian government banned it from Russia. Since most of the journal's subscribers lived there (he had nearly 300 subscribers in Russia, and about 250 in Austria-Hungary), "Ha-Tor" ceased publication. Guenzler did not, however, refrain from commenting on contemporary and local issues. He published articles in "Kol Mahazike Hadas", published fortnightly in Lemberg (now Lvov, in Ukraine). Meanwhile R. Simeon Sofer of Krakow founded the weekly "Mahazike Hadas" and Guenzler was appointed editor. The publishers of "Kol Mahazike Hadas" sued Guenzler; eventually it was agreed that "Mahazike Hadas" would cease publication and Guenzler would edit "Kol Mahazike Hadas", but he was later obliged to resign.

Joseph Stern (1803-1858), rabbi, the son-in-law of Menahem Stern. He studied with Hayyim of Kosov in the home of his father Menahem Mendel of Kosov. Stern claimed that he studied the Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah, 140 times and the other sections of the Shulhan Arukh 111 times. He was ordained rabbi by the scholars Abraham David Wahrmann, rabbi of Buchach, and Nathan, Nata Mueler, rabbi of Podgaytsy, and was first appointed head of the bet din and then av bet din of Sighet, Hungary (then part of the Austrian Empire, now in Romania).

A bitter quarrel broke out in Sighet, as some of the community wanted to appoint in his stead Rabbi Eleazar Nissin Teitelbaum, son of Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum. Stern, who hated contention and strife, wanted to share the rabbinic post with Teitelbaum as rabbi and himself as head of the bet din. Nevertheless, this did not stop the dispute. Stern was accused of attacking the government in his sermons, and he was imprisoned. Nearly all the inhabitants of the town condemned this step, and the government authorities were also convinced of his complete innocence. On the third day of his imprisonment the district officer, together with high government officials, entered the prison and asked the forgiveness of the rabbi for the unpleasantness caused him and assured him that the transgressors would be severely punished.

After six years of dissension and quarreling Teitelbaum left the town. The only one that supported Stern during difficult times was Jekuthiel Asher Zalman Ansel Zusmir, rabbi of Styria. Of Stern's writings only his introduction to his father-in-law's "Derekh Emunah" (vol. 1, 1856) and one responsum (no. 50) in the "She'elot u-Teshuvot" (1882, 48a-49a) of Zusmir are known.

Yekutiel Yehuda Teitelbaum (1808 - 1883), Hasidic rabbi, born in Drogobycz, Ukraine (then part of Austria-Hungary), he belonged to one of the outstanding Hasidic dynasties and studied with his grandfather, Moshe of Ujhely. He served first as rabbi of Stropkov, and then in 1841 after his grandfather died, he succeeded him in Ujhely. However, he had to leave under pressure from the opponents of Hasidism and officiated in Gorlice and Drogobycz. He became best-known as rabbi of Sighet (from 1858) where he founded a yeshiva and attracted many followers. He was the author of many books on various aspects of Judaism.