Benjamin II
Benjamin II. ( Benjamin II., JI , JI = Josef Israel , actually Israel Josef Benjamin or Josef Israel Benjamin ; * 1818 in Fălticeni ; † May 3, 1864 in London ) was a Romanian- Jewish businessman and world traveler in Africa, America and Europe. He chose his name Benjamin II after the famous Jewish explorer of the 12th century Benjamin from Tudela .
The main purpose of his extensive travels was to find out about the fate of the Jews scattered all over the world, to inform about their living situation and to help improve them. His partly successful engagement found recognition among the Jews as well as among the non-Jews.
Benjamin married young and started out in the timber trade, but gave up after losing his fortune. He decided to go on a journey to clarify the fate of the lost tribes of Israel . In 1845 he went to Constantinople via Vienna , visited Alexandria (1847), Cairo , Palestine , Syria , Iraq , Persia , Pakistan , Afghanistan and India . In 1851 he was back in Constantinople and Vienna. He stayed there briefly, continuing his travels via Italy to Algeria and Morocco before going to France, where he wrote a book about his travels (he wrote it in Hebrew and had it translated into French) which appeared in 1856. The book has been translated into German and English.
In 1859 he traveled to America for three years, about which he also published a book on his return. He went to London to organize funds for further trips, but died there impoverished. His friends held a rally to support his widow and daughter.
He also published a German translation of the Jawan Mezulah by Nathan Hannover , which appeared in Hannover in 1863.
Main work
-
Cinq années de voyage en Orient. Paris 1856.
- German translation: Eight years in Asia and Africa , Hanover 1858 (preface by Meyer Kayserling )
- Three years in America , Hanover 1863 ( digitized version )
literature
- Salomon Wininger : Great Jewish National Biography. Volume I, 310 f.
Web links
- Isidore Singer, Elias Schwarzfeld: BENJAMIN II., JJ. In: Isidore Singer (Ed.): Jewish Encyclopedia . Funk and Wagnalls, New York 1901-1906.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Benjamin II |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Israel Joseph Benjamin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Romanian merchant and world traveler |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1818 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fălticeni |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 3, 1864 |
| Place of death | London |