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spending the rest of his life in Paris, on the Rhine, or in Munich, where he succumbed to neurasthenia at the age of thirty-two.

The largest and best, if not the most successful, of Beer's works was his "Struensee," a tragedy in five acts, dedicated to King Ludwig of Bavaria, and produced for the first time March 37, 1828, in Munich. It was very favorably received; and Count de St. Aulaire, with whom Beer became intimately acquainted while in Paris, made it known to the reading public in France by his translations of several scenes from the tragedy, which appeared in the "Revue Francaise." The whole work, published originally in Stuttgart, 1829, was later translated into French by Ferguson (Paris, 1834, simultaneously with a translation of "Der Paria," by

Xavier de Marmier). A fine edition of this tragedy, with an introduction by Joseph Kurschner, is to be found in Kiirschner's " Deutsche Nationalliteratur, exxxvi., 1889.

Beer was also the author of some excellent poems, among which may be mentioned his " Elegies, " writA complete edition of Beer's ten in Italy (1826). works was prepared two years after his death by his friend and admirer Eduard von Schenk, the noted Bavarian poet and statesman (Leipsic, 1835). Bibliography

Broekhaus, Konversations-Lexilton, 14th ed., Meyer, Konversations-Lexiknn. 5th ed.; La Giruitlc

s.v.;



EneychiphUe AVLgemeine Deutsche Biographic Miehwl Beer's Oesammelte Werke, ed. E. von Schenk, Leipsic, 1S35. A. S. C. S.'



BEER, MOSES SHABBETHAI: An

Italian

born at Pesaro died in Rome, May 6, 1835, where he officiated as rabbi from the year 1825. On Dec. 18, 1829, he was admitted to an interview of forty minutes with Pope Leo XII., in order that he might plead on behalf of his community. This was the first time in the history of the Roman Jews that one of their representatives was permitted to appear in person before the pontiff.

rabbi





Bibliography



Berliner, Gesch. der

Juden in Rum

(Index),

M. B.

s.

BEER, PETER (PEREZ) alist

Beer, Jacob Beer, Bachel

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA



born Feb.

19, 1758, at



Austrian education-

Neubydzow, Bohemia died Nov. 8, 1838, at Prague. After having received his early training in Bible and Tal-

mud, and

—what

was

unusual in those days in German and Latin, he entered, at the age

brew, Bible, and religion, he, like his contemporary Herz Homberg, fostered the spirit of progress which during the reign of Emperor Joseph II., and through the impulse given by Moses Mendelssohn, had been kindled among the Jews of Austria. As an advocate of radical reform in religious matters Beer was considerably in advance of his time. Beer was the author of several pedagogical works which were used in Jewish schools for. many years. The principal ones were (1) " Toledot Yisrael " (The Generations of Israel), a Biblical history in Hebrew and German, Prague, 1796 Vienna, 1810, 1815 and revised editions, Vienna, 1843, 1854; Prague, 1875; the Hebrew text with translation into Russian by B. Segall, Warsaw, 1870; 4th ed., Odessa, 1881; 5th ed., with additions by S. J. Abramowitsch, Odessa, 1883; by Abraham Solonowitsch, 3d ed., Warsaw, 1881; with translation into Polish by Simon Dankowicz, Warsaw, 1862. (2) The " Toledot Yisrael " (vol. ii.),

post-Biblical history, appeared at Vienna in 1808, reprinted in "Musar Hasekel" ("Kiryat Sefer," ii.) byBaruch Schonfeld, Prague, 1831. (3) "Dat

Yisrael" (Statute of Israel), religious text-book, Prague, 1809-10. (4) "Emet we-Emunah" (Truth and Faithfulness), elementary religious manual, Prague, 1810. (5) "Handbuch der Mosaischen Religion fur Studierende," Prague, 1818. Besides these school-books he wrote (6) " Gebetbuch fur Gebildete Frauenzimmer Mosaischer Religion," Prague,1815; 3d ed., Vienna, 1845; (7)"Gebete der Israeliten auf das Ganze Jahr. In Gemeinschaft mit Joseph Jakob Ballin Bearbeitet," Aurich, 1818; " Geschichte, Lehren, und Meinungen Aller Be(8) standenen und noch Bestehenden Religiasen Sekten der Juden und der Geheimlehre oder Kabbala," two parts, Brlinn, 1822-23; (9) " Handworterbuch der Deutschen Sprache," two vols., Vienna, 1827; (10) " Reminiseenzen, Bezuglich auf Reorganisation des Oeffentlichen Gottesdienstes bei den Israeliten," Prague, 1837; (11) "Ein Wort an Rabbinats- und Predigtamts-Candidaten," in "Zeitung des Juden:

thums," 1839, pp. 496 et seq.; (12) "Leben und Wirken des Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, Gewohnlich Rambam, auch Muimonides Genannt, Prodrom, und Einladung zur Subscription auf eine Deutsche Uebersetzung des More Nebochim. Nebst einem ProbeThis translation was not bogen," Prague, 1834 published, probably in consequence of Joseph criticism in Geiger's "Ji'id. Zeit." 97-123, 210-224, 414-427. Another criticism

Derenbourg's (1835),

i.

" Maimonides im Kampf mit Seinem I. Bukof zer, Neuesten Biographen Peter Beer," appeared at Ber-

—

by

of fourteen, the yeshibah at Prague, and four years later that When of Presburg. twenty-one he began his career as a teacher

lin in 1844.

in a

Hungarian

village

but the desire for study Peter Beer. soon brought him to Vienna, where for a time he attended the university. As a teacher in his native town, and from 1811 at the Jewish school at Prague, Beer displayed great activity in reforming the methods of instrucBy a "well-arranged system of teaching Hetion.





Beer was published at in 1839, extracts of which are given in "Allg. Zeit. des Jud." 1839, p. 101. Some of his Hebrew poems appeared in the " Meassef " and " Bikkure ha-'Ittim," and several essays in the "Sula-

An

autobiography of

Prague

mith" and "Jedidja." Jost, Gesch. der Israelite*, ix 102 143 151 Cat Boat. Furst. Bihlinthcca Judaica, l. 9, Steinschneider, 16, 348. col 784- Zeitlin, Bibl. Hebr. Post-Meudels. pp. _" S. g

Bibliography



Man.

BEER, RACHEL:

English journalist; daughSassoon D. Sassoon. She was educated privateSince training. ly and spent two years in hospital ter of