Joseph Singer

From "History of the Jews in Prossnitz", by Rabbi-Dr. Leopold Goldschmied, p. 501: "Two newly discovered log books have enabled us to draw up a complete list of the Jewish presidents of Prossnitz. Among the men, as ancestors of Prossnitz families and greatly respected here, are these who have held the office of 'judge': JOSEPH TESCHI..."

Footnote on pg. 504: "[Josef Teschi / Teschen /Teschner] appears repeatedly in the minutes. In 1744, he was elected as headmaster [judge] for the last time. Teschi = Teschen [Teschner]. He was the founder [ancestor] of the family SINGER."

R’ Joseph Schloime Reik-Singer, aka Josef Schloime Teschi, was born probably in Nikolsburg, circa 1690, the son of R’ Löbl Singer from the family that had lived in Teschen. By 1710, he had moved with his father (and likely other family members) to the large Jewish community of Prossnitz. He was known in Prossnitz not just as Joseph Singer, but as Joseph Singer-Teschi or Joseph Singer-Teschner.

As early as the 1720s (and likely before), he was elected repeatedly as president of the Prossnitz Jewish community, and as judge. He is last seen in this role in 1744. His name appears in lists of residents in the Prossnitz Jewish community in 1769, but not in 1773. According to notes passed down in the Singer family, he spent his last years in Brno and died there on 31 July 1772 [age about 82].

He is referred to in Prossnitz documents as "Joseph Lobl" and as "Josef Singer". Translation of Hebrew writing next to his name gives this designation: "Josef Reik Tschesche".

Because of the 1726 Familiants Law, only Joseph Schloime’s eldest son was entitled to marry. That son, born c1712 [Salomon], went by the surname SINGER and became the ancestor of the Prossnitz Singer family. See Goldschmied's footnote, p. 504, above.

Joseph-Schloime’s second son, Aron, restricted by the Familiants Law, eventually left Prossnitz and, like many other Moravian Jews, settled in Trencin megye, Hungary [now Slovakia]. Aron likely used the combined surname of SINGER-TESCHNER, but in later years, dropped Singer and used only TESCHNER.

Joseph Schloime Reik-Singer-Teschner was also the father of a daughter Judith (1724-1810). See below.

From the Singer-Hamburger Stammbaum: “Around 1750 there was a Jew living in Prossnitz in Maehren, named Schloime Tesche (maybe Schloime from Teschen?). He was Landes-Stadlen, German state or district elder of the Olmuetz district, i.e. a Jewish state official, as described by the Empress Maria Theresa by means of rescripts of December 25, 1751 or by means of the Jewish tax patent of September 2, 1758 and the Jewish general -Polisei-Prosess- and Commercial order dated 1754 were established. (For information on the agendas of these officials and the commission employed by the K.K. in Jewish contributions and police matters, see the 'Maehrische Notizenblatt der historical-statistical section' of the year 1784 No. 12, furthermore Scari's 'Presentation of the Jewish laws in Maehren and Schlesien'. Prossnitz was the largest Jewish community in the Olmetz district; it counted 328 families (i.e. Jews who were entitled to found a state-recognized family, whose number was limited), while Aussee in Maehren 110, Loschitz 71, and Tobitschau only had 25 family members. It is therefore understandable that the district elder from Prossnitz was appointed. The fact that Schloime Tesche was chosen to do this proves that he was one of the most respected Jews in Prossnitz.”

From Singer-Hamburger Stammbaum: “Schloime Tesche had a daughter, Jittele, who became a widow at a young age. It was impossible to determine the name of her first husband and that of the daughter from this marriage. According to an untrusted tradition, the latter is said to have married in Leipnik. Father Schloime decided to marry his daughter Jittele a second time and, since he wanted a pious and learned man to be a difficult son, he turned to the most famous Talmud school in Germany at the time, in Prague with the request to refer him to such a qualified Bocher (student) . From there, a certain Mordechai (Motche, Markus) from Altona near Hamburg was proposed to him. He was born in Germany may have brought the family name ‘Singer’ with him, since the Jews there adopted family names earlier than in the Habsburg hereditary countries.”