Menaḥem Man Amelander

Born in Amsterdam, Menaḥem Man Amelander studied in Prague and in his native city. He subsequently worked as a proofreader and editor at the printing house owned by his teacher, the prominent rabbi and printer Moses Frankfurter. Amelander prepared texts for printing, sometimes adding his own commentary and notes. Together with his brother-in-law Eliezer Zussman Roedelsheim, he produced the well-known Yiddish work Sefer magishe minḥah, a Yiddish translation of and commentary on the Pentateuch. However, Amelander is best known for his Yiddish historical text, Sheyris Yisroel (Remnant of Israel, 1744). Presented as a continuation of Sefer Yossipon, it charts Jewish history from the destruction of the Second Temple until 1743, including also world events and legends. A second edition continued the account until the year 1770, although Amelander did not write this edition. Containing important information about the history of the Jews in Holland, particularly Amsterdam’s Ashkenazic community, it draws on a range of both Jewish and non-Jewish sources. An extremely popular work, Sheyris Yisroel was printed twelve times in its original Yiddish, sixteen times in Hebrew translation, and once in Dutch.