The Wondrous Deeds of Rabbi Loew, a Golem Legend by Y. Rosenberg

FAIN: FB-50690-05

Curt Leviant
Unaffiliated independent scholar

Although legends of the golem -- a creature of clay magically brought to life -- have pervaded Europe for centuries, the man upon whom the legend focuses is the famous 16th century Rabbi Loew of Prague (the Maharal), who fashioned a golem. But it wasn't until 1909, when a Warsaw rabbi, Yudl Rosenberg, published his Hebrew novel, NIFLA`OT MAHARAL, that the legend took its present shape and influenced countless other works of art to the end of the 20th century and beyond. To the standard golem myth Rosenberg added something new: the golem as defender of Jews against accusations of ritual murder, an aspect that would be standard in all subsequent retellings of the legend.