Illuminated Beth Bookmark by Jean-Jacques LEVI

ESKELES and WERTHEIMER Family Tree

[10.2] Bernard Gabriel ESKELES (aka R. Berusch Isachar ESKELES) (b. 1691 Olkusz, d. 2 Mar. 1753 Vienna), founder of Line 2 of ESKELES Family Tree.

Av beit din of: Kremsier at the age of 18 (1710-1719), Prossnitz, and Mainz (starting 1717). Kur-Mainzer-Landesrabbiner. Succeeded his father, Rabbi Gabriel ESKELES, as av beit din Nikolsburg and as Moravian Landesrabbiner, and in 1725 also his father-in-law Samson WERTHEIM as Hungarian Ober- und Landesrabbiner.

Bernard Gabriel ESKELES first married (1707 Wien) [10.12] Chava Rebekka WERTHEIMER (b. 1691, b. 31 Aug. 1749 Vienna).

Bernard settled in 1719 in Vienna as court purveyor, supplying arms and other commodities. Using his influence in the court, he prevented the expulsion of Jews from Moravia in 1741.

He established the ESKELES Foundation for Torah which taught Torah to children and provided dowries for brides. The foundation continued to operate in Brno (Bruenn) until the 1930s.

Bernard remarried (1749 or 1750) [10.13] Hanna WERTHEIMER (b. 1725). In the year of his death (1753), their household included 42 persons including his wife, 2 daughters, and 28 servants with 6 children.


Daniel E. LOEB, eMail: loeb17@gmail.com