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Mahalal - The grandfather of my grandfather

January 14, 1811–April 12, 1899 he was 88 years old.

Avrom-Ber Gotlober: The Enlightenment Rebel Who Fought Hasidism With Poetry and Satire

Few figures in nineteenth-century Jewish culture embodied contradiction as vividly as Avrom-Ber Gotlober. He was a poet, teacher, satirist, and passionate advocate of the Jewish Enlightenment, yet he remained deeply tied to the traditional world from which he emerged. He despised Yiddish as an “unrefined” language while simultaneously producing some of its sharpest and most influential literary works. He championed modernization and secular education, but his life was marked by personal tragedy, exile, and ideological conflict.

By the end of his long life, Gotlober had become one of the defining voices of the Haskalah—the Jewish Enlightenment movement in Eastern Europe—and a central figure in the development of modern Yiddish literature.

A Childhood Rooted in Tradition

Gotlober was born in Starokonstantinov, in Volhynia, Ukraine, into a deeply religious family. His father, Khayim Gotlob, served as a cantor, and young Avrom-Ber initially seemed destined for a similar path. He studied in a traditional religious elementary school for a short time and later learned from private teachers under his father’s supervision.

Music played a major role in his early life. He sang beautifully and even considered becoming a cantor himself in a reformed synagogue. But his life would soon take a dramatically different course.

Like many Jewish boys of the era, Gotlober married very young—shortly after his bar mitzvah. His bride was only twelve years old and came from the town of Chernihiv. He moved into the home of his father-in-law, a fervent Hasid, who strongly influenced him. Under this influence, Gotlober became a Chabad Hasid and immersed himself in mystical studies, including Kabbalah.

The Turning Point: Enlightenment vs. Orthodoxy

Everything changed in 1827 when Tsar Nicholas I introduced harsh military conscription laws targeting Jewish youth. Fearing the decree, Gotlober and his father fled to Tarnopol in Galicia.

There he encountered Yosef Perl, one of the leading advocates of the Haskalah. Perl’s ideas transformed Gotlober’s worldview. The young mystic began embracing secular learning, rationalism, and modern Jewish thought.

When his father died, Gotlober returned to his father-in-law’s home. At first, family life seemed stable. His wife gave birth to a son, and he continued exploring Enlightenment ideas quietly. But tensions soon erupted.

The Hasidic community viewed his new beliefs as dangerous heresy. Together with his father-in-law, local Hasidim denounced him to their rebbe and pressured him into divorcing his wife and abandoning his child.

The emotional devastation permanently shaped Gotlober’s life.

Personal Tragedy and a Literary Mission

Hoping to rebuild his future, Gotlober considered studying abroad. Relatives arranged a second marriage for him, this time to the daughter of an early Zionist thinker. The union failed quickly.

Then came another crushing blow: his three-year-old son died.

The combined tragedies transformed Gotlober into a fierce ideological warrior. According to publisher and journalist Alexander Tsederbaum, Gotlober became a “fiery missionary of the Enlightenment ideal.”

From that point onward, he launched a relentless literary and intellectual attack on Hasidism, superstition, and social backwardness within Jewish society.

Wandering Scholar and Traveling Teacher

Throughout the 1830s, Gotlober wandered across Eastern Europe, living in cities such as Odessa, Kishinev, Dubno, and Dubosar. He survived by tutoring, teaching, and working as a resident scholar in private homes.

During these travels he encountered leading Enlightenment thinkers and immersed himself in European literature. He learned German, translated Friedrich Schiller into Hebrew and Yiddish, and composed humorous Yiddish songs that he performed himself.

In 1832 he met Yitskhok Ber Levinzon in Kremenets, another influential advocate of Jewish modernization. Levinzon deeply impressed him and further strengthened his commitment to the Haskalah.

Soon afterward, Gotlober married for a third time and settled in Dubno, where a circle of enlightened Jewish intellectuals gathered around him.

Discovering the Power of Yiddish

Although Gotlober often criticized Yiddish as lacking sophistication, he increasingly recognized its power as a language of the people.

He famously expressed this contradiction in two opposing statements. On one hand, he dismissed Yiddish as a “language without literature, grammar, or logic.” On the other hand, he acknowledged that Jewish society could only truly be helped “when one speaks to them in their language.”

That realization became central to his literary career.

Inspired by the writings of Mendl Lefin and later by playwright Shloyme Etinger, Gotlober began writing Yiddish poetry, satire, and drama.

In 1838 he completed his three-act comedy Der Dektukh, oder Tsvey Khupes in Eyn Nakht (“The Bridal Veil, or Two Weddings in One Night”). Though it circulated in manuscript form for decades before publication, the play became one of the earliest examples of modern Yiddish theater.

Teacher, Reformer, and Government Loyalist

By the 1840s, Gotlober had become an active public advocate for educational reform. He supported the controversial mission of Max Lilienthal, who worked with the Russian government to establish modern schools for Jewish children.

After qualifying as a teacher in 1851, Gotlober taught in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Starokonstantinov, and eventually at the rabbinical school in Zhitomir.

These years marked the high point of his career.

The Russian Haskalah was flourishing, and Gotlober emerged as one of its most important voices. Yet his politics remained complicated. Like many Enlightenment intellectuals of the era, he supported aspects of the Russian Empire’s assimilationist policies toward Jews.

At the same time, he fiercely criticized corruption, greed, and hypocrisy within Jewish communal life.

This tension—between reform and conservatism, rebellion and loyalty—ran through nearly all his work.

Satire as a Weapon

Gotlober’s greatest literary strength was satire.

Across poems, fables, and humorous narratives, he mocked fanaticism, wealthy communal elites, and social injustice. Among his best-known works were:

  • Dos Shtrayml Mitn Kapelyush (“The Hasidic Fur Hat and the Fancy Lady’s Hat”)

  • Der Seim oder di Groyse Asife in Vald (“The Sejm or the Great Assembly in the Forest”)

  • Der Binde Yisroelik

  • Dos Lid Funem Kugl (“The Song of the Pudding”), a parody inspired by Schiller’s “Song of the Bell”

  • Der Gilgl (“The Metamorphosis”), one of his most famous social satires

Many of these works circulated in manuscript form for decades before publication. Some were even lost before being rediscovered by Soviet Yiddish scholars in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

His writing mixed folk humor with sharp ideological critique, making him both entertaining and provocative.

A Changing World and a Changing Mind

The pogroms of the 1880s deeply shook Gotlober’s faith in Enlightenment ideals and Russian integration.

Where he had once supported Russification and government reform, he increasingly turned toward early Zionist ideas associated with Hibbat Zion. In later poems, he urged Jews to look toward Palestine and criticized his own earlier positions on assimilation.

This ideological shift reflected the broader crisis facing Jewish intellectuals across Eastern Europe after waves of anti-Jewish violence shattered hopes for equality within the Russian Empire.

Final Years and Legacy

In his later years, Gotlober lived with family in Bialystok. Though he eventually became blind, he continued writing and reflecting on Jewish literary culture.

One of his final major works, Zikhroynes vegn Yudishe Shrayber (“Memoirs of Jewish Writers”), remains an invaluable historical source on nineteenth-century Jewish intellectual life.

He died at the age of eighty-eight, leaving behind a remarkable and deeply conflicted legacy.

Today, Gotlober is remembered not only as a pioneering Yiddish writer but also as a symbol of the cultural upheaval that transformed Jewish life in Eastern Europe. His life captured the painful transition from tradition to modernity—a struggle fought not only in synagogues and schools, but also in poetry, satire, and the language of ordinary people.

MARSEILLES From JewishEncyclopedia.com By: Gotthard Deutsch, S. Kahn

Marseilles, a seaport in southern France, had approximately 5,000 Jews within a population of 420,300 in 1896. A Jewish colony existed there as early as the fifth century. In 567, exiles from Clermont, Auvergne, sought refuge in the city due to the intolerance of Bishop Avitus. In 591, Pope Gregory intervened on their behalf, reproaching Theodore, Bishop of Marseilles, for attempting to convert Jews by force rather than persuasion.

Benjamin of Tudela records in his Itinerary (i.6) that when he visited the city around 1165, the Jewish community numbered about 300 members and maintained two synagogues.

During the thirteenth century, the Jews of Marseilles engaged extensively in commerce and maintained important relations with the East. Although they were referred to as “citizens of Marseilles” (cives Massiliæ) in agreements made in 1219 and 1257, this status did not necessarily grant them equal rights with Christian citizens.

Conditions changed in 1262 after an insurrection against the Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence. Following the city’s capitulation, the Jews were surrendered to the count as taxable property. Nevertheless, the count later issued a severe edict in March 1276 against inquisitors who had compelled Jews to wear oversized identifying badges and extorted money from them through fines.

Disabilities

Although theoretically regarded as citizens, Jews were subject to numerous legal restrictions. After the age of seven, Jews were required to wear a colored disk on their clothing. Married Jewish women were obligated to wear special veils known as “orales,” under penalty of a fine of five sous.

As elsewhere in Provence, Jews in Marseilles were forbidden:

  • to testify against Christians when challenged,

  • to work on Sundays and Christian holy days,

  • to visit public baths more than once a week,

  • to travel to Alexandria,

  • or to embark in groups larger than four on the same ship.

Jewish passengers were also required to abstain from meat on days when Christian passengers fasted.

Toward the end of the thirteenth century, a Jewish resident near the episcopal palace organized Purim festivities that Christians interpreted as mocking their religion. The bishop imposed a heavy fine upon the entire Jewish community (Ibn Adret, Responsa, iii.389).

Fourteenth Century

The fourteenth century represented a comparatively favorable period for the Jews of Marseilles, who were placed under municipal protection. The municipal council resisted attempts to interpret statutes against them and opposed hostile clergy when necessary to preserve their legal protections.

Jews were permitted to engage in the same professions as Christians. Many worked as brokers, wine merchants, cloth merchants, or tailors. One individual is recorded as a magister lapidis (stone-cutter).

A Jew named Crescas Davin, called Sabonerius, is credited with introducing the soap industry in 1371. His son, Solomon Davin, later continued the trade.

Although commerce dominated community life, several Jews also practiced medicine.

Under Provençal Rule

No major accusations appear to have been directed against the community as a whole during this period.

In 1357, the Jews helped defend the city during a siege. In 1385, they contributed fifty florins toward a public loan required by the citizens of Marseilles.

In recognition of their loyalty, Queen Marie in 1387 and her son Louis II in 1389 confirmed the liberties, privileges, and immunities of the Jewish community.

In 1481, following complaints by two Jewish deputies, Solomon Botarelli and Baron de Castres, René ordered the closure of the baptistery of Saint-Martin after a Christian woman forcibly baptized a Jewish girl. He further ordered parishioners to baptize their children instead at the Church of St. Jacques de la Corrigerie.

Projects of Expulsion

In 1484, armed bands roaming the cities of Provence attacked and pillaged Jewish communities, including that of Marseilles.

The following year, residents of the city accused the Jews of usury and other alleged crimes, leading to massacres and demands that King Charles VIII expel the remaining Jews from Provence.

Approximately eight years later, a royal decree banishing Jews from Marseilles was issued. The expulsion was not fully completed until around 1501.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some Jews gradually returned to Marseilles.

Since 1808, Marseilles has served as the seat of a consistory overseeing Jewish communities throughout southern France.

Ghetto

The Jewish quarter, centered around the street known as “Carreria Jusatarie” or “Carreria Judæorum,” formed a distinct district referred to as “Insula Juzatarie.”

When King Alphonso V of Aragon captured the city in 1423, the Jews suffered heavily, and many fled Marseilles.

Synagogues and Cemeteries

During the Middle Ages, the Jewish community maintained two synagogues:

  • the “Scola Major,”

  • and the “Scola Minor.”

The modern synagogue referenced in the article was built in 1865.

The medieval Jewish cemetery was located on Mont-Juif (Montjusieu). After the expulsion of the Jews, King Charles VIII granted the site to a citizen of Marseilles.

As of 1904, the Jewish community maintained two cemeteries:

  • one near Place Castellane (later closed),

  • and another in the Quartier de St. Pierre.

The community hospital stood near the large synagogue, while two almshouses operated under the supervision of appointed rectors.

Scholars

In the second half of the twelfth century, Marseilles became an important center of Jewish scholarship. Benjamin of Tudela described it as “the city of geonim and sages.”

In 1194, Maimonides addressed his famous letter on astrology to the scholars of Marseilles.

Among more modern rabbis associated with the community were Jonas Weyl (d. 1903) and his successor, Honel Meiss.

Editorial Note

This text originates from the early twentieth-century Jewish Encyclopedia and reflects the historical terminology and editorial conventions of its period.

Good WORK advice from Yasar Ahmad

Why Yasar Ahmad’s HR Advice Resonates

In a world full of generic career tips, Yasar Ahmad stands out for one simple reason: he makes workplace strategy practical.

Instead of telling people to “communicate better” or “be more confident,” he breaks down exactly what to say, when to say it, and why it works. His advice focuses less on vague self-improvement and more on positioning—how you frame conversations, navigate conflict, and align with decision-makers.

One of his core ideas is that most workplace conflicts aren’t about goals—they’re about methods. When people argue, they’re often misaligned on how to achieve something, not what they want. That subtle shift in perspective turns tension into collaboration.

He also encourages treating other people’s viewpoints as valuable data rather than opposition. Instead of pushing harder, you step back and ask: What am I not seeing that they are? That question alone can transform difficult conversations.

What makes his approach effective is its realism. It acknowledges that workplaces are complex systems where communication, timing, and strategy matter just as much as skill.

In short, his advice isn’t just about being better at work—it’s about being smarter in how you operate within it.

I think we actually want the same goal.

How do we get there?

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Can we pause for a second?

I feel like we might be talking past each other.

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If we’re not agreeing on the method, can we clarify what we both agree we’re ultimately trying to achieve?

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what am I not seeing that you are?

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