Samuel ben Samson
13th-century Jewish rabbi who visited the Land of Israel
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Samuel ben Samson (Hebrew: שמואל בן שמשון; also Samuel ben Shimshon) was a rabbi who lived in France and made a pilgrimage to the Land of Israel in 1210, visiting a number of villages and cities there, including Jerusalem.[1] There, he ascended and prayed on the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives.[2] He also visited the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, as well as Beth-Shean, Tiberias, and Safed.[3] Amongst his companions were Jonathan ben David ha-Cohen, and it is likely that ben Samson served as Rabbi Jonathan's secretary.[1] Two other rabbis were travelling with Samuel ben Samson and Rabbi Jonathan and the four travelled as far east as Mosul.[4] According to George Sarton, some 300 English and French Jews who were inspired by ben Samson's account went to Palestine to settle there in 1211.[4]
The first mention of Safed in Jewish history comes from ben Samson's 13th-century writings, where he mentions the existence of a Jewish community of at least fifty members there.[5]