Online Journal » Early History of the Rabbinical Weil Family

Contributed by

Werner L. Frank

Calabasas, California

September 28, 2001

Email: wlfrank@pacbell.net

1. R. YEHUDA¹ WEIL was born Abt. 1360.

Notes for R. YEHUDA WEIL:

Rabbi in Weil der Stadt, near Stuttgart, then Nuernberg; Possibly Born in Spain; took name from Valls, in Catalonia near Tarragona ? (See book on Weils by Ernst D. Weill); Kurt Weill asserts family came from Freiburg in the Breisgau in 1329 (see p. 320, The Days Grow Short, The Life and Music of Kurt Weill, by Ronald Sanders)

Child of R. YEHUDA WEIL is:

2. i. R. Jakob ben Yehuda² Weil, b. Abt. 1385, Weil der Stadt; d. Abt. 1456, Erfurt.

2. R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL (R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1385 in Weil der Stadt, and died Abt. 1456 in Erfurt. He married FNN XXX, daughter of 3 TO 4 GENERATION CONNECTION TO THE MAHARA"M.

Notes for R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA WEIL:

Talmudist, the Mahari"v; Rabbi in Nuernberg, Augsburg, Bamberg, Erfurt (1444); Student of Rabbi Jakob ben Moshe Moellin, (the Mahari"l), who lived in Mainz and Worms. Rosenthal mentions in his book, "Heimatsgeschichte der badische Juden", that Rabbi Jakob Weil was the most illustrious student of the Mahari"l and that he compiled the prayers and practices of the times for the Jews along the Rhine. He also identifies the Weil Rabbinical family as one of the oldest Jewish families of Southern Germany.

He authored She'elot u'Teshuvot and Shechitot v' Bedikot, the latter a treatise that laid the basis for the ritual animal slaughtering laws. His books were printed in Venice in 1532.

It is said in Loewenstein's book that the Weil dynasty points back to famous Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, The Mahara"m. According to Raymond M. Jung of Zurich, in Maajan, Rabbi Jacob married either a grandchild or great grandchild of the Mahara"m. This notion is also carried forth in Ernest Weill treatise on the Weil family. Thus we are left with a question as to the true connection between the Weils to the Mahara"m, be it direct or through the wife of Rabbi Jacob.

His birth year is also given as 1375 in Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael which seems too early.

R. Jacob served as Rabbi first in Nuernberg, then 1412-1438 in Augsburg, till 1444 in Bamberg and finally, until his death in 1456 in Erfurt.

Notes for FNN XXX:

Wife was probably from Nuernberg, and most likely the descendant of the Mahara"m;

Children of R. WEIL and FNN XXX are:

3. i. R. Meir (MAHARA"M)³ Weil, b. Abt. 1420, /wlf.

ii. R. Josel Weil, m. Bas Israel of Bruenn.

Notes for R. Josel Weil:

Son-in-law of Israel of Bruenn; cited in L. Loewenstein article on Nathanael Weil; lived in Regensburg according to Rosensweig.

4. iii. Connection #1 to Halevi Branch, b. Abt. 1420, /wlf.

3. R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³ WEIL (R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1420 in /wlf.

Notes for R. MEIR (MAHARA"M) WEIL:

Rabbi in Ulm in middle and second half of fifteenth century, later in Munich; Rabbi of all Bavaria.

Child of R. MEIR (MAHARA"M) WEIL is:

5. i. R. Jakob Yokel⁴ Weil, b. Abt. 1460, /wlf.

4. CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI³ BRANCH (R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL, R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1420 in /wlf.

Child of CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI BRANCH is:

6. i. Connection #2 to Halevi⁴ Branch, b. Abt. 1450, /wlf.

5. R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴ WEIL (R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1460 in /wlf.

Notes for R. JAKOB YOKEL WEIL:

Rabbi and Landesrabbiner, Bayern; Pulpit in Donauwoerth; He is called Jequil by Fritz Schafferdt in the article appearing in the Stuttgart Sept 1961, Israel. Kultursvereinigung, where it is stated that he is the source of the French line of Weils, due to David Vail who was Rabbi in Metz in 1650. This connection is furthered by Fredericus Ragstat de Weill in 1685 in Metz, who claims descendancy from Juda, the father of R. Jacob Weil (cited in article authored by Rabbi Dr. Neufeld). This theory has Rabbi Jakob married twice, his second wife, Juttele is the daughter of Joel Feibusch of Alesheim near Bingen. Since the associated four sons are all leviim, one must deduce that this Juttele was probably a widow, having been married to a levite in Landau, and bringing these four sons into this marriage. These notions are carried forth from the book, Die Memorien Ascher Levi translated by Moshe Ginzburger in the Dutch book "Hets Geslacht de Weille..." printed in 1936. However, this has proven to be wrong....there is no connection with this Halevi family.

Child of R. JAKOB YOKEL WEIL is:

7. i. R. Jona⁵ Weil, b. Abt. 1485, /wlf.

6. CONNECTION #2 TO HALEVI⁴ BRANCH (CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL, R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1450 in /wlf.

Child of CONNECTION #2 TO HALEVI BRANCH is:

8. i. R. Moshe⁵ Halevi, b. Abt. 1480, /wlf.

7. R. JONA⁵ WEIL (R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1485 in /wlf.

Notes for R. JONA WEIL:

Rabbi and Oberrabbiner Burgau (1525), Bamberg, Swabia, Switzerland, 1540; Pulpit in Guenzburg; In the book on the Weils by Ernest Weill, there is identified a son Jacob, who is then the father of Uri Schraga Weil. This is in contradiction with Loewenstein who deems Uri Schraga, the son of Jona. One further issue is raised by the Loewenstein article wherein Rabbi Jona Weil is identified as the father of Rabbi Efraim Naftali Hirsch in contradiction with the lineage in Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael.

Author of book, Hanekor.

Children of R. JONA WEIL are:

9. i. Fnn3⁶ Weil, b. Abt. 1510, /wlf.

10. ii. R. Jakob Weil, b. Abt. 1530, /wlf.

iii. R. Samuel Uri Schraga Weil, b. Abt. 1535, /wlf.

8. R. MOSHE⁵ HALEVI (CONNECTION #2 TO HALEVI⁴ BRANCH, CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL, R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1480 in /wlf.

Child of R. MOSHE HALEVI is:

11. i. R. Yakov Halevi⁶ Weil?, b. Abt. 1510, /wlf; d. 1572.

9. FNN3⁶ WEIL (R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1510 in /wlf. She married R. KALONIMUS KALMAN, son of R. YONA. He was born Abt. 1500 in /wlf, and died 1578.

Notes for R. KALONIMUS KALMAN:

pulpit in Cracow and Brisk

Child of FNN3 WEIL and R. KALMAN is:

12. i. R. Yosef⁷ Yona, b. Abt. 1530, /wlf.

10. R. JAKOB⁶ WEIL (R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1530 in /wlf.

Notes for R. JAKOB WEIL:

Rabbi in Burgau, Schwaben and Switzerland

Child of R. JAKOB WEIL is:

13. i. R. Samuel Uri Schraga⁷ Weil, b. Abt. 1565, /wlf.

11. R. YAKOV HALEVI⁶ WEIL? (R. MOSHE⁵ HALEVI, CONNECTION #2 TO HALEVI⁴ BRANCH, CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL, R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1510 in /wlf, and died 1572. He married BINA KATZENELLENBOGEN, daughter of R. KATZENELLENBOGEN and CHANA MINZ. She died 1575.

Notes for R. YAKOV HALEVI WEIL?:

His father-in-law, R. Meir Katzenelenbogen was the MAHARA"M of Padua; in Mishpachot Atikot Yisrael he is shown with the name R. Jakob Halevi Weil

Notes for BINA KATZENELLENBOGEN:

Daughter of Rabbi Meir Katzenelenbogen (The MAHARA"M of Padua), 1482-1565

Child of R. WEIL? and BINA KATZENELLENBOGEN is:

14. i. Fnn2⁷ Weil?.

12. R. YOSEF⁷ YONA (FNN3⁶ WEIL, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1530 in /wlf, and died (Source: Michael Honey.). He married EGELE SHOR, daughter of R. SHOR and CHANA TREIVISH.

Child of R. YONA and EGELE SHOR is:

15. i. R. Efraim Naftali⁸ Hirsch, b. Abt. 1550, /wlf; d. 1622, Ludmir.

13. R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA⁷ WEIL (R. JAKOB⁶, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1565 in /wlf.

Notes for R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA WEIL:

also called Schmuel Yutkes, Rabbi of Burgau in 1580. Sons Jekoff and Ascher Lemle are so assumed by Werner Frank based on collateral evidence and intuition. At the very least these two sons are somehow connected to the Weil dynasty.

Children of R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA WEIL are:

16. i. Jekoff (Jakob)⁸ Weil, b. Abt. 1585, /wlf.

ii. Fnn1 Weil, b. Abt. 1595, /wlf; m. R. Jakob Lubliner; b. Abt. 1575, /wlf; d. 1644, Lublin.

Notes for R. Jakob Lubliner:

held pulpit, head of Yeshiva and ABD in Brisk (1634), also known as Brest-Litovsk; then in Lublin

17. iii. R. Moshe Meir (MAHARA"M) Weil, b. Abt. 1600, /wlf; d. Abt. 1647, Stuehlingen.

18. iv. Ascher Lemle Weil, b. Abt. 1610.

14. FNN2⁷ WEIL? (R. YAKOV HALEVI⁶, R. MOSHE⁵ HALEVI, CONNECTION #2 TO HALEVI⁴ BRANCH, CONNECTION #1 TO HALEVI³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA² WEIL, R. YEHUDA¹) She married R. EFRAIM NAFTALI HIRSCH, son of R. YONA and EGELE SHOR. He was born Abt. 1550 in /wlf, and died 1622 in Ludmir (Source: Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael.).

Notes for R. EFRAIM NAFTALI HIRSCH:

Rabbi in Brisk, Pulpit in Vladimir (Ludmir); Parnas of the Council of the Four Lands ; In the inscription of his tombstone (according to Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael) his father is designated as Josef (Jonah)

Children of FNN2 WEIL? and R. HIRSCH are:

19. i. R. Jakob⁸ Lubliner, b. Abt. 1575, /wlf; d. 1644, Lublin.

ii. Fnn1 Hirsch, m. R. Yakov (Source: Ozar Harabbanim, 9346.).

iii. Fnn2 Hirsch, m. Benyamin (Binush) Zev (Wolf) b’Yakov ASHKENAZI (Source: (1) Ozar Harabbanim, 3786., (2) Yehuda Klaussner.).

20. iv. R. Shmuel Eliezer.

21. v. R. Wolf ben E. N. Hirsch.

15. R. EFRAIM NAFTALI⁸ HIRSCH (R. YOSEF⁷ YONA, FNN3⁶ WEIL, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1550 in /wlf, and died 1622 in Ludmir (Source: Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael.). He married FNN2 WEIL?, daughter of R. WEIL? and BINA KATZENELLENBOGEN.

Notes for R. EFRAIM NAFTALI HIRSCH:

Rabbi in Brisk, Pulpit in Vladimir (Ludmir); Parnas of the Council of the Four Lands ; In the inscription of his tombstone (according to Mishpachot Atikot b'Yisrael) his father is designated as Josef (Jonah)

Children are listed above under (14) Fnn2 Weil?.

16. JEKOFF (JAKOB)⁸ WEIL (R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA⁷, R. JAKOB⁶, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1585 in /wlf.

Children of JEKOFF (JAKOB) WEIL are:

i. Marum Jekoff Sohn⁹ Weil, b. Abt. 1610, /wlf.

ii. Salomon Jekoff Sohn Weil, b. Abt. 1620, /wlf.

iii. Father X Weil, b. Abt. 1620, /wlf.

Notes for Father X Weil:

W L Frank inserts this generation hypothesizing a connection to R. Samuel Uri Schraga

17. R. MOSHE MEIR (MAHARA"M)⁸ WEIL (R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA⁷, R. JAKOB⁶, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1600 in /wlf (Source: Lars Menk.), and died Abt. 1647 in Stuehlingen (Source: David Kaufmann, Zur Geschichte der Familie Dreyfuss, p 425.).

Notes for R. MOSHE MEIR (MAHARA"M) WEIL:

The MAHARA"M, Rabbi in Stuehlingen; Studied with R. Meir (the MAHARA'M) of Lublin who named him Mar Y'noka; was a man of means who funded the building of a synagogue in Stuehlingen, employing the usual lime, but coloring it with red wine instead of water. There is also controversy regarding his death date as well as the date of his coming to Stuehlingen which had been reported in the literature as 1672.

Dr. Peter Stein's analysis makes this impossible, estimating his death in 1647 and arrival in Stuehlingen much earlier.

Children of R. MOSHE MEIR (MAHARA"M) WEIL are:

i. R. Itzchak Eizik⁹ Weil, b. 1638, Stuehlingen; d. 1692, Stuehlingen; m. Jutel Xnn; d. 27 Oct 1738.

Notes for R. Itzchak Eizik Weil:

Murdered as a Martyr

ii. R. Naftali Hirsch Weil, b. Abt. 1640; d. 1692, Stuehlingen; m. (1) Sister of Miriam ????, Bef. 1679; m. (2) Miriam ?????, Aft. 1680.

Notes for R. Naftali Hirsch Weil:

Rabbi, Murdered, along with brother, as a Martyr; his wife descended from a family of Tosaphist, Rabbenu Efraim ben Efraim HaGibor, from the time in Regensburg of 1200.

Notes for Sister of Miriam ????:

Descendant from Tosafist family of Rabbenu Efraim b. Efraim Ha Gibor, 1200, Regensburg as well as of Rabbi Meier of Rothenburg. (As per Citadel of Splendor" by Bezalel Kahn).

Notes for Miriam ?????:

Descendant from Tosafist family of Rabbenu Efraim b. Efraim Ha Gibor, 1200, Regensburg as well as of Rabbi Meier of Rothenburg. (As per Citadel of Splendor" by Bezalel Kahn).

iii. R. Eliezer Lipmann Weil, b. 1640, Stuehlingen; d. 21 Feb 1722/23, Prague.

Notes for R. Eliezer Lipmann Weil:

Rabbi, Studied with R. Meier Schiff (MAHARA"M) of Fulda; very strict Talmudist; then Lichtenstadt and Prague; studied 18 portions of Mishna every day;

iv. Jachet Weil, d. 18 Mar 1729/30, bur. Mackenheim; m. Schalom Breisach.

18. ASCHER LEMLE⁸ WEIL (R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA⁷, R. JAKOB⁶, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) (Source: Werner Frank assumption) was born Abt. 1610.

Notes for ASCHER LEMLE WEIL:

According to Stein in Maajan, Heft 59. Asher Lemle is mentioned in Stuehlingen. If his son was born around 1640, then he might well have been born in the period 1610. This would place him in the approximate generation of Jeckoff and Maharam Weil, assumed sons of Rabbi Samuel Uri Schraga Weil. Since we have no better information at this time, but do have strong belief that Asher Lemle is a Weil descendant, we connect him as a son of R. Samuel Uri Schraga Weil.

Child of ASCHER LEMLE WEIL is:

i. Marx Mordechai (Model)⁹ Weil (Source: Donald Levinsohn.), b. Abt. 1640, Stuehlingen; d. Aft. 1721, Emmendingen; m. Fnn Xnn; d. Abt. 1720, Emmendingen.

Notes for Marx Mordechai (Model) Weil:

May have settled in Emmendingen in 1716 due to influence of Joseph Guenzburger; data from Peter Stein in Maajan Heft 59 now establishes that a Marx Weyl (ben Ascher Lemle) and Moses Weil (Moses b. Mordechai) came from Stuehlingen to Emmendingen in the period 1712-1717.

19. R. JAKOB⁸ LUBLINER (R. EFRAIM NAFTALI⁸ HIRSCH, R. YOSEF⁷ YONA, FNN3⁶ WEIL, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) was born Abt. 1575 in /wlf, and died 1644 in Lublin. He married (1) DEBORAH KATZENELLENBOGEN, daughter of R. KATZENELLENBOGEN and BEILA NACHUM. She was born Abt. 1580 in /wlf. He married (2) FNN1 WEIL, daughter of R. SAMUEL URI SCHRAGA WEIL. She was born Abt. 1595 in /wlf.

Notes for R. JAKOB LUBLINER:

held pulpit, head of Yeshiva and ABD in Brisk (1634), also known as Brest-Litovsk; then in Lublin

Child of R. LUBLINER and DEBORAH KATZENELLENBOGEN is:

i. R. Avraham Yehoshua⁹ Heschel, b. 1596; d. Abt. 1663, Cracow; m. (1) Hesia Isserlis; d. Abt. 1649; m. (2) Dina Wahl Katzenellenbogen (Source: Unbroken Chain, Ch 9.), 1651.

Notes for R. Avraham Yehoshua Heschel:

Rabbi in Brisk, Lublin; escaped to Vienna in 1656; Chief Rabbi in Krakov beginning 1655, after the Chmelnitzki Progroms and the Swedish War, rebuilt the Jewish community; so learned and intellectual that he was called Rabbi Rabbi Heschel.

Notes for Dina Wahl Katzenellenbogen:

known as Dina de Gedole (the great, for her knowledge of Jewish Law); first husband was R. Naftali Katz, born in Prague 1607, died in Lublin 1649

20. R. SHMUEL⁸ ELIEZER (R. EFRAIM NAFTALI⁸ HIRSCH, R. YOSEF⁷ YONA, FNN3⁶ WEIL, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹) (Source: Ozar Harabbanim, 19472.).

Notes for R. SHMUEL ELIEZER:

from Ludmir

Child of R. SHMUEL ELIEZER is:

i. R. Yitzchak ben⁹ Shmuel.

21. R. WOLF BEN E. N.⁸ HIRSCH (R. EFRAIM NAFTALI⁸, R. YOSEF⁷ YONA, FNN3⁶ WEIL, R. JONA⁵, R. JAKOB YOKEL⁴, R. MEIR (MAHARA"M)³, R. JAKOB BEN YEHUDA², R. YEHUDA¹)

Child of R. WOLF BEN E. N. HIRSCH is:

i. R. Naftali⁹ Hirsch, d. 1682; m. ??? Heschel.

Notes for R. Naftali Hirsch:

Rabbi in Pintchov, 1675