European Rabbis Throughout the Generations Translated from
Hebrew ReMa, Rabbi Moses ben Israel Isserles (1525-1572), Polish
rabbi, code annotator, and philosopher. In our genealogical
searches, all of us, including those who consider themselves
secular, soon discover that in most cases our ancestors are
rabbinic families. This study will focus on these families and
in particular the Ashkenazic rabbinic families in Europe. While
a portion of Ashkenazic Jewry traces its origins to those Jews
who came from Spain and Portugal following the Expulsion in
1492, with some arriving both before and after the Expulsion, a
number of Jews came in the 11th and 12th centuries from the Near
East in the footsteps of the Radanites, merchants who brought
goods from China to Europe, and some were Khazars who appeared
after their defeat by the Russian army. These Jews settled in
Western, Northern, and Eastern Europe and established
communities. Most families who trace their origin to Europe are
descended from these Jews and from