The Martyr of Posen

Biography by Joseph Landsberger - http://digifindingaids.cjh.org/?pID=4529583

Jewish History Channel on CALAHORA, a Sephardic family in Poland. http://ha-historion.blogspot.com/2009/01/calahora-remarkable-sephar...

Martyr Death in Posen in 1737

In 1736, an accusation of ritual murder led to the execution of the communal preacher Arye Leib Kalahora and the shtadlan (advocate) Ya‘akov ben Pinḥas, though others who were arrested were released in 1740. A flood in the already disastrous year of 1736 destroyed a synagogue and many Jewish houses.

Joseph's son, Arye Leib Kalifari, a preacher in Posen, was the founder of the Landsberg and Posner families. Arye Leib became the second member of this family to be martyred when he was arrested and tortured by the Catholic authorities in 1735 in the course of a blood libel.

Heinrich Graetz describes the event in his History of the Jews:

Adalbert Yablonowitz, a son of a prominent citizen, disappeared from his home and his mutilated body was found in a village near Posen. The Christian population of Posen ... at once charged the Jews with the crime. The majority of the Jews of Posen -- fearing violence -- fled for their lives. The preacher, Aryeh Leib; the communal representative Jacob ben Pinhas; and 2 parnasim, Isaac and Hertz, were seized and thrown in prison. The preacher and the representative were tortured and died in prison (Arye Leib rebuffed an offer to spare his life if he converted--J.D.) . The trial of the parnasim and 5 other prominent Jews dragged on for nearly four years, when a foreign community, Vienna, it seems, procured an able advocate who succeeded in proving the innocence of the accused and the latter were released in 1740.

Name variations:

1. Arye Leib Kalahora
2. Arye Leib Kalifari
3. (Juda) Arje Löbusch Kalifari
4. Aryeh Löb
5. Yehuda Arje Löbusch Hakadosh Kalifari
6. Aryeh Leib