Abraham Israel Pereyra

Abraham Israel Pereyra was born Tomás Rodríguez to New Christian parents in Madrid, where he made his living as a wool exporter. Fleeing the Inquisition, he arrived in Amsterdam (via Venice) around 1646, bringing his fortune with him. There, with his brother, he built a large sugar refinery and became one of the city’s wealthiest Jews. Pereyra published La certeza del camino (The True Path), a book of morals for repentant sinners. He served several times as parnas of the Portuguese community in Amsterdam and became a prominent follower of Shabbetai Tzvi. He left Amsterdam in order to welcome the messiah, but on his way to the Holy Land, while in Italy, he heard of the eccentricities of Shabbetai Tzvi and returned to Amsterdam. Pereyra was a patron of Menasseh Ben Israel, supporting his intellectual activities and printing house.