 The very unusual name "Israhel" suggests the family may have had Jewish origins, but Israhel the Younger was buried in a church, and it might not have been possible for Jews to work as goldsmiths.The "van" suggests a Dutch origin for the family; various places in Germany and the Netherlands have been suggested as "Meckenem", as no place generally called exactly that existed at the time.The "Master of the Berlin Passion" probably worked mainly in the Netherlands, so his identification with Israhel Senior would have implications for the issue of the family origin.