Proposal for the Establishment of a Jewish College

Born in Provence, Solomon ben Abraham Avigdor was a translator and physician. By the time he reached his teen years, he was already translating scientific works from Latin into Hebrew, including a translation of Arnauld de Villeneuve's work, De Judiciis Astronomiæ (On the Judgement of the Stars) at the age of 15. His translations were popular with later Hebrew scholars, who relied on them for Latin knowledge.

David Provenzalo was a preacher and scholar in Mantua, Italy. A friend of Azariah de’ Rossi, he was versed in Jewish sources and also knew Latin, Italian, and Greek. His proposal for the establishment of a Jewish college, written with his son, Abraham, was addressed to the wealthy Jews of northern Italy. Provenzalo’s intention was not simply to introduce humanistic learning but also to ensure that Jewish students who wished to gain a general education remained faithful to their religion. The institution he envisioned would provide training to counteract the irreligious influences of general education. Although Provenzalo’s first initiative failed, he eventually succeeded in establishing a talmudic academy.