Hirtzel Levy
Abraham Hirtzel Levy (died December 31, 1754) was an Alsatian Jew from Wettolsheim, who was falsely accused of theft, tortured, and executed in Colmar.
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Alongside three other Jews, Levy faced accusations of having stolen property valued at 3,000 livres from the house of a widow named Madeline Koppinn.[1][2] Despite all having alibis, Levy and his co-accused were subjected to the judicial practice known as the "ordinary and extraordinary question." Levy maintained his innocence, and was consequently subjected to execution by the breaking wheel the following day.[1]
Prominent Jewish figures of Alsace, convinced of his innocence, pursued an appeal to the Privy Council of Paris. The Privy Council, on June 16, 1755, rendered a verdict that overturned the prior decision, declaring Levy innocent. His remains were removed from the gallows, enshrouded in a tallit, and buried in the Jewish cemetery of Jungholtz.[1]
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Deutsch, Gotthard; Jacobs, Joseph (1904). "Levy, Abraham Hirtzel". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 56.
- Loeb, Isidore (1881). "Hirtzel Lévy: Mort martyr à Colmar en 1754". Annuaire de la Société des études juives (in French). Paris: A. Durlacher. 1: 125–161.
- Loeb, Isidore (1884). "Additions et rectifications à l'annuaire". Annuaire de la Société des études juives (in French). Paris: A. Durlacher. 3: 355–357.