Spira (family name)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It has been suggested that Spira (Spiro) be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

1 Etymology
2 Jews of Speyer
3 Famous rabbis
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

The names Spira, Spiro, Shapira and Shapiro are derived from Speyer, a city in Germany, south of Mannheim on the Rhine river. Primarily associated with people of Jewish descent, the names "Spira" and "Shapira" (or "Spiro" / "Shapiro") are sometimes used interchangeably in genealogical records, due to the nearly identical Hebrew spelling, שפירא.

[edit] Etymology

The name of the Roman settlement Speyer in the original Latin was Spira (whence spiral) meaning "helmet straps" or "coiled snake." In Yiddish, the name was pronounced Shpeira. Over time and with various regional linguistic influences (Polish, Hungarian, Czech, etc), variations such as Szpiro and Schapira emerged.

[edit] Jews of Speyer

According to rabbinic tradition, the Jewish community of Speyer originated in the time of the Roman Empire, and earliest Rhenish records go as far back as 1084, when the Bishop of Speyer invited Jews to settle there with the offer of special protections[1]. Although Speyer (along with nearby Worms and Mainz), was one of the most important centers of trade and scholarship for Ashkenazi Jews since their arrival to that region in the 900's and through the Middle Ages, it was also a place where the Jews experienced severe, non-stop persecution from their non-Jewish neighbors and local rulers. Starting with the infamous massacre of 1096 during the First Crusade, and throughout much of the 12th - 15th centuries, the Jews of Speyer were variously murdered, tortured, forcibly baptized, kidnapped for ransom or expelled, with only intermittent periods of protection from regional authorities and clergy. After a long series of expulsions and massacres, particularly during the period of 1349 - 1435 (in the wake of the Plague), the community had completely dissolved. There was a brief renewal of the Speyer Jewish Community in the late 19th century, however whatever was left of it was decimated in 1940 by the Nazis.

Those Jews who took on the name Spira, Shapira, etc. were most probably among the survivors of the earlier persecutions (ie, prior to the 14th or 15th centuries). These Jews settled across Eastern Europe, including Bavaria, Bohemia, Galicia, and Poland. In central Europe, the name Spiro ("of Spire") appears in records as early as the 1500's.

[edit] Famous rabbis

A number of prominent Hassidic rabbis had the family name Spira or Shapira.

One of the most famous of these was Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov (1783-1841), author of B'nei Yissaschar, founder of both the Bluzhov and Munkacz Hasidic dynasties which continue until today after 6+ generations. Two of his notable descendants include:

..his grandson, Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Bluzhov (1841-1924), the famed Bluzhover Rebbe who was also called the Tzvi Latzaddik.
..on a separate family branch, his great-great grandson, Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro (actually spelled "Shapira") of Munkacz (1871-1937), the Munkatcher Rebbe, aka the Minchat Elazar.

Other prominent Hassidic rabbis with this name (although not directly related to the above-mentioned family) include: