Rosenfeld, Samson Wolf

Rosenfeld, Samson Wolf, rabbi of Bamberg, was born Jan. 26, 1780, at Uhlefeld, in Bavaria. At the age of thirteen he entered the Jewish academy at Furth, where, besides the Talmud, he studied the philosophical writings of Maimonides, Albo, and others. At the age of nineteen he returned to his native place, and continued his studies, especially devoting himself to the writings of Moses Mendelssohn. In 1817 he was appointed rabbi of his native place. In 1819 he represented his coreligionists in Munich, and presented a memorial concerning the amelioration of the condition of the Jews; an act which he repeated in 1846, in spite of the hatred of the orthodox Jews, who thought of putting him under ban. In 1826 he was called to Bamberg, and, having passed the necessary examination required by the government, he entered upon his new field in March of the same year. He was a conservative reformer, and as such he published some works which tended to enlighten his coreligionists. He died May 12, 1862. Of his publications, we mention especially his Stunden der Andacht fur die Israeliten beiderlei Geschechts (2d ed. Dinkensbuhl, 1858, 3 vols.). See Fürst, Biblioth. Jud. 3, 169; Kayserling, Bibl. jud. Kanzel redner, 1, 414 sq.; Klein, in Frankel's Monatsschrift, 1863, p. 201 sq.; Kramer, in the Jewish year-book Achawa, 1866, p. 15-33. (B.P.)