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ferrer, vicente
ber of works mainly, but not exclusively, of Jewish significance
in Spanish and Portuguese, including the Ferrara Bible (1553)
and the “Consolation for the Tribulations of Israel” by Samuel
Usque (1553). Toward the end of the 17th century an attempt
at reviving Hebrew printing at Ferrara was made by the non-
Jewish printer Girolamo Filoni, who printed in 1693 a handsome
small prayer book (Siddur mi-Berakhah), compiled by
J. Nisim and Abraham Ḥayyim da Fano, printers from Mantua.
Filoni also issued a broadsheet primer with the Hebrew
alphabet and some basic prayers. Shortly after, Filoni melted
down his Hebrew type and converted it into a Latin font. The
takkanot of the Ferrara community of 1767 provided for less
gifted pupils of the Jewish school (Talmud Torah) to attend
the workshop of the printer Salvador Serri to learn the craft
of Hebrew printing, both for their own good and for the preservation
of this important craft (see Asaf, Mekorot 2 (1930),
206–8). No other evidence of Hebrew printing in Ferrara at
that period is available.
Bibliography: A. Pesaro, Memorie storiche sulla comunità
israelitica ferrarese (1878); idem, Appendice alle memorie… (1880);
A. Balleti, Gli ebrei e gli estensi (19302); Milano, Bibliotheca, index;
idem, in: RMI, 33 (1967), 364ff.; Kaufmann, in: REJ, 20 (1890), 34–72;
Perreau, in: Vessillo israelitico, 27 (1879), 108–10, 139–42; Terracini,
in: RMI, 18 (1952), 3–11, 63–72, 113–21; G.B. De’Rossi, De typographia
hebraeo-ferrariensi commentarius historicus… (1780); Magrini, in:
RMI, 10 (1935/36), 126–32; Roth, in: HUCA, 10 (1935), 466–8; idem, in:
Modern Language Review, 38 (1943), 307–17; Ḥ.D. Friedberg, Toledot
ha-Defus ha-Ivri be-Italyah (19562), 26ff.
°FERRER, VICENTE (c. 1350–1419), Dominican friar, canonized
by the Catholic Church. Some scholars consider that
he was directly responsible for the anti-Jewish persecutions
in Spain of 1391. However, it seems that he was on his way to
Avignon at the time. In a Lenten sermon delivered in Valencia
after the disorders, he condemned the behavior of the rioters.
Ferrer advocated conversion to Christianity from conviction
and emphasized more than once the Jewish origin of
Jesus. Nevertheless his appearances provoked mass demonstrations
accompanied by anti-Jewish outbursts. These took
place in particular in the first and second decades of the 15th
century. The conversion of *Solomon ha-Levi, rabbi of Burgos,
and possibly that of Don Samuel *Abrabanel of Seville,
are attributable to Ferrer’s direct influence.
After the 1391 persecutions, when the problem of *Conversos
arose, Ferrer initiated the policy toward the Jews
adopted by the antipope Benedict XIII, by Ferdinand I of
Aragon for whose choice as king in 1409 Ferrer was responsible,
and by the queen mother Catalina, regent of Castile.
This policy was embodied in social and communal, economic
and legal restrictions in Aragon and Castile. In 1412, Ferrer
collaborated with Pablo de Santa María in formulating the
laws of Valladolid directed against the Jews. He used his
influence to implement a program to evict the Jews from
their quarters lest they should have a bad influence on the
Christians, i.e., the Conversos, who still lived in their former
homes.
Throughout this period, Ferrer went from place to place
preaching. As a result of his sermons, the populace more than
once refused to sell the Jews food supplies and other necessities.
The Jews of Tamarite de Litera complained to Ferdinand I
that they were afraid that anti-Jewish riots would occur as a
result of Ferrer’s sermons, and the king ordered the city officials
to protect them (May 25, 1414). The Jews of Aynsa moved
out of town when they heard that Ferrer was coming to preach
there, and returned only after he had left (1414). Ferdinand
compelled the Jews and Moors to listen to Ferrer’s sermons
and imposed heavy fines upon those who were absent. At the
height of the disputation of *Tortosa (November 1413) Ferdinand
wrote to Ferrer in Majorca, asking him to go to Tortosa
in order to bring about the conversion of the Jews assembled
there. From there he was to proceed to Saragossa, where the
conversion of numerous Jews was also anticipated. A vessel
was placed at the friar’s disposal for this purpose. In May 1414
Ferdinand wrote to Ferrer rejoicing over the conversion of 122
Jews in Guadalajara. Ferrer evidently attempted to persuade
the Jews to come to the baptismal font by all means except
physical force. In 1408 he was in Italy where *Bernardino da
Siena heard him preach in Alessandria and was thereby stimulated
to imitate him.
Ferrer wrote several theological tracts but his sermons,
numbering over 6,000, form his principal work. These he delivered
in Catalan and they were then summarized in Latin.
Bibliography: Baer, Spain, index S.V. Vincent Ferrer; J.E.
Martínez Ferrando, San Vicente Ferrer y la casa Real de Aragón
(1955), incl. bibl.
[Haim Beinart and Zvi Avneri]
FERRIS, IRIS (1910–1970), Indian educator and social
worker. Iris Ferris, who was born in Calcutta, became headmistress
of one of the city’s secondary schools while still in her
twenties. She was active in the local Jewish Women’s League.
A member of the Girl Guide movement from childhood, she
rose to become commissioner for training in West Bengal. In
1953 she settled in London and joined the staff of the world
bureau of the Girl Guide movement of which she soon became
general secretary.
[Flower Elias]
FERRIZUEL, JOSEPH HA-NASI (called Cidellus: “Little
Cid” or “Chief”; d.c. 1145), physician of Alfonso VI of Castile.
He was allotted property in and around Toledo after its capture
in 1085 during the Christian reconquest. Ferrizuel was active
on behalf of the Jews of Guadalajara when this town was occupied
the same year. His position at court is indicated by the
part he played in proposing a marriage for the king’s daughter
Urraca on behalf of the Castilian nobles. When the proposal
was rejected by Alfonso, Ferrizuel lost favor. Ferrizuel gave assistance
to the Jews who fled from areas under Muslim rule in
Spain to the Christian kingdoms in the north. However, Abraham
ibn Daud relates that he treated the Karaites ruthlessly
and expelled them from all the citadels in Castile. Judah Halevi
764 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6