Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau

Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar (Fränckelscher Stiftung), The Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau was an institution in Breslau for the training of rabbis, founded under the will of Jonas Fränckel, and opened in 1854.

Commercial Councilor ("Kommerzienrath") Jonas Fränckel, a descendant of a rabbinic family, and a very wealthy bachelor, who devoted his entire fortune to philanthropic and educational purposes, left a bequest for the establishment of a training-school for rabbis and Jewish teachers. Fränckel was president of the Breslau congregation, and an enthusiastic supporter of Abraham Geiger, who had no doubt inspired the bequest; and it was probably the founder's intention that Geiger should be the president of the institution (Abraham Geiger, "Leben in Briefen", p. 129, Berlin, 1878). The executors of the Fränckel legacy felt, however, that an institution which should be presided over by a man of Geiger's extreme views would not gain the confidence of the congregations; they therefore called Zecharias Frankel to the presidency (February 7, 1853).

Owing to some legal complications, the seminary could not be opened until August 10, 1854, although its constitution had been confirmed by royal order of August 31, 1847. Frankel selected as teachers Heinrich Graetz and Jacob Bernays, to whom Manuel Joël and Benedict Zuckermann were added as assistants, both being soon afterward promoted to the rank of regular teachers.

The institution had at the beginning three divisions, namely: the regular rabbinical department, which admitted only such students as were entitled to enter the university; the preparatory department, receiving students who possessed the knowledge required for entrance to the "Secunda" of a Prussian gymnasium; and a training-school for religious teachers. For a teacher's diploma a three-year course of study was required, while the rabbinical course required seven years. The teachers' seminary, which in the beginning was very well attended, soon declined, and in 1867 was closed on account of lack of students. The preparatory department, originally necessary because the students of the seminary came largely from yeshivot and had no secular training, became superfluous with the increase of students having regular gymnasium education, and was closed in 1887; from then on the seminary had only one department, and provided for theological training only.

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