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Vilna Rabbinical School and Teachers' Seminary

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The Vilna Rabbinical School and Teachers' Seminary was a controversial Russian state-sponsored institution to train Jewish teachers and rabbis, located in Vilna, Russia. The school opened in 1847 with two divisions: a rabbinical school and a teachers' seminary.[1] The Rabbinical School was closed in 1873 and the Teachers' Seminary closed in 1914.[1] The school taught secular studies, unlike the traditional cheders and yeshivas. This new curriculum, as well as the government control, made the school "unpopular."[1]

Curriculum[]

The school taught German language, Hebrew language, Hebrew Bible, Talmud,[2] algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, astronomy, world history, Russian history, Russian language, geography, and handwriting and drawing.[3]

History[]

Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, a major figure of the Mussar Movement who then lived in Vilna, was pressured to lead the seminary. Rather than accept the position, Salanter fled[4] to Kovno, even though Rabbi Yitzchok Volozhiner encouraged him to take the position.[5]

In 1872, a secret Narodnik[6] study group was formed[7] by Aron Sundelvitch. Vladimir Jochelson was a member of this group.[8]

Faculty & students[]

Educational philosophy[]

Many prominent[2] maskilim studied or taught in the school.[9]

Notable faculty[]

  • Leibele Antokolier (a.k.a. Arieh-Leib b. Akiba Luria, "The Keidan Genius")[10]
  • Shmuel Yosef Feunn (author, maskil, and educator)[11]
  • Aaron Samuel Liebermann[12]
  • Solomon Salkind (1806 - March 14, 1868), author of Shirim li-Shelomoh, Kol Shelomoh, and Shema Shelomoh. [13][14]

Notable students[]

  • Vladimir Jochelson, Russian ethnographer[8]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mohrer, Fruma; Marek Web (October 1997). Guide to the YIVO Archives. YIVO Archives. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 226. ISBN 0765601303. http://books.google.com/books?id=5DuagGR8RNsC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Murav, Harriet (May 14, 2003). Identity Theft: the Jew in imperial Russia and the case of Avraam Uri Kovner (1 ed.). Stanford University Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0804732906. http://books.google.com/books?id=Mtroit5paIUC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  3. ↑ "Pages from a certificate issued by the rabbinical seminary to 20-year-old from Antokol, Vilna". Center for Jewish History. http://digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=326993&local_base=GEN01. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  4. ↑ Levenson, Alan T.; Roger C. Klein (February 28, 2006). An introduction to modern Jewish thinkers: from Spinoza to Soloveitchik (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. pp. 168. ISBN 0742546071. http://books.google.com/books?id=yhc5qA0HMnIC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168. 
  5. ↑ Kantor, Máttis (February 2007). Codex Judaica: chronological index of Jewish history, covering 5,764 years (3 ed.). Zichron Press. pp. 266. ISBN 0967037832. http://books.google.com/books?id=6uK5pa3R4d8C&pg=PA266. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  6. ↑ Beĭzer, Mikhail; Martin Gilbert (May 1989). The Jews of St. Petersburg: excursions through a noble past (1 ed.). Jewish Publication Society of America. pp. 129. ISBN 0827603215. http://books.google.com/books?id=MK0IAD6p2DoC&pg=PA129. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  7. ↑ Zipperstein, Steven J. (November 1, 1991). The Jews of Odessa: A Cultural History, 1794-1881. Stanford University Press. pp. 118. ISBN 0804719624. http://books.google.com/books?id=Jdzn1JY0-_oC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jacobs, Jack (August 1, 1993). On Socialists and "the Jewish Question" after Marx. New York: NYU Press. pp. 179. ISBN 0814742130. http://books.google.com/books?id=XffJLtagfF4C&pg=PA179. Retrieved August 17, 2009. 
  9. ↑ Abramowicz, Hirsz (March 1999). Jeffrey Shandler. ed. Profiles of a lost world: memoirs of East European Jewish life before World. Wayne State University Press. pp. 14. ISBN 0814327842. http://books.google.com/books?id=wZI5fWbSaSEC&pg=PA14. 
  10. ↑ Kagan, Berl (1991). "Jewish Cities, Towns, and Rural Settlements in Lithuania:". New York. http://home.comcast.net/~acassel/keidan/history/kagan4.html. 
  11. ↑ Fishman, David E. (November 28, 2005). The rise of modern Yiddish culture (1 ed.). University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 116. ISBN 0822942720. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZB_MCB1dL4EC&pg=PA117. 
  12. ↑ "Jewish Community of Vilna". Beth Hatefutsoth. http://www.bh.org.il/database-article.aspx?48723. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  13. ↑ "Shirim li-Shelomoh". Goldman Rare Books. http://www.goldmanrarebooks.com/cgi-bin/goldman/680. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
  14. ↑ Singer, Isidore; M. Seligsohn. "SALKIND, SOLOMON BEN BARUCH". JewishEncyclopedia.com. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=79&letter=S. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 


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