ר׳ חיים שמואל יעקב פאלק

ר׳ חיים שמואל יעקב פאלק (1708–1782), the בעל שם מלונדון, was an itinerant kabbalist, healer, alchemist and practitioner of divine-name traditions who became one of eighteenth-century Anglo-Jewry's most enigmatic figures. His origins are uncertain: sources place his birth either in Fürth or Pidhaytsi. In German lands he attracted patrons and official suspicion; after reportedly escaping prosecution for sorcery, he received protection from Count Alexander von Rantzau and was observed at Holzminden in 1736. By 1742 he had settled in London's East End, first around Prescott Street and later Wellclose Square, maintaining a household, laboratory and circle of clients. His Hebrew diary, preserved by the London community and published by Michal Oron, records dreams, invocations, charitable accounts and ritual practice, providing firmer evidence than later miracle tales. ר׳ יעקב עמדין suspected him of Sabbatean connections, a charge central to Falk's contested reputation but not equivalent to proof of every allegation. London folklore credited him with saving the Great Synagogue from fire and other wonders. He accumulated substantial wealth, supported communal institutions and left Torah scrolls and a charitable bequest. He died in London on 17 April 1782 and was buried in the Alderney Road cemetery. The familiar painted portrait is genuinely Falk, though it has often been mislabelled as the Baal Shem Tov.