Rabbi Michael Wierzblowski, world famous Jewish scholar, died here yesterday. He was 74 years old and was born and educated in Shakai, a town in the former Russian province of Lithuania.
Rabbi Wierblowski was known among Jewish scholars as a “walking encyclopedia.” It was sufficient for him to look at a page once to be able to remember it ever afterwards. He was not only an authority on Biblical and Talmudic writings but was known for his knowledge of secular and worldly writings. He was the author of many volumes of commentaries on Talmudic writings and was the possessor of many original manuscripts dealing with Jewish subjects. He lived his entire life in poverty and was a sick man during most of his life.
The rabbi was a friend and correspondent of Prince Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor and founder of the German Empire. Prince Bismarck stayed at the home of Rabbi Wierzblowski and it was only after he was gone that the unworldly rabbi discovered that he had been entertaining an anti-Semite. In the correspondence that ensued Bismarck expressed the hope that this would not interfere with their friendship.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
