Lot 475
Portrait of Rabbi Meyer Neufeld of Posen – New Jersey, 19th Century
Portrait of R. Meyer Neufeld of Posen (Poznań). New Jersey, US, [ca. 1860-1880].
A reproduction of an illustration depicting the portrait of R. Meyer Neufeld, mounted on cardboard of the [Samuel] Klugherz Photograph Studio in Paterson, NJ. On the verso of the cardboard is a signed dedication: "Complement - from Nathan Barnert". Nathan Barnert (1838-1927) - a Jewish businessman and politician born in Posen who immigrated to the US in 1849 and served as mayor of Paterson (NJ) and founded several Jewish public institutions in the city.
R. Meyer Neufeld (died in the winter of 1859), was a famed Torah scholar and tsaddik in his times, a community leader in Posen and among its wealthy residents during the days of R. Akiva Eiger and his son, R. Shlomo Eiger. He established a bakery of machine matzot in Posen which was cited as proof of the kashrut of machine matzot during the ensuing polemic on this subject. [The author of Sho'el U'Meshiv cites "R. Meyer Neufeld, a leading Torah scholar of Germany and Prussia", who knows the advantages of machine baking (Shenot Dor VaDor, Part 1, pp. 462-464). R. Yosef Chaim Kara writes (in his letter from the month of Nissan 1859 to the author of Chiddushei HaRim, Shenot Dor VaDor, Part 1, pp. 468-478): "…And already about 15 years ago, this device was brought to Posen, because there lived a wonderfully G-d fearing man, a leading Torah scholar and pious man… R. Meyer Neufeld". In an article printed in HaMagid, Tevet 1858, R. Yosef Chaim Kara writes: "…Who has heard the account praising the piety of the famous tsaddik and keen prodigy R. Meyer Neufeld of Posen, who himself was the first… to establish there a matzah bakery with a large amazing machine…" (see the article by R. Mondshein, Zechor L'Avraham, 2003, pp. 849-854). R. Meyer Neufeld exchanged halachic responsa with R. Moshe Yehuda Leib Rabbi of Kutno, author of Zayit Ra'anan [ibid, Vol. 2, Siman 7, is a "responsum to a famous rabbi", and R. Chaim Ya'akov Naftali Zilberberg, the author's grandson, attests that this responsum was sent to R. Meyer Neufeld]. R. Eliyahu Guttmacher Rabbi of Greiditz (Grodzisk), who was his mechutan, cites stories and practices in the name of R. Meyer, referring to him as "my mechutan, the rabbi and tsaddik".
Portrait: 26X28.5 cm, mounted on cardboard: 27.5X35.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Many stains, both on the portrait and on the cardboard. Open breaks, and tears to cardboard edges.
