Immanuel Benveniste

Immanuel Benveniste was Sephardic printer in 17th century Amsterdam. He was born in Venice in 1608 and died in Amsterdam c. 1660. Between 1640 and 1659 he printed approximately 50 works. His most outstanding production was the Babylonian Talmud (1644–48), which restored some passages expunged by the censor in previous editions. His printer’s mark was an upright lion facing a tower with a star above. This mark was later used by other printers and the first to use it were Immanuel’s former employees Ben Judah ben Mordecai of Posen and Samuel ben Moses ha-Levi. The mark was probably used as a show of support from their former employer.