Born 1668 or 1669, Ezekiel himself was uncertain of the fact. He grew up in Brest where he studied under R. Mordecai Susskind,son of R. Moses Rothenberg who lived there until about 1691. He was first Av Beth Din of the toen on Zdzieciol (Zitel) then Av Beth Din Raseiniai. In 1707 he was called to Keidaniai and to Altona in 1714 where he served the community for 35 years until his death. The community at this time was under Danish rule.

Ezekiel married Esther , daughter of R. Solomon Zalman, who was the son of R. Joel of Brest (the grandson of R. Joel Sirkes called the BaCh). Ester died in 1748 and was buried in the Koningstrasse Cemetry, Altone (Tombstone no 3072).

The Chief Rabbi (Av Beth Din or ABD) of Keidaniai, until 1714, was Rabbi Ezekiel Katzenellenpogen (a descendant through the female line who had adopted the name from the Katzenellenbogen male line.)[1] He then became Av Beth Din of the famous triple community of Altona-Hamburg-Wansdbeck where he remained until his death in 1749.[2]

He died in Altona July 9th (23rd Tammuz) 1749. Buried next to his wife. Tombstone 3073.

His son R’ David succeeded him in 1714 as ABD Keidaniai, and he was succeeded by his son, R’ Meshullam Zalman ABD Keidaniai.

Source

Author of "Kenesset Yezekiel"
Mayim Yechezkiel (published 1786) Tefillot le-Yartzheit (published 1727) Tzava'at Yechezkiel - His Ethical Will (published 1750, and again in 1871 by a descendant) Me'orer Zikkaron (published 1727) He wrote numerous approbations

Chief Rabbi of Beth Din of Hamburg

Profile photo: The Great Synagogue of Altonahttp://www.biblesearchers.com/yahshua/beithillel/emden.shtml

עברית

The Unbroken Chain, Neil Rosenstein, 1990, page 584, G7.2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Katzenellenbogen

Bibliography:

• Emden, Megillat Sefer, pp 121-140, Warsaw 1897:
• Furst, Bibl, Jud.ii 179:
• Gratz, Gesch. x 375;
• Kohan (Kahana) in Ha-Shahar, 1874 p. 299
• Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl

Additional Note of genealogical interest from the 3rd Edition of Neil Rosenstein's Unbroken Chain, Volume 3, page 338:

R. Ezekiel also states in the 1720 edition of Halachot Rav Alfas (part one), published in Amsterdam, that he was descendant of R. Nathan Spira, died in 1577, ABD Grodno and author of Mevo Shearim and Imrei Shefer (grandfather of R. Nathan Nata Spira, ABD Cracow, born about 1584 and died in 1633, author of Megaleh Amtkot). This would most likely be on his maternal side.

GEDCOM Note

From geni.com:

Born 1668 or 1669, Ezekiel himself was uncertain of the fact. He grew up in Brest where he studied under R. Mordecai Susskind,son of R. Moses Rothenberg who lived there until about 1691.

He was first A.B.D. of Zdzieciol (Zitel); then A.B.D. Raseiniai. In 1707 he was called to Keidaniai and to Altona in 1714 where he served the community for 35 years until his death. The community at this time was under Danish rule.

Ezekiel married Ester, daughter of R. Solomon Zalman, who was the son of R. Joel of Brest (the grandson of R. Joel Sirkes called the BaCh). Ester died in 1748 and was buried in the Koningstrasse Cemetry, Altone (Tombstone no. 3072).

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The Chief Rabbi (Av Beth Din) of Keidaniai (Lithuania), until 1714 was Rabbi (R’) Ezekiel Katzenellenpogen (a descendant through the female line who had adopted the name from the Katzenellenbogen male line.)[1] He then became AB"D of the famous triple community of Altona-Hamburg-Wansdbeck where he remained until his death in 1749.[2]

He died in Altona July 9th (23rd Tammuz) 1749. Buried next to his wife. Tombstone 3073.

His son R’ David succeeded him in 1714 as ABD Keidaniai, and he was succeeded by his son, R’ Meshullam Zalman AB"D Keidaniai.

Source

Author of "Kenesset Yezekiel" Mayim Yechezkiel (published 1786) Tefillot le-Yartzheit (published 1727) Tzava'at Yechezkiel - His Ethical Will (published 1750, and again in 1871 by a descendant) Me'orer Zikkaron (published 1727) He also wrote numerous approbations.

Av Beth Din of Hamburg

Profile photo: The Great Synagogue of Altona

http://www.biblesearchers.com/yahshua/beithillel/emden.shtml

עברית

The Unbroken Chain, Neil Rosenstein, 1990, page 584, G7.2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Katzenellenbogen

Bibliography:

Emden, Megillat Sefer, pp 121-140, Warsaw 1897 Furst, Bibl, Jud.ii 179 Gratz, Gesch. x 375 Kohan (Kahana) in Ha-Shahar, 1874 p. 299 Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl

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From Wikipedia.org:

Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen ben Abraham (born in Lithuania about 1670; died at Altona, July 9, 1749) was a Polish-German rabbi.

At first rabbi at Kėdainiai (Keidani), he was called to Altona in 1714. This call he owed to the efforts of Issachar Kohen, an influential member of the Altona congregation; and Katzenellenbogen in return secured the election of Kohen's son-in-law to the rabbinate of Keidani. Jacob Emden, who reports this story in his Megillat Sefer (pp. 121-140), seems, however, to have been prejudiced against Katzenellenbogen, whom he describes as a man of very low moral character, an ignoramus, and a poor preacher.

Ezekiel ben Abraham Katzenellenbogen's descendants for four generations occupied rabbinates in various Polish communities. His epitaph is found in Blogg's Sefer ha-Ḥayyim (p. 337; Hanover, 1862). He wrote: Keneset Yeḥezḳel, responsa, Altona, 1732; Tefillot le-Yarẓait, prayers and rituals for Jahrzeit, ib. 1727; Ẓawwa'at R. Yeḥezḳel, his will, Amsterdam, 1750; Mayim [Mi-Yam?] Yeḥezḳel, homilies on the Pentateuch, Porick, 1786; and Leḥem Yeḥezḳl, Talmudic novellæ (mentioned in his preface to Keneset Yeḥezḳel, but never published). According to Steinschneider (Cat. Bodl.), Katzenellenbogen is probably the author of the Me'orer Zikkaron (Altona, 1727), an index to Talmudic passages with an abstract of the decisions of Rashi, the tosafists, etc.

References from the Jewish Encyclopedia

Emden, Megillat Sefer, pp. 121-140, Warsaw, 1897; Julius Fürst, Bibl. Jud. ii.179; Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. x.375; Kohan (Kahana[disambiguation needed]), in Ha-Shaḥar, 1874, p. 299; Moritz Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl.; Walden, Shem ha-Gedolim he-Ḥadash, p. 29, Warsaw, 1864; Duckesz, lwwah le-Moshab, Cracow, 1903; Benjacob, Oẓar ha-Sefarim

External links Source

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901-1906). Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.

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