Isaac ‘Uziel

Born in Fez, Isaac ben Abraham ‘Uziel fled famine in Morocco in 1604/5 and settled in Oran, Algeria, where he obtained a rabbinic post. In 1606, ‘Uziel made his way to Amsterdam. Initially, he earned a living as a teacher (notable among his students was the famous rabbi, printer, and diplomat Menasseh Ben Israel). In 1610, he was appointed rabbi of the Neveh Shalom congregation. In his sermons, ‘Uziel questioned the sincerity of some former New Christians’ reversion to Judaism and complained about a general lack of religious observance, eventually leading to a significant secession from his congregation. A skilled grammarian, ‘Uziel wrote a grammatical work that was published posthumously. He also translated from Spanish a famous collection of legends of fables known in Latin as Historia septem sapientum (Heb. Mishle Aristo). A prolific and respected poet, ‘Uziel wrote highly varied works, most of which remain in manuscript. Influenced by the traditions of Spanish and Italian Hebrew poetry, some of his poems were included in the liturgy of North African Jewry.