Abraham Cuenque

Abraham Cuenque was born in Hebron. There he encountered Shabbetai Tzvi and became a devoted follower of the Sabbatean movement. He remained faithful to Shabbetai Tzvi even after the latter converted to Islam. In 1683, Cuenque departed for Europe as a special envoy to collect funds for Jews in the land of Israel. He visited Italy, France, Germany, and Poland. At the request of a friend from Frankfurt, Cuenque wrote down his memories of Shabbetai Tzvi (1689). Jacob Emden quoted the work extensively in his history of the Sabbatean movement. Cuenque also wrote a description of his travels, biblical commentaries, and sermons, some of which have survived in manuscript.