ר׳ מאיר קצנלנבוגן

ר׳ מאיר קצנלנבוגן (1482–1565), known as מהר״ם מפדובה, was a German-born Italian rabbi, rosh yeshiva and halakhic authority. Born at Katzenelnbogen, he studied in Prague under ר׳ יעקב פולק and then at the Padua academy of ר׳ יהודה מינץ. He married Hannah, daughter of ר׳ אברהם מינץ, and eventually succeeded that family as rabbi and head of the Padua yeshiva. Although also recognized by Venice’s Ashkenazi community, Padua remained his home and institutional base. His responsa preserve a wide Mediterranean and European network; correspondents included ר׳ משה אלשקר and ר׳ עובדיה ספורנו, and rulings were cited by his relative ר׳ משה איסרליש. His attempted Padua printing of ר׳ משה בן מימון’s משנה תורה became entangled in the Bragadin–Giustiniani publishing dispute. The controversy helped precipitate censorship and the burning of Hebrew books in Italy, although he did not cause the burnings. Ninety of his responsa appeared with those of ר׳ יהודה מינץ at Venice in 1553. He presided at the Ferrara rabbinic synod in 1554 and led Padua until his death in 1565.