–Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, scholar, writer, diplomat, printer and publisher
Holland: A Marrano by birth, he became an outstanding man of letters. He insisted that Jews must stay at specific locations in every country before the return of the Messiah. This was the basis on which he approached the religiously-minded Cromwell with a petition for the resettlement of Jews in England. He was assisted by Antonio Carvajal, the first “denizenized” (foreigner granted residence and some other rights) Jew in England under Charles I. Menasseh was later offered a job in Brazil, although he remained in Amsterdam. In spite of the opposition of English clergy and merchants, Cromwell re-admitted the Jews, despite the fact that England and the Dutch states were at odds. (d. 1657)
– after Eli Birnbaum