Behrend Lehmann

Behrend Lehmann (also known as Issachar Bermann Segal) was an important figure in the courts of Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg (1657–1713) and the Polish king August the Strong of Saxony (1670–1733). He served both rulers as a financer, diplomatic agent, and provider of jewelry to the kings and their retinues. In 1696, Lehmann received permission from the king to have the Talmud printed in Frankfurt-on-the-Oder. He financed the building of synagogues in Berlin and Halberstadt and obtained royal permission for Jews to live in Halle and Magdeburg. Lehmann owned estates in Halberstadt, Blankenberg, and other cities in Germany and for a while owned the town of Lissa (today, Leszno, Poland).