Joseph Levi Collection 1801-1914

The bulk of the collection consists of materials collected by Joseph Levi for his research on the Jewish community of Krefeld and its rabbis, Löb Carlburg (1766-1935, rabbi 1809-1935), Lion Ullmann (1804-1843, rabbi 1836-1843), and Löb Bodenheimer (1807-1868, rabbi 1843-1868), as well as his writings about these topics. The only personal item is a photograph that shows a group of students at the Rabbinical seminary in Breslau, circa 1890. The correspondence included in this collection consists of letters Levi received regarding his research. The letters from Zacharias Auerbach (rabbi in Wuppertal-Elberfeld), Marcus Brann (from the Jewish seminary in Breslau), Gotthard Deutsch (professor at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, OH), and M. Lieber are all related to Levi's research on Löb Carlburg. The letter from Leo Baeck discusses a decree from 1743.Joseph Levi was born in Freudenthal in 1865. He most likely studied at the Jewish seminary in Breslau, where he published a book about Elia Levita in 1888. He was married to Clara Berta Stein. The couple had two children: Alfred (born in 1897) and Ella (born in 1899). From 1904 until 1928, Joseph Levi served as the rabbi of the Jewish community of Krefeld, where he was active in the Chevra Kadisha (burial society). He died after a short illness in 1930.digitize