Article: Reading from Right ro Left

Jeff Green
Jerusalem Post
05-26-1995
Jacob Frank (1726-1791) was one of the spiciest (and most unsavory) characters in early modern Jewish history. Claiming to be the messiah, he became the leader of a fairly large group of secret Sabbateans - Jews who continued to believe that Shabbetai Zvi (1626-1676) was the messiah, even after his conversion to Islam in 1666.

Frank's followers, mainly centered in Poland, believed that there were two paths to redemption: absolute righteousness and absolute sinfulness. Since, given human nature, the former was rather unlikely, and the latter was a lot more thrilling, that is the path they took. Frank himself had a considerable sexual appetite and a ...

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