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Affras Rachmaelovich

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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A Jewish merchant of Mohilev and Riga, who lived about the end of the sixteenth century. Affras figured prominently in Lithuania as an importer of miscellaneous merchandise, and in White Russia as a farmer of taxes and distillery royalties. The records of Brest-Litovsk, for March 3, 1583, show that nineteen wagon-loads of miscellaneous goods, including cloths, pepper, cinnamon, prunes, and Hungarian leather, coming from Lublin, were passed through the custom-house in the name of Affras Rachmaelovich of Mohilev ("Regesty i Nadpisi," p. 298).

According to Sazonov ("Matters of Jurisprudence," part p. 464), on June 3, 1589, an appeal was made by Jan Loveika, city marshal and royal secretary, to the bailiff of Mohilev, in the name of Affras, farmer of taxes and distilleries of Mohilev, to impose a fine of forty copes (1 Lithuanian cope =3 rubles 22 5/7 kopecks) on Lukian Pilka, for unlawfully dealing in liquors discovered in his possession, by Moshka Julevich, Affras's "servant," in company with the "city servants." Affras also appears among the first Jews on the records of Riga, Livonia, that were summoned with others, about 1595, before the court of burgraves, in a suit concerning some produce of the forest. The representative of Riga at the Polish court received special instructions on his account.