A schulklopfer (or shulklopfer; (page 587, footnote 8).) is the person who calls a Jewish community to prayer in the local

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

.Alt URL
/ref> The ''schulklopfer'' was usually a

beadle A beadle, sometimes spelled bedel, is an official who may usher, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational or ceremonial duties on the manor. The term has pre- ...

, who would perform the task by wandering around the community, knocking on each household's door early in the morning. In Neustadt, he would knock four times.

Israel Isserlein Israel Isserlin (; Israel Isserlein ben Petachia; 1390 in Maribor, Duchy of Styria – 1460 in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria) was a Talmudist, and Halakhist, best known for his ''Terumat HaDeshen'', which served as one source for '' HaMapah'', t ...

, a rabbi from Neustadt, argued that this pattern encoded the biblical phrase "I shall come to thee and bless thee" In the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, the custom was to strike thrice. In mediaeval Eastern Europe, the ''schulklopfer'' also had the role of individually inviting people to marriage ceremonies (''

nissuin A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish laws and traditions. While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ''ketubah'' (marriage contract) that is signed by two witnesses, a ''chuppah'' or ''hu ...

''); the invitations were made to the entire community by the ''schulklopfer'' on the morning of the marriage ceremony itself (such ceremonies were usually an evening affair).Alt URL
/ref> The name stems from the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

(Germany) in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Christians in nearby communities sometimes referred to ''schulklopfers'' as ''campanatores'' (a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

term meaning ''bell-strikers'') or as ''Glöckner'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

for ''bell-striker'').

References

{{reflist

External links

* ''Jewish Encyclopedia''
"Schulklopfer"
by Cyrus Adler and Max Seligsohn (1906) Jewish religious occupations

See also

References

External links