David Gans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David ben Solomon Gans (1541-1613) was a Jewish mathematician, historian, and astronomer, and astrologer [1], and is best known for the works Tzemach David (1592) and Nechmad ve'naim.
David was born 1541 in Westphalia, Germany, where his family were moneylenders. He studied rabbinical literature in Bonn and then in Kraków where he studied under Moses Isserles. In 1564 he moved to Prague. In Prague he came into contact with Kepler and Tycho Brahe, and became a student of the Maharal.
He died on August 25, 1613. His grave in Prague, is marked with a "Magen David" and a goose (Gans meaning goose in German).
[edit] Gans family history
 |
This section does not cite its references or sources. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since October 2006. |
The Gans Family traces its roots back to Germany. On the Gans family's house there was a painting of geese (goose, in German, is "Gans"), which is a possible origin of the family's name.
From Prague the Gans family moved to Krnov, then Jaegendorf, and eventually to Vienna about 1850, where they founded a chain of stores for bedding and linens with the same Gans signet. It exists until this day, though it is under different management.
In 1939, Olga and Heinrich Gans and family arrived in Palestine. They continued in their trade, and manufactured and cleaned down blankets and pillows, and quality bed linens. After the World War, the Gans family provided custom-made bedding for King Abdullah's palace, and for Saudi Arabian royalty.
In the Israeli War of Independence, Olga and Heinrich's son, Zeev Gans z'l, was killed while defending Jerusalem. His widow Ruth, along with Zeev z'l's mother Olga, continued running the family business. Many immigrants from Eastern Europe brought with them bags full of down and feathers, which were cleaned and made into quality pillows, blankets, and bed covers.
In 1992, on the same premises that served previously as a workshop for the manufacture of bedding, Michael Gans, grandson of Olga and Heinrich, opened a shop selling Israeli merchandise. Gans Jerusalem Gifts and Judaica carries the work of about 90 artists from all around the country.
