קהילת יהודי המבורג

זמרת סופרן.

נולדה בהמבורג, גרמניה, למדה בברלין והתמחתה בשירת לידר ואורטוריות.

הופיעה כסולנית עם מקהלת התזמורת הפילהרמונית של ברלין ובפסטיבלים הגרמניים של באך והנדל.

ב-1933 נמלטה מגרמניה הנאצית והייתה תחילה מורה לזמרה בקונסרבטוריון הבינלאומי בפריס. אחר כך המשיכה את הקריירה שלה כמורה בארה"ב.

יעקב בלומנטל (1829- 1908), פסנתרן ומלחין. נולד בהמבורג, גרמניה, עקר לאנגליה ב-1848 והיה לפסנתרן החצר של המלכה ויקטוריה. בלומנטל הלחין יצירות רבות לפסנתר בסגנון שהיה אפנתי באותה תקופה. הוא זכה לפרסום כמלחינם של כמה שירים סנטימנטליים פופולריים, וביניהם הימים שאינם עוד ואל תבואי עוד אחרי מותי למילים מאת טניסון. נפטר בלונדון, אנגליה.

 

פאול דסאו(1894-1979) , מלחין ומנצח. נולד בהמבורג, גרמניה. למד בברלין ואחר-כך, בשנים 1933-1919, ניצח על להקות אופרה בערים קלן, מיינץ וברלין. ב-1933 עבר לפריס, ומ-1939 התגורר בניו-יורק ובהוליווד, ושם גם התחיל בעבודה משותפת עם ברטולט ברכט. ב-1948 חזר לאירופה והתיישב בגרמניה המזרחית.
דסאו הלחין מוסיקה קולית רבה, בעיקר לטקסטים של ברטולט ברכט, כולל שירים, קנטטות ואופרות (הרשעתו של לוקולוס, 1951/68; פונטילה, 1966). עוד חיבר לטקסטים מאת ברכט מוסיקה לרדיו ולתיאטרון – אימה ומצוקה ברייך השלישי, 1938; אמא קוראז', 1946; הנפש הטובה מסצ'ואן, 1947, אדון פונטילה ומתי משרתו, 1949; חוג הגיר הקווקזי, 1954; וכן, מאז 1935, מוסיקה שהושפעה משיטת 12 הטונים. בין יצירותיו האחרות האופרות לנסלוט (1969), איינשטיין, (1974), ולאונס ולנה (1978), אופרות לילדים, האורטוריה הגדה של פסח (1934), הקנטטה רקוויאם ללומומבה (1963), וריאציות על באך לתזמורת (1963), סונטה לפסנתר (1955), שבעה פרקים לרביעיית כלי-קשת (1974), ומוסיקה ל-15 כלי קשת (1979). נפטר בברלין המזרחית, גרמניה המזרחית.

Glueckel of Hameln (1645-1724), Yiddish memoir writer, Glueckel bat Yosef Leib Pinkerle, was born in Hamburg, Germany, at the time a city of more than 60,000 people and a commercial center with trade connections to many countries, which was frequently hostile to its Jews. Her father Judah Leib was a merchant of precious stones, one of the leading men of the Jewish community and her mother Bella was also a businesswoman. Glueckel had at least two brothers and two sisters, and all received a secular as well as a religious education. When Glueckel was a small child, the Jews were expelled from Hamburg. Most settled in the nearby town of Altona, where Jews enjoyed official "protected" status, and from where they were allowed to return daily to Hamburg to work. After eight years, the Jews were allowed to live again within the city, apparently because they were needed to help defend it against attack.

When she was aged 14, Glueckel was taken by her parents to the small town of Hameln, near Hanover, to be married to Chaim Segal Goldschmidt, a merchant a few years older than her. The couple lived in Hameln for a year and then moved to Hamburg, where they rented the house that Glueckel would live in until 1700. The couple would enjoy thirty years of happy marriage and fruitful partnership, build considerable wealth, raise twelve children, and arrange for them marriages of wealth and prestige. Glueckel and Chaim worked together running his business trading gold, silver, pearls, jewels, and money. Chaim travelled to England and Russia and throughout Europe selling his goods, with Glueckel advising him on his business dealings, drawing up partnership contracts, and helping keep accounts. As her older children grew up, Glueckel also became involved in arranging their marriages. This meant travel in Germany and abroad, and a fuller understanding of business affairs.

One evening in 1688 while travelling to a business appointment, Chaim fell on a sharp rock. He died several days later. Glueckel found herself responsible for her husband's business as well as for the future of her eight unmarried children. Demonstrating excellent business acumen and a sensible desire to stabilise her financial situation, Glueckel auctioned some of her husband's possessions, paid off his creditors and kept a significant amount for herself and the eight children still living at home. Then she slowly resumed Chaim's trade of pearls. When she saw that the business was successful she expanded it by opening a store. She then started to manufacture and sell stockings, the business began to sell imported and local goods and she began to lend money. She arranged the marriages of all but her youngest child. While expressing a desire to spend her last years in the Land of Israel, she opted instead for security. Her daughter Esther had married Moyse Abraham Schwabe, who lived in the French-controlled city of Metz. At her recommendation, Glueckel moved to Metz and at the age of 54 reluctantly agreed to marry widower Cerf Hertz Levy, a merchant who was wealthier than Chaim had ever been. Levy had seemed an attractive enough prospect: a wealthy businessman and community leader in Metz. Unfortunately, within two years the merchant was bankrupt, losing not only his money but Glueckel's as well. For ten years the merchant tried to recoup his losses, but never successfully. In 1712, Glueckel was again widowed, but this time she was 66 and in poor health. For three years she lived alone in Metz. Finally, she moved in with daughter Esther and stayed there until her death.

In 1690 shortly after Chaim's death, Glueckel began to write her memoirs. The opening words of the memoirs were “In my great grief and for my heart's ease I begin this book the year of Creation 5451 [1690-91] — God soon rejoice us and send us His redeemer! I began writing it, dear children, upon the death of your good father, in the hope of distracting my soul from the burdens laid upon it, and the bitter thought that we have lost our faithful shepherd. In this way I have managed to live through many wakeful nights, and springing from my bed shortened the sleepless hours.” Clearly she considered the memoirs a kind of therapy after her husband's death, and she wished to tell her children (and their children) about her husband, herself, and their families, but she could not possibly have foreseen that they would comprise one of the most remarkable documents of the late 17th and early 18th century. Her memoirs, which describe her life as mother of fourteen children and as businesswoman and trader, has given scholars, students and laymen an invaluable document about Jewish life in Europe in the 17th century. The first five books of the work were apparently completed before her second marriage: she was sad at the loss of her beloved Chaim, but proud of her success at business and marriage arrangements and proud of her children (most of the time). The last two books were written after 1712, when she was again alone and much sadder. Glueckel's story, however, ends happily. She wrote that although she had obviously been loathe to give up her independence and to rely on her children, she willingly agreed to move in with her daughter Esther and son-in-law Moyse in Metz. The memoirs clearly show that as she watched a her children and grandchildren continue to marry well, have children, and prosper Glueckel lived out her remaining years in the shelter of her daughter and son-in-law's evident warm love and respect. As Glueckel put it, she was "paid all of the honors in the world." Most of the narrative ends in 1715, although a few anecdotes continue to 1719.

The original Yiddish manuscript of Glueckel's book is lost, but copies were made by one of her sons and by a great-nephew, and from these her work was published in 1896 as "Zikhroynes Glikl Hamel".

Felix Mendelson Bartholdy (1809-1947), composer, conductor, pianist, born in Hamburg, Germany, the son of Abraham Mendelssohn, a banker and a patron of the arts, and the grandson of Moses Mendelsohn, a philosopher of the Enlightenment. Recognized as a musical prodigy, he received a thorough education in both music and the humanities under the guidance of his parents, who engaged some of the finest music teachers and composers of the time to further his musical education. He began composing music at the age of nine and continued to produce remarkable works throughout his life. In 1816, his family moved to Berlin, where Mendelssohn continued his musical studies. He was introduced to some of the leading musicians of the time, among them Carl Friedrich Zelter and Ludwig Berger, who played a central role in shaping his musical development. Zelter, in particular, was a mentor and close friend, providing Mendelssohn with invaluable guidance and introducing him to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, which would become a lifelong passion.

Mendelssohn's early compositions displayed a maturity and sophistication that belied his age. At the age of 17, he composed his famous overture to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a work that remains one of his most enduring and popular compositions and that firmly established him as a prominent composer in Europe.

Mendelssohn continued to develop his career as a musician and composer. He travelled extensively across Europe, including to Paris, London, and other major European cities, showcasing his prodigious talent as a pianist and conductor. His encounters with contemporary composers, among them Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, and Niccolò Paganini further enriched his musical experiences and broadened his horizons.

Mendelssohn's music drew inspiration from the works of Bach and Handel, reviving their music at a time when it had fallen into relative obscurity. His oratorio, "Elijah," is a testament to his deep admiration for Handel's music and his ability to infuse new life into the oratorio tradition. Other notable works include his Italian Symphony, Scottish Symphony, and his Violin Concerto in E minor, which remains a staple of the violin repertoire. Mendelssohn's contributions to music were not limited to composition. He also played a significant role in reviving interest in the music of Bach, conducting performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion that led to a revival of curiosity in Baroque music. His position as the conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig solidified his reputation as a respected conductor.

Felix Mendelssohn died a few months after the passing of his sister, the pianist and composer Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847). The siblings maintained a close relationship throughout their lives with Fanny serving as Felix's confidant and counselor.

Otto Jaffe (1846-1929) Sir and industrialist. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he was taken as a child to Belfast, Ireland, where his father had founded the Jewish community and established a linen business. Otto Jaffe was in New York from 1865 to 1877 and then assumed direction of the family firm, which he made into one of the main industrial concerns in Northern Ireland and the largest linen exporter to Europe. Jaffe was Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1899 and 1904 and High Sheriff in 1901. He headed the Jewish community and made many benefactions to the city. However when World War 1 broke out he became the object of widespread hostility because of his German origin and moved with his family to England.

אברהם חזקיה בן יעקב בסן (המאות 18- 10), משורר. נולד בהמבורג, גרמניה, שם שימש אביו כרב הקהילה הספרדית פורטוגלית. בשנים 1756-1735 התגורר באמסטרדם והועסק כמגיה בבית הדפוס העברי בעיר. ב1755- פרסם סדר תפילות ליום הצום שהוכרז בעקבות רעידת אדמה שפקדה את פורטוגל. ב-1773 עבר להמבורג וירש את מקומו של אביו.
אברהם בסן כתב הקדמה ושיר בן 13 בתים לספרו של בנימין רפאל דיאז ברנדון, "אורות המצוות" (1753). שירים אחרים שלו התפרסמו גם הם ביצירותיהם של סופרים אחרים, וביניהם דוד פרנקו-מנדס, רפאל בן גבריאל נורזי ומרדכי בן יצחק תמה. בסן כתב גם ספר קינות ושמו "דרשות אבל" (Sermones Funebres; אמסטרדם, 1753). נפטר בהמבורג, גרמניה.

 שמשון רפאל הירש (1808- 1888), רב והוגה דעות, נולד בהמבורג. גרמניה. נתמנה לרב הראשי של אולדנבורג ב- 1830, ושם כתב את ספריו הקלסיים "אגרות צפון" ו"חורב", שבהם פרש לראשונה את משנתו התאולוגית. ב- 1841 נתמנה לרב של אאוריך ואוסנברוק, ומ- 1846 עד 1851 כיהן כרב הרשי של מורביה וחי בניקולסבורג.

הירש היה אורתודוכס, אך חידושיו גרמו לקרע בינו לבין הקהילה האורתודוכסית, ולכן עבר לפרנקפורט ע"נ מיין. שם גיבש סביבו קהילה אורתודוכסית אוטונומית, נפרדת מהקהילה הרפורמית שהיוותה רוב בקרב יהדות פרנקפורט, ועדתו נהייתה למודל לקהילות אחרות ברחבי גרמניה. ב- 1876 הצליח להשיג הכרה בחקיקה לקהילות האורתודוכסיות הללו. הירש היה מיסד הניאו-אורתודוכסיה, שחרטה על דגלה את השילוב בין תורה ללימודי חול, תנועה שהקדימה את האורתודוכסיה המודרנית.
הירש קידם מודרניזציה בתוך תחומי האורתודוכסיה. הוא הקים רשת בתי ספר ברוח זו ותרגם ספרי מפתח במסורת היהודית לגרמנית בצירוף פרשנות משלו, וליצירותיו נודעה השפעה רבה.

מנפרד לבנדובסקי (1895-1970) חזן. נולד בהמבורג, גרמניה, למד אצל יוסלה רוזנבלט והיה חזן ידוע בברלין. השתתף בהקלטות רבות, ומקצתן הושמדו על ידי הנאצים. ב-1938 עזב את גרמניה. הגיע, ראשית, לפריס, ואחר כך, ב-1939, לארצות-הברית. היה אחיינו של המלחין לואיס לבנדובסקי. נפטר בפילדלפיה, פנסילבניה (ארה"ב).