SZANTO (ABAUJ-SZANTO):

By: Isidore Singer, Ludwig Venetianer

Town of Hungary, on the slope of the hills of Tokay. Its Jewish community is one of the oldest in the country. Its age is shown by the two cemeteries, the more modern one of which has been in use since 1780. Its oldest existing Jewish document, relating to the ḥebra ḳaddisha, is dated 1790, at which time the society had ninety-six members. In a document dated 1787, which is extant, the community pledges itself to build a school. The first teacher was Leopold Singer.

The first rabbi of Szanto known by name was Rabbi Jeremiah, author of the "Sefer Moda'ah." His successors have been; his son Joab, author of the "Ḥen Ṭob"; Eleazar Löw, called "Shemen Roḳeaḥ" (d. 1837); Nathan Lipschitz; his son Leopold Lipschitz (d. 1904 in Budapest, where he was president of the Orthodox congregation); and the present incumbent (1905), Paul Jungreise (since 1896).

The Jews of Szanto number 1,500 in a total population of 5,000.

S. L. V.