Salomon Zerkowitz

Familiant http://www.badatelna.eu/fond/2098/reprodukce/?zaznamId=401702&repro...

SALOMON [SCHLOME] KOHN-ZERKOWITZ, aka SALOMON LOBL ZERKOWITZ, b. Ober Czerekwitz [Horni Cerekev], c1741 [fl. 1739-1741], son of Lobl [Jehuda Lobl] Kohn-Zerkowitz and wife Fradl, died in Prague, household #866, 21 Apr 1809, “age 70” [but actually about 68].

As a young adult, Salomon moved to Prague where he was to remain for the rest of his life. Familiant records indicate that he arrived on 19 Jun 1760. Records show that he was a wealthy merchant, a “geldnegotiant” [money negotiator] and a prominent member of the Jewish community. His name often appears as a witness in birth and marriage records, always as "Salomon Zerkowitz" but with one exception: as a witness to the 1785 birth record of one David Lountz, he is listed as "Salm. Kohn Zerkowitz".

In 1788, 1790, and 1792, he and his family are seen living in household #187 in Prague's Jewish community, but, in 1795, they were residing in household #217. Salomon was married twice. By his first wife, Kella Lucka [aka Klara], he had five daughters, Nechama, Cheile, Rifka, Miriam, and Malka. By his second wife, Sorel Lucka [aka Sara, niece of his first wife], he was the father of eight more children: Anna, Low, Theresia, Wilhelmine, Samuel, Lea, Jacob, and Baruch.

When he married his second wife on 20 December 1786, his age was given as 45. The marriage record also spells his surname as ZEREKOWA. Earlier, when his first wife died in December 1784, he is seen as "Salomon ZERKAWA", and when his daughter Cheile was married in May 1785, he is listed as "Salomon SERKOVA".

Prague Fassionen Census: "Schloma Lob ZIRKOW STOHN [*error for KOHN], student, and Kella LUKA, daughter of Samuel Baruch, married in Prague, 5 January 1761"

Prag Familianten Census, 1787: [household #187, p. 133/141] Schlome ZIRKOWITZ = Salomon [Zerkowitz]; wife Sara; dau Mariam = Marja; and dau Malka = Amalia

Prague familianten records: [pg. 57/77] #1534 -- ZERKOWITZ, Salomon -- his father: Low aus Zerkowitz. His wife: Sara Benedikt Lucka, married in Prague in 1786. His sons: Salomon [*error for Lob/Low], b. 1790; Samuel, b. 1795. Salomon Zerkowitz gest. 21 April 1809

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. [*Repeated: Rachel Samuel LUCKA, Brandweinhandlerin]

Prag, 1793 [Judenstadt #37]: [pg. 385] ZERKOWITZ, Salomon, geldnegotiant; wife Sara, geldnegotiantin; son Lewi; daughter Maria [married]; daughter Amalia [married]; daughter Anna; and daughter Rosa – notation shows that the census was taken on 20 Jun 1794

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]

Prague Familianten Records, 1799: [pg. 153/215] household #217 – Salomon ZERKOWITZ, came to Prag, 19 Jun 1760, goldnegotiant; eldest son Lob, second son Samuel.

Salomon became a devoted follower of the false Messiah, Jacob Frank. Starting in 1798, the Frankists required him to hand over to them his entire wealth, eventually leaving him a pauper. In the summer of 1799, Salomon left his wife – possibly divorced her – and left for Offenbach, Germany with his 9-year old son Low [Lobl]. It was his intention to have Low be a member of the Eva Frank’s “court”, and to have him educated by her. However, once there, Eva and her brothers began making routine demands from Salomon that he hand over money to them. By that fall, Salomon Zerkowitz had been depleted of all of his assets.

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.1743):

[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.]

Other passages: "On this journey he visited Furth, where a [daughter] of his lived, and he also came to Dresden, where he hoped to be able to stay longer… "The Prague rabbinate expected the Dresden board of directors to persuade Zerkowitz to give his abandoned wife a bill of divorce…”

After being left penniless, Salomon apparently went to Furth, Germany where he lived, for a period of time, in the home of his daughter Maria. He eventually returned to Prague, humiliated and repentant. After a time, he was reunited with his wife, and it is believed that his brother Simon (from Trebic) gave him significant funds. He never regained his earlier wealth, but died with reasonable assets a few years later.

Salomon Zerkowitz died in Prague [household #866] on 21 April 1809. Death record: “Salomon Zerkowitz, age 70 yrs., d. household #866, 21 Apr 1809, of lung disease.”

Salomon m. 1st, in Prague, 5 Jan 1761, KELLA [KLARA] [GELLE] LUCKA, b. Prague, c1746, dau of Samuel Lucka (1720-1792) and his wife, Rachel (Bumsla) Lucka (1719-1802). Kella d. in Prague, 2 Dec 1784, age about 37 or 38. Her death record: “Kella, wife of Salomon Cerkawa, age 35 yrs., d. household #187, 2 Dec 1784.” Her stone still stands in the Prague Old Jewish Cemetery: “Keleh Lucke, daughter of Schmuel Lucke, living, wife of Schlomeh Zerkau Cohen, buried in 1785.” [*She died on 2 Dec 1784, but it appears her stone was not erected until Jan 1785.]

Salomon Kohn-Zerkowitz m. 2nd, In Prague, 20 Dec 1786, SARA [SOREL] LUCKA, b. Prague, 1769, dau of Baruch Lucka (1744-1806) and his wife, Eva [Gitel] (Weiner) Lucka (1751-1801), and niece of his first wife. Marriage record: “Salomon Zerekowa, age 45 yrs., widower, household #187, and Sara Baruch Lucka, age 18 yrs., m. Prague, 20 Dec 1786 [witnesses: Baruch Lucka; Isak Schulhof; Lobl Mayer Fischl].” After Salomon Zerkowitz became a member of the Frankist cult (fl. 1796-1800), he left his wife (summer, 1799) and later divorced her. He and his 9-year old son, Low [Lobl], then went to Offenbach, Germany (1798) to live in Eva Frank’s commune. After she had taken all of his wealth, he ultimately returned to Prague. Eventually, he was reunited with his wife, whereupon two more sons – Jacob (1805-1805) and Baruch [Benedict] (1808-1810) – were born to them. Sara d. in Prague, 23 Dec 1831, age 62 yrs., during a cholera outbreak. Her death record: “Wittib Sara Zerkowitz, age 62 yrs., d. Prague, household #885, 23 Dec 1831, of cholera.”