- First name
- Abraham Jesurum
- Last name
- Spinoza, de
- Date of Birth
- -
- Date of Death
- -
- Born in
- -
- Died in
- -
Abraham Jesurum was a merchant specialising in almonds among other goods, who settled in Nantes before 1597 (cf. Spinoza, mercator & autodidactus, pp. 5–6, II,1). A notarial deed of 16 December 1597, preserved in the municipal Amsterdam archives, shows that Abraham Jesurum established business relations there with one Emanuel Rodrigues Vega. Later, Abraham settled in Amsterdam. His name turns up frequently in the Jewish and municipal archives from 18 June 1616 onwards (Spinoza, mercator & autodidactus, pp. 5–10, II,1–9; Vaz Dias and Van der Tak, 1982, pp. 116–27, II,1–9). In 1622, Abraham Jesurum (mentioned in 1618 as a Jahid, a paying member) was appointed administrator of the Portuguese-Israelite cemetery Beth Haim in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel (south of Amsterdam), for congregation Beth Jacob. Between 1625 and 1630, he was also one of the Senhores Quinze (the ‘Fifteen Lords’ for general affairs), the Senhores Deputados (‘Lords Representatives’) and one of the seven Parnassim of the Sephardi community in Amsterdam (Spinoza, mercator & autodidactus, p. 9, II,7).
Annotations
Alias Manuel Rodrigues de Spinoza.