Rabbinical authority
Israel Isserlein was born in Regensburg and educated at the home of his uncle in Wiener Neustadt. In 1421 his mother and uncle were killed in anti-Jewish persecutions and he moved to Marburg, Styria, returning to Wiener Neustadt in 1445 when he was appointed rabbi and head of the rabbinical court for the city and its environs.
Isserlein spent the rest of his life there and thanks to him, it became an oustanding center of Torah study. Leading scholars from many parts addressed their queries to him. He lived a life of piety and ascetism, refusing to take a salary for his services. His best-known work is Terumat ha-Deshen, a collection of halakhic responsa. His works shed valuable life on the internal life of Central European communities of his time.