Leopold Löw

[1][2] He received his preliminary education at the yeshivot of Třebíč, Kolín, Lipník nad Bečvou and Eisenstadt (1824 – 35), and then studied philology, pedagogics, and Christian theology at the Lyceum of Bratislava and at the universities of Pest and Vienna (1835 – 41).

After the revolution he was denounced by his enemies, and was arrested, but was pardoned by General Julius Jacob von Haynau on 14 December 1849 and liberated after two months' imprisonment.

He refused subsequent calls to Lemberg, Brno, and Bucharest, as well as to the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums at Berlin.

His most important archaeological studies and responsa were written for the purpose of proving the development of various institutions and of showing the influence, in many cases, of foreign customs.

The absolute (1850 – 66) as well as the constitutional government (1867) of Austria and especially that of Hungary were guided by the replies he gave to their questions in matters referring to the organization of the Jewish ritual and schools.