Weiss, Markus Nissa

Hungarian advocate of Reform. In 1792 he had a small business at Pesth, and in 1794 he leased an estate near Munkacs, where his oppressions gave rise to complaints among the Galician Jews. In 1802 he published a pamphlet entitled "Der Jude wie Er Ist," in which he pleaded with the Jews to accept the ideas of Reform. This work caused him to be bitterly attacked by the Hungarian Jews; and in order to defend his person and ideas he issued (Vienna, 1803) another pamphlet, which was entitled "Der Bedrängte Markus Nissa Weiss an die Menschen." Finding, however, that he could not overcome the antagonistic attitude of his coreligionists, he embraced Christianity.

After his conversion Weiss published his "In Neuerfundenen Tabellen Gegründete Praktische Vortheile der Rechnungskunst," Ofen, 1805; "Der Missverstandene Text und dessen Wahrer Sinn," ib. 1806. He has further published "Unparteiische Betrachtungen über das Grosse Jüdische Sanhedrin zu Paris" (ib. 1807).