Wilhelm Reich’s father Leon Reich (1868-1914) and his mother Cecylia Roniger (born Blum) were married by Rabbi Yitsḥak Yehudah Schmelkes (1828–1906) in Lemberg (Lviv, Ukraine).
According to the H.D. Modlinger (Encyclopedia Judaica, 2006), Rabbi Schmelkes was a renowned religious figure of Galician Jewish life. He was the son of Ḥayyim Samuel Schmelkes. An important ancestor was Eleazar b. Samuel Schmelke Rokeaḥ (1665—1742), who was Rabbi of Amsterdam.
According to Spector & Wigoder (2001) (The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust) Schmelkes was the head of the rabbinical court in Lviv (1869-1893). His most important work was the six-volume Beit Yiẓḥak (1875–1908) referring to the four parts of the Shulḥan Arukh. Schmelkes was also an important reference for questions regarding the Halakha, the body of Jewish religious laws.
The name of rabbi Isaac Judah Schmelkes is written on the marriage certificate of Leon and Cecilia Reich. The marriage took place on June, 4 1895.
