DAMPIERRE (Hebr. , or ):

By: Richard Gottheil, S. Kahn

Village of Champagne, in the department of the Aube, France; not to be confounded with "Dompaire," Vosges, as is sometimes done (Zunz, "Z. G." p. 33, and Renan-Neubauer, "Les Rabbins Français," p. 444). In the Middle Ages there was a somewhat important Jewish community in this village. King Philippe-Auguste, after an agreement with the Countess of Champagne, and Gui, Seigneur of Dampierre, in 1206, ordered the Jews to affix a special seal to the documents recording their loans, and forbade them to lend money on holy vessels or on the lands of the Church. During the years 1212, 1220, and 1225 the Jews had among their debtors the seigneurs of Dampierre and the abbey of Saint-Loup of Troyes.

Rabbis: (1) Isaac ben Samuel the Elder, abbreviated , surnamed "the Saint" (1120-95); (2) his son Elḥanan, martyred in 1184; (3) Joseph ben Simeon; (4) Isaac ben Abraham, abbreviated or , called sometimes "Isaac the Younger" to distinguish him from Isaac ben Samuel; (5) Isaac haLaban ben Jacob.

G. S. K.