Salomon Kohn-Zerkowitz was a wealthy merchant and lived first in Prossnitz, Moravia [now Prostejov, Czech Republic]. About 1772, he moved to Prague where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a disciple of the false Messiah, Jacob Frank. In 1798, the Frankists required him to hand over to them his
entire wealth, leaving him a pauper.
Prague, 1792 (Vol. VI/1, p. 58)
House CLXXXVII
Salomon ZERKOWER, married, money negotiator
living with-- Rachel Samuel LUCKA, Schnittwarenhandlerin Wittwe
Wolf Low KARPELES, Papierhandler [*later his son-in-law]
Aron Beer Markus SEKELES, married, Leinwandhandler
Rachel Samuel LUCKA, Brandweinhandlerin
Prague, 1794 (p. 223)
Salomon ZERKOWITZ, married, money negotiator, resides in Prague
wife, Sara, money negotiator
son, Lewie (single)
daughters, Maria (married), Amalia (married), Anna (unmarried), Rosa (unmarried)
[daughters' husbands are not named]
From the book "Militant Messiah", by Arthur Mandel [Humanitarian Press, 1979] -- the biography of the false Messiah, Jacob Frank (1726-1791) -- there are three passages that reference Salomon Zerkowitz (b. c.1750):
[page 102]
"Contrary to the Polish Frankists, who mainly came from the poor and uneducated, those of Prague belonged to the rich and highly educated, with several physicians among them. Yet they went on frequent pilgrimages to Frank, as did their fellow-Frankists in Poland, or as the Hassidim went to their tsaddik.
Jonas Wehle once took his son-in-law, Loew Hoenig von Hoenigsberg, on such a pilgrimage and the latter returned all bewildered by the rituals and ceremonies of 'the court'. The pilgrims had to approach 'divine Eva' [Jacob Frank's daughter] on their knees and elbows ('like dogs did they crawl before her,' in the words
of Eva's lady-in-waiting, Paulina Pawlowska). Shedding tears of joy, they deposited gifts and money at her feet, although the tears were not always pure joy, as the Franks, claiming divine command, did not hesitate to rob their visitors of their last pennies. Some Frankists testified before a rabbinical court at Feurth,
Germany, that one Mendel Yitshin had to give up 'many thousands of florins'. The same happened to Rosl Eger, Jonas Wehle's sister; although an admirer of Frank, she resisted at first, but then 'was forced' to hand over her money. The Wehle family once was ordered to procure 3,000 florins within three days; Aaron
Baer Wehle actually delivered the money to Eva Frank and prostrated himself before her, moved to tears for being blessed to see her with his own eyes. This elicited from her the affable words: 'What does he cry about? I am a poor girl." SALOMON ZERKOWITZ had his beard forcibly shaved off on the Sabbath and
had to pay for this 'privilege' 660 florins cash, a promissory note of 2,000 florins, and all the gold and silver he had with him..."
[page 163 -- many years later, the youthful Moses Porges was a disciple of Jacob Frank's daughter, Eva, and recalled this encounter that occurred in 1798:]
"That year, Mr. SALOMON ZERKOWITZ came to Offenbach also. He used to be very rich and brought with him all that remained of his wealth, which he was ordered to give up. His wealth consisted of Austrian government securities which I took to Frankfurt to be turned into cash by the old Rothschild. ZERKOWITZ
was a fine, honest man and cried when forced to give up his last belongings...."
[page 166]
[A passage here references the fact that SALOMON ZERKOWITZ had a son-in-law living in Fuerth, Germany in 1798-1799. It does not, however, provide the son-in-law's name.]
http://alfredhanscom.tripod.com/zerkowitz.pdf
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