Moses Cohen Belinfante

Moses Cohen Belinfante was born in The Hague in 1761, the descendent of Sephardic Jews who fled Portugal during the reign of John III in 1526.[1] His father Saddik, a cousin of Isaac Cohen Belinfante, was Chief Rabbi of the Portuguese community in Amsterdam.[2] When he was fourteen, Belinfante was sent to Copenhagen to study medicine under his great-uncle Salomo Theophilus de Meza, but remained there only a year.[3] He married Angela Sarah Monteira in May 1784, with whom he had three children, none of whom lived past the age of eight.[4]

Belinfante succeeded his father as principal of the Portuguese Jewish community school after the latter's death in 1786, a position he held until his dismissal in 1795.[4] With his brother Jacob, he founded the bookshop and publishing house Belinfante and Company in 1802.[4] He started in 1806 the first Dutch Jewish paper, devoted especially to the interests of the Jewish community of Amsterdam.[5] This paper was, however, discontinued in 1808.[5]

Belinfante was a strong advocate for Jewish emancipation in the Netherlands.[2]

• Gebeden der Portugeesche Jooden, door een Joodsch Genootschap uit het Hebreeuws vertaalt [Prayers of the Portuguese Jews, translated from the Hebrew by a Jewish Society]. Vol. 1–4. The Hague: Lion Cohen. 1791–1793. Portuguese Jewish prayer books, translated into Dutch in collaboration with T. Saruco.
• Geschenk voor de Joodsche jeugd [A Gift to Jewish Youth]. 1793. Textbook for children.
• Israëlitische Almanak [Israelitic almanac]. Vol. 1–32. 1796–1827.
• Bikure ḥinukh; of Verzameling van stukken [Collection of Pieces]. Amsterdam: Belinfante & Comp. 1809.
• Aanmoediging aan de Hollandsche Israelieten tot bet betreden van de voor bun geopende loopbaan van den Krijgsdienst [Encouraging the Dutch Israelites to enter the career of military service opened up for them]. Amsterdam: Belinfante & Comp. 1809.
• Geschenk voor de israëlitische jeugd [A Gift to Israelitic Youth]. Vol. 1–4. The Hague: J. Belinfante. 1809–1834.
• Shorshe emunah; of gronden des geloofs, en zedeliijke pligten voor de Israelieten [Grounds of faith, and moral duties for the Jews]. Amsterdam: Am. Belinfante. 1816. A translation from Hebrew into Dutch of Shalom Cohen's Hebrew catechism Shorashe Emunah.
• Elementos de soletrar da lingua portugueza, para uso da escola dos pobres dos Israëlitas Portuguezes em Amsterdam [Elements of spelling of the Portuguese language, for the use of the school for the poor of the Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam]. Amsterdam: Am. Belinfante. 1816.
• Lições de Leitura Portugueza para uso da escola dos pobres dos Israelitas Portuguezes em Amsterdam [Portuguese Reading Lessons for the use of the school for poor Portuguese Jews in Amsterdam]. Amsterdam: A. Belinfante. 1816.
• Moda li-bene binah [A Friend of the Intelligent Youth]. Amsterdam: A. Belinfante. 1817. A Hebrew reader, recast from Moses Philippson's German work, with a Dutch translation and additions.
• Parabelen, Zedelijke verbalen en zedelessen, getrokken uit den Talmoed en andere geschriften der oude Rabbijnen [Parables, moral tales and moral lessons drawn from the Talmud and other writings of the ancient Rabbis]. Vol. 1–2. Amsterdam. 1822.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; Broydé, Isaac (1902). "Belinfante, Moses ben Ẓaddiḳ ha-Kohen". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 660–661.