The building of the Jewish school

In 1879, the Jewish community of Memel bought the building of the city school, which was located next to the synagogue, where Rabbi I. Rülf founded a religious school for the children of poor Jews. The Berlin-based Committee for the Support of Russian Jews donated 50,000 marks for the construction of the school. The Hebrew and German language and grammar as well as the study of the Talmud, the written law, and the Mishnah; the oral law and tradition were taught at school. In 1896, with the financial help of Baroness Clara von Hirsch from Paris, the school building was rebuilt and expanded, and a religious school for Jewish children (Israelitische Religions Schule) continued to operate there, with two classes for boys and two for girls.

Wealthy local Jews initiated and financed the establishment of a private primary religious school in the same complex with four classes for boys, five for girls and one joint final class.

In this school, the Hebrew language was taught, Talmud, Mishnah and Gemara were studied. Both religious schools were headed by the director Dr. I. Carlebach.

One of Isak Rülf’s students was David Wolffsohn (1856-1914) – a Jewish businessman, a Zionist, born in Darbėnai, in a family of a teacher, but since 1869 he lived in Memel. D. Wolffsohn studied German and mathematics with Rabbi I. Rülf, communicated with the creator of Zionism, Theodor Herzl (T. Herzl), actively participated in the activities of the World Zionist Organization, contributed to the organization of the first World Zionist Congresses. After T. Herzl’s death, at the VII Congress in Basel he was recognized as one of the leaders of this organization; in 1907 he was elected the second president of the organization (until 1911), and is considered the creator of the prototype of the flag of the State of Israel and the author of the name of the Jewish currency – the shekel.