The Gaon of Vilnius (Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman; 1720–1797)

Unbekannter Künstler, Porträt des Gaon von Wilna (1720-1797), Ölgemälde 1915. Bildquell: Wikimedia: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vilna_Gaon_authentic_portrait.JPG

Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Gaon ("Talmud Scholar") of Vilnius, was the head of the so-called Mitnagdim ("opponents"), who opposed both the Haskalah movement and Hasidism.

Portrait of the Gaon of Vilnius, 1915, unknown artist; source: Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vilna_Gaon_authentic_portrait.JPG, public domain.