QUERIDO, JACOB

QUERIDO, JACOB (c. 1650–1690), Shabbatean leader in salonika . The son of R. Joseph Filosof, he was later generally known as Jacob Querido (Sp. "the beloved"). His sister became Shabbetai Ẓevi 's last wife. When she returned to Salonika after Shabbetai's death in 1676, she allegedly claimed that her brother was the recipient of her late husband's soul. Querido's father and R. Solomon Florentin supported his assertions which led, in 1683, to the mass apostasy of a large group of Salonika families. Together with the earlier converts to Islam among Shabbetai's followers, this group formed the nucleus of the doenmeh sect. Taking the Turkish name Abdullah Yacoub, Querido became the most prominent leader of the sectarians. An apocryphal letter attributed to Shabbetai confirmed his claims. His extravagant leadership led to dissension within the group as earlier converts had become dissatisfied with his innovations and therefore opposed his leadership. Insisting on outward demonstration of strict Muslim piety, he undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1688, accompanied by one of his leading followers, Mustafa Effendi. Returning from Mecca, he died in Egypt, in either Alexandria or Bulak. When his companion returned, the schism among Querido's followers became final; according to tradition 43 families formed a subsect called Jacobites. As Querido had no male children, his adherents were led by chiefs who maintained a very strong control over the affairs of their group. They treasured several relics of Shabbetai Ẓevi and Querido and administered the personal fortune left by Shabbetai. The members of their subsect were mostly merchants and lower officials. No writings by Querido and his followers have survived, but one of the pamphlets written against him by another apostate between 1690 and 1695 is extant. Querido's followers took no part in the further divisions within the doenmeh sect that led to yet another schism. Their organization existed down to the 20th century. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Tobias Rofe, Ma'aseh Toviyyah (Venice, 1707); A. Struck, in: Globus, 81 (1902), 221–2 (Ger.); J. Nehama, in: Revue des écoles de l'Alliance Israélite (1902), 308–9; A. Galanté, Nouveaux documents sur Sabbetaï Sevi (1935), 58–62; G. Scholem, in: Zion, 7 (1942), 14–20 (on the apostasy in 1683); idem, in: Sefunot, 9 (1965), 195–207. (Gershom Scholem)