Uri ben Simeon of Biala
URI BEN SIMEON OF BIALA
URI BEN SIMEON OF BIALA (second half of the 16th century), emissary of Safed to Europe. Uri was born in Biala, Poland, and immigrated to Ere? Israel, settling in Safed. From there he was sent as an emissary of the Ashkenazi congregation of the city to Italy, Germany, and Poland. In 1575 he was in Verona, as well as Venice, where he published, one year on each page, a 40-year calendar, and Yi?us Avot, a description of the holy places and the graves of the righteous in Ere? Israel. He took these pages, which served to publicize his mission, with him to Germany, where they were reprinted many years later by Christian theologians.
The calendar was reprinted in 1594 in Frankfurt by Jacob Christmann, and Yi?us Avot was reprinted twice in a Latin translation by Johann Heinrich Nottinger, under the title Cippi Hebraici, with drawings (Heidelberg, 1659 and 1662). This list of holy places and graves of the righteous in Ere? Israel served emissaries of succeeding generations as a pattern for similar lists called Iggeret Mesapperet Ye?usta de-?addikei de-Ara de-Yisrael ("A genealogical tree of the righteous of the Holy Land," Venice, 1626, 1640, 1646, 1649; Verona, 1646, 1647; Mantua, 1676; Frankfurt, c. 1700).
bibliography:
Yaari, Shelu?ei, 80f., 248.
[Avraham Yaari]