The Horowitz rabbinical family’s direct male line traditionally traces itself back thousands of years, with several gaps, to Samuel Halevi, the prophet and judge who anointed Kings Saul and David 3,000 years ago. We will not go quite that far back. Most of the information on this family shown here comes from elsewhere such as: Wikipedia. the Encyclopedia Judaica and GENI.
The patriarch of the family line who is most visible to modern eyes is thought to be Aaron Meshulam / Meshullam Horowitz, also known as Zalman Horowitz (ca. 1480 – 1515), who lived in the village of Horovice and, later, in Prague, and had seven sons. Of these seven sons, one – Israel Jacob Halevi Horowitz (ca. 1510 – 1572) who married Nissel Reisel (Rachel?) Ursula Ashkenazi – Stern (ca. 1511 – 1572) is the direct ancestor of Moritz and Jonas Reis. The son of Israel and Nissel was Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz (1535 – 1618). Pinchas held the rather grand title of Rabbi of Prague and Parnas of the Four Lands. He married Miriam Isserles. Pinchas and Miriam had eight sons who spread the family throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Russian Empire and the Americas.
In the case of Moritz / Maurice Reis, he is descended via a female: Hinde / Hinda Halevi Horowitz (ca.1570 – ca.1617) the daughter of Pinchas and Miriam (Isserles) Horowitz. Hinde Halevi Horowitz married Meir Wahl Katzenellenbogen, the son of Saul Wahl Katzenellenbogen (1545 – 1617) and Deborah Drucker.
The Horowitz family is one of the most illustrious rabbinic families in Jewish history; producing some of the greatest rabbinic scholars of Hachmei Provence, France, and Italy in the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries. The original Sephardic surname of this family was Benveniste. Already a wealthy merchant family, they fled the Iberian Peninsula in the early 15th century, decades before the Alhambra Decree, and settled in the town of Hořovice in central Bohemia. It is also claimed by some that the Horowitz family is descended from the medieval Shem Tov Halevi of Gerona, who had connections with the Kalonymos Nessiim (Princes) of Narbonne, the Benveniste, and others in the Spanish March and the area of the later Languedoc. However, none of these claims has much, if any, evidence to support it and furthermore a 2016 article by Avrohom Marmorstein questions the Horowitz tradition of claiming ancestry from Spain, asserting that it was not until the late 19th century that Iberian roots were claimed for the Horowitz rabbinical family.
Initially, once settled in Bohemia, they presented outwardly as Christians, as Jews were not permitted to own land, but continued to practice Judaism. In the 1470s, the family moved to the shtetl of Horovice, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) (the name Horowitz designates an origin in Horovice), near Prague.
With the growth of the Jewish community in Prague and the passing of the Böhmischer Landtag which consisted of land rights reforms in 1501, more real estate in the city could be built and owned by Jews. To take advantage of this, the family sold their holdings in Hořovice and moved to Prague in the early 16th century, taking on the Horowitz surname. The family began to leave their Sephardic origins behind and instead adopted Ashkenazi customs as they integrated into the Prague Jewish community. From that time forward, prominent rabbis of this family were found in virtually every European country. For recent discussion on the Iberian origins of the Horowitz family see Does the Horowitz Family from Bohemia Really Descend from the Benvenisti Halevy Family from Spain?
Rabbi Meshulam Zalman Horwitz was born in about the year 1480 in Prague. He was the father of Israel Jacob Munka HaLevi Horowitz 1500 – 1572 and grandfather of Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz and thus a direct ancestor of Moritz and Jonas Reis.
Meshulam inherited his great wealth and status from his father (Rabbi Yeshaya ben Moshe Asher HaLevi-Horowitz), he served as the leader and head of the Jewish community of Prague. But, because of his wealth and status many of the Jews of Prague envied him, which caused quarrels and discord in the congregation. King Rudolph of Bohemia was inclined to believe Meshulam’s enemies and issued an order to confiscate his liberty and appraise his property, which reached forty thousand meizner grashins (a huge sum in those days, unprecedented among the Jews). After long trials, his case was vindicated and the king restored all his rights to him, including the right to determine all congregational orders. As a sign of recognition, he used his money to build the Pinchas Shuhal synagogue in Prague, named after his grandson, Rabbi Pinchas, who completed the building.
On Rabbi Meshulam Zalman Horwitz’s tombstone in Prague is engraved: Here lies the lord of the land, who fenced a fence and stands in the gap of a people and called to the mourners in March – A Hasidic was lost from the land – and he always went with effort in the thickness of the beam – and built a magnificent synagogue – for the honor of the place be blessed and its glory – for from it the Torah will come out – and his household and Jews were poor – And his right will stand in times of trouble for the remains – they are always righteous in the land of peace – Aharon Meshulim Br. Rabbi Yeshai Halevi Z’al Horvitz – died on the day of SHK 7 of Elul and was buried on the Sunday of 8 of Elul ….
Below is the descent line from the first Horowitz of interest through to Moritz Reis. == is a marriage and >> is the child of the marriage.
Joseph HaLevi (ca. 1453 – 1506) == Midel HaLevy Shmulman Halevi (ca. 1435 – 1510) >>Yeshaya ben Moshe Asher HaLevi-Horowitz == Rivka Heller Wallerstein (ca. 1462 – 1515) >> Ahron Meshulam / Meshullam Zalman Munka Halevi Horowitz (ca. 1480 – 1545) aka Zalman Munka == Nechama bat Menachem Munk >> Israel Jacob Halevi Horowitz (ca. 1510 – 1572) == Nissel Reisel (Rachel?) Ursula Ashkenazi – Stern (ca. 1511 – 1572) >> Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz == Miriam Isserles >> Hinde Horowitz (ca.1570 – ca.1617) = = Meir Wahl Katzenellenbogen >> Baila / Beila Katzenellenbogen == Jonah / Yonah I Frankel-Teomim (1596 – 1669) >> Ezekiel Joshua Feivel Teomim (ca. 1637 – ca. 1726) == Pearl Leib (1640 – 1710) >> Chaim Jonah Frankel-Teomim == Sarah Oppenheim >> Magdalene Genendel Frankel-Teomim (1713 – 1778) == Simon Isaac Bondi (1711 – 1773) >> Jonas Bondi (1732 – 1765) == Bella / Belle Schifra >> Clara / Caroline Bondi (1760-1829) == Koppel Loeb of Bamberg >> Moises Loeb / Moritz Reis (1782 – 1855) == Émilie Bickartt (1784 ) >> Jonas Reis (1809 – 1877) == Marian Samuel (1825 – 1900) >> REIS FAMILY
Aaron Meshulam Zalman Munka Halevi Horowitz. Hebrew: הרב אהרן משולם זלמן הלוי הורוויץ. Also known as: “Munk”; birthdate: circa 1480 at Prague. Death: August 16, 1545 at Prague. Son of Rabbi Yeshaya ben Moshe Asher HaLevi-Horowitz and Rivka Horowitz- Munka. (below) and husband of Esther Horowitz and Nechama bat Menachem Horowitz and the father of the below Israel Jacob Horowitz. Aaron Meshulam was a direct ancestor of Moritz Reis.
Rivka (Heller Wallerstein) Horowitz- Munka Hebrew: רבקה הורוביץ, הראשונה לבית הורוביץ. Also known as: “בת יום טוב”. Birthdate: before 1462 at Prague. Death: June 02, 1515 at Prague, Czech Republic. She was the daughter of Rabbi Yom Tov Heller-Wallerstein and Rachel. Rivka was the wife of Rabbi Yeshaya ben Moshe Asher HaLevi-Horowitz and mother of Aaron Meshulam Zalman Munka Halevi Horowitz (above) and the grandmother of the below Israel Jacob Munka HaLevi Horowitz and the direct ancestor of Moritz Reis.
Israel Jacob Munka HaLevi Horowitz; Hebrew: רבי ישראל יעקב הורוביץ. Also known as: “Izdrael Munka”. Birthdate: circa 1510 at Prague. Death: September 21, 1572, at Prague. He was the son of the above Aaron Meshulam Zalman Munka Halevi Horowitz and the grandson of the above Rivka Horowitz- Munka (Heller Wallerstein). Israel Jacob was the father of Pinchas Halevi Horowitz Parnas of the Four Lands (1535 – 1611) and the direct ancestor of Moritz Reis.
Rabbi Shabtai (Sheftil) Halevi Horowitz. Hebrew: שבתי שעפסיל הלוי הורוביץ. Also known as: “Shpasil”, “Sheftel”, “Sefl Munka” Death: 1555 at Hlavní město Prague. Place of Burial at Prague. Immediate Family: Son of Rabbi Yeshaya ben Moshe Asher HaLevi-Horowitz and Rivka Horowitz- Munka and brother of Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz and therefore the Nth great uncle X of Moritz Reis. The text of his tombstone reads: Shabbati Br. Yeshayah Halevi, a man of Horwitz, here lies a faithful man and head of Zorim, a speaker of righteousness and a leader of ministers, a leader and judge of the congregation, a leader of the people who judged them correctly, a man of speech and a master of the Torah, the son of the intercessor and husband of Danshiya Akiva who was head to every exile, and will give you a high place on high. And the Redeemer will be sent to all his people, in the year 15 BC, the trial will be, because an eye for an eye will fear the return of Zion.
Miriam Beila Isserles was born circa 1535, at Krakow and died on September 08, 1617 also at Kraków. She was the daughter of Rabbi Israel Joseph Isserles, of Krakow and Dinah Malka Schrentzel. Miriam Beila was the wife of Pinchas Halevi Horowitz, Parnas of the Four Land, and the mother of Hinda Halevi Horowitz ca.1570 – ca.1617 who married Meir Moshe Wahl Katzenellenbogen, 1565 – . She was a direct ancestor of Moritz Reis.
R’ Shmuel Schmelke ha-Levi Horowitz, ABD of Tarnow 1615 Birthplace: Kraków, Poland. Death: August 19, 1696 (80-81) Tarnow, Poland. His father was Yehoshua HaLevi Horowitz ארוך whose sister Hinda Horowitz married Meir Moshe Wahl Katzenellenbogen was a direct ancestor of Moritz Reis’. Thus, Shmuel Schmelke ha-Levi Horowitz was a first cousin several times removed of Moritz Reis’.
_____| 16_ Moshe Asher Zalman HaLevi HOROWITZ 1435-1506
_____| 8_ Yeshaya HaLevi HOROWITZ †1517
/ ¯¯¯¯¯| 17_ Zeldtka SHMULMAN 1435-1510
_____| 4_ Aharon Meshulam Zalman HaLevi HOROWITZ †1545
/ \ _____| 18_ Yom Tov HELLER WALLERSTEIN 1435-
/ ¯¯¯¯¯| 9_ Rivka Yom Tov HELLER WALLERSTEIN 1462-1515
/ ¯¯¯¯¯| 19_ ? ?
|2_ Yisrael Yaakov HaLevi HOROWITZ ca 1520-
| \ _____| 20_ Moshe MUNK †
| \ _____| 10_ Menachem (Rabbi) MUNK †1529
| \ / ¯¯¯¯¯| 21_ ? ?
| ¯¯¯¯¯| 5_ Esther Nechama MECHANEM MUNK †
| \
| ¯¯¯¯¯| 11_ ? ?
|–1_ Pinchas HaLevi HOROWITZ 1535-1618