The Bacharach family name comes from the town of this name on the Rhine. Together with Heidelberg, this had long been a major centre of the Palatinate Jews. Jews with the name Bacharach lived in Frankfurt even before the creation of the Judengasse. Another Bacharach family is known to have lived in Frankfurt from 1516. Descendants of this family included the two brothers Menachem and Mosche, who lived in the second half of the 16th century and became important figures in the family. Menachem enjoyed especially high regard: he was a rabbi, and is believed also to have run a large drapery outside the Judengasse. He also held the position of "master builder". His descendants in turn founded several branches of the family which adopted different names: Knoblauch, Drach, and May. They were wealthy families and played a leading r™le in the Judengasse.