Rabbi, Doctor, or Knight? The Mysterious Identity of Shimon von Geldern

“This writing is found in booklets belonging to the divine kabbalist Samson of Ostropol, of blessed memory; brought from the Holy Land by... our teacher Rabbi Shimon di Gildir, may his light shine, one of the residents of the holy city of Safed.”

This inscription appears on a manuscript containing “Intentions for the Passover Seder and the Tikkun of the Night of Shavuot,” based on the teachings of the kabbalists of the Congregation of Hasidim, Beit El. Written in Jerusalem around 1800, the manuscript is now held at the National Library of Israel.

But who was Rabbi Shimon di Gildir?

The diary of the famous French philosopher Voltaire records a visit by “Knight Simon von Geldern.” The name and signature of “Simon von Geldern” also appear at many of the places he visited during his extraordinary travels. Often, his goal was to trade in treasures and books he discovered along the way, but that was only part of the story.

Heinrich Heine, the famous Jewish-born German writer who later converted to Christianity, described a valuable notebook he discovered in his uncle’s attic:

“The finest and most precious find was a notebook written by my great-uncle, who was called the Knight or the Man of the East. He was apparently a most unusual person. He was called the Man of the East because he made great journeys to the East, and when he returned, he wore Eastern clothing.”

That mysterious knight, Heine’s great-uncle, was Simon von Geldern, known in Jewish circles as Shimon Lazarus.

From a Wealthy Family to a Life of Wandering

Shimon was born on the 11th of Kislev, 5481, November 12, 1720, in Vienna. His father, Lazarus von Geldern, belonged to a wealthy family involved in credit, supply, and trade for the rulers of the Palatinate. His grandfather, Yospa von Geldern, had amassed considerable wealth and connections at the princely court. His mother, Sarah Leah Pressburg, also came from a distinguished Jewish family of merchants and financiers in Vienna.

When Shimon was about a year old, the family moved to Düsseldorf, where he grew up.

His education was appropriate for the son of a family expected to continue in his father’s business. He studied the Bible, Talmud, and halacha, alongside languages, mathematics, and general subjects. His studies took him, among other places, to Mannheim and Frankfurt.

This broad education would later allow him to move comfortably between Jewish study halls, trading houses, libraries, and princely courts, speaking with rabbis, merchants, and scholars in their own worlds.

His father hoped Shimon would join the family business, but Shimon struggled to settle into that life. He took on small commercial assignments and traveled from city to city, at times relying on relatives for financial support rather than completing the tasks entrusted to him.

In 1747, the conflict between father and son intensified. Shimon left the family home, and from that point on, travel became his way of life.

A Journey to the Land of Israel

At the end of 1750, von Geldern set out for the Land of Israel. He traveled through the Danube countries and Italy before sailing east from Livorno in February 1751. His route took him through Alexandria and various islands and ports of the eastern Mediterranean.

On May 19 or 20, 1751, he arrived in Acre and from there traveled to Safed. He visited the tomb of Rashbi in Meron and the tomb of the Ari in Safed, where, according to his own account, he experienced a spiritual illumination. He later traveled south to Mount Sinai, where he described experiencing a kabbalistic revelation. After returning to Europe, he wrote a book in French describing the ideas he believed had been revealed to him.

Von Geldern seemed to take on a different identity wherever he went. In Safed, he was regarded as a Torah scholar; in France, as a philosopher; in Italy, as a merchant; and in Germany, as a wealthy man with connections to the nobility.

Throughout his time in the Land of Israel, he searched synagogues and genizot for manuscripts. He found some, copied or purchased them, and later sold them elsewhere. Historians have described him as “the first manuscript hunter.”

During his travels through the region, von Geldern also visited Sidon, Alexandria, and Cairo. In an account from 1752, he described visiting the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo and his interest in its genizah. He wanted to discover what ancient books and writings were stored there, but he was not permitted to enter and inspect the material.

A century later, other researchers succeeded in entering the Cairo Genizah and discovered an extraordinary collection of Jewish manuscripts. Von Geldern never managed to access its treasures, but he was among the first to describe the genizah in detail from the outside.

A Collection of Letters and Recommendations

Toward the end of 1753, von Geldern returned to Europe. With him was a certificate he had received in Safed in 1751, in which the city’s rabbis attested to his honesty and wisdom. He also carried additional certificates collected in Egypt and the Land of Israel.

He presented these documents to rabbis and community leaders, requesting financial assistance to continue his studies and eventually return to the Land of Israel. According to von Geldern, some of the money was also intended to assist residents of Safed and other immigrants. It is difficult to determine how much of the money actually reached the Land of Israel and how much was used to finance his own travels.

He passed through Paris and Metz before traveling through Jewish communities across Germany, from Mannheim in the south to Hamburg in the north. He also traveled to Copenhagen, Berlin, and Vienna. Wherever he went, he tried to add another endorsement to the collection he carried.

A document from one city could help him obtain another in the next. Gradually, and rather shrewdly, he assembled a notebook filled with signatures, praise, and recommendations from rabbis and prominent members of Jewish communities.

In 1756, he again sailed from Livorno to the Land of Israel. He spent a short time in Jerusalem, where he received another letter of recommendation. By 1757, he had returned to Italy and later continued to France and the Netherlands.

Around 1759, he published his collection of documents in Amsterdam under the title “Holy Writings and Eloquent Words of the Sages of the Land of Israel and Rabbis of the Diaspora.” A copy is now held at the National Library of Israel. Its catalog describes it as a collection of praise and recommendations for “our teacher Rabbi Shimon di Gildir,” intended to provide him with assistance and present him as a fundraising emissary for the people of the Land of Israel.

Rabbi, Doctor, Merchant, or Adventurer?

Von Geldern continued traveling through Europe and beyond, visiting Jewish communities and collecting writings under various pretexts. Sometimes he presented himself as “a man from the Safed community,” while at other times he adopted different identities.

Sometimes he signed himself “Rabbi.” Elsewhere, he was “Doctor.” He was a merchant, traveler, manuscript collector, scholar, and adventurer. Even today, historians have difficulty defining exactly who Simon von Geldern really was.

His final stop was the court of Prince Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, where he received the unusual position of “court kabbalist.” He was responsible for matters involving Kabbalah and mysticism for the prince and his entourage. In 1778, he was recorded under this title in Prince Ludwig’s diaries.

During this period, he also succeeded in influencing the French thinker Henri Grégoire to work toward improving the status of French Jews.

In 1788, Shimon von Geldern died. He was buried in Alsace, leaving behind scattered treasures, manuscripts, traces of his journeys across continents, and a remarkable amount of mystery.

More than two centuries later, his name still appears in manuscripts and archives from Jerusalem to Europe, preserving the story of a Jewish traveler who seemed to become someone different everywhere he went.