Joshua Zeitlin

Joshua Zeitlin was a Jewish merchant, scholar, and shtadlan. He was born in Shklov, Belarus, and became one of the wealthiest merchants in the area with affairs extending beyond its borders when the region was annexed by Russia in 1772. During the Turko-Russian War (1787–92) Zeitlin furnished the Russian army with various supplies. Zeitlin maintained close relations with Prince Potemkin (1739 – 1791), and under his patronage Zeitlin was a purveyor and contractor for the government in the regions of “New Russia”. After Potemkin’s death in 1791, Zeitlin retired from business affairs and acquired estates with over 900 serfs. On his estate of Ustye, to the east of Shklov, he housed a vast library which was visited by many scholars and researchers.