Jacob Psantir | |
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| Born | (1820-06-06)6 June 1820 |
| Died | 22 March 1901(1901-03-22) (aged 80) |
Jacob ben Asher Zelig Psantir (Hebrew:יעקב בן אשר זעליג פסנטיר,Romanian:Iacob Psantir; 6 June 1820 – 22 March 1901) was aRomanian Jewish musician and historical writer.
Jacob Psantir came from a once-affluent JewishMoldavian family. His father, known as "Zelig the Frenchman," worked as aninterpreter forScarlat Callimachi, and later for the French consulate inIași.[1][2]
Psantir was orphaned at age 11, and received little formal education.[3] Still, from his childhood he devoted himself to the study of music. He became aklezmer at age 13, and joined aRomani orchestra as aLăutar. Psantir founded inFălticeni a band of traveling Jewish and Romani musicians, with whom he performed across theRomanian Principalities,Bulgaria,Turkey,Crimea, andBessarabia.[4]
During these years, he began to write a history of his family, but as he proceeded with it his ambition moved him to enlarge the scope of his work until it finally embraced thehistory of the Jews of Romania. For five years, though possessing very limited means, he traveled throughout Romania, visiting the cemeteries and studying the communal documents. The results of his labors were published in two works entitledDivre ha-Yamim la-Artzot Rumenye (Iași, 1871) andKorot ha-Yehudim be-Rumenye (Lemberg, 1873).[3] In the former, Psantir claims the existence of a Jewish presence inDacia from as early as the6th century BC.[2] ARomanian edition of both works was published atBucharest in 1877.
In 1875, Psantir published amemoir, entitledSefer Zikhroynes (1875). He was the author also ofHa-Savlanut ha-Datit be-Romania, on religious tolerance in Romania, andHa-Kosem (Romanian:Fermecătorul), on popular magic.[5]
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; Broydé, Isaac (1905)."Psantir, Jacob ben Zelig". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 251.
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