David Oppenheim (rabbi)
David Oppenheim | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1664 |
| Died | 12 September 1736 (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague |
| Occupation(s) | Rabbi, Posek, Book collector |
| Years active | 1691-1736 |
| Era | Nikolsburg, Prague |
| Known for | Book collector |
| Spouse(s) | First wife: Gnendel (daughter of Leffmann Behrends) Second wife: Shifra |
| Father | Abraham Oppenheim |
David Oppenheim (1664 – 12 September 1736) was the chief rabbi of Nikolsburg in 1691 and later of Prague.[1] His book collection constitutes an important part of the Hebrew section of the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Personal background
Oppenheim was born in 1664 in Worms, where his father, Abraham, was a community rabbi and leader and a brother of Samuel Oppenheimer. David Oppenheim's teachers included: Yair Bacharach, Gershon Ashkenazi, Ya'akov Sack (father of Tzvi Ashkenazi, the "Chacham Tzvi"), Benjamin Wolf Epstein, and Isaac Benjamin Wolff.[2] In 1681, he married Gnendel, daughter of the "court Jew" Leffmann Behrends (Lipmann Cohen) of Hanover.[3][4] His rabbinical responsibilities grew over the years: in 1691, he became the chief rabbi of Nikolsburg, in 1703 of Prague, in 1713 of half of Moravia, and by 1718, he led the entire region.[2]
The Bodleian Library in Oxford bought his extraordinary collection of manuscripts and prints in 1829 for 9,000 thalers.[5]
References
- ^ Alexander Marx, "Jewish Book Collectors", in Id., Studies in Jewish History and Booklore, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York 1944, p. 214.
- ^ a b Teplitsky, Joshua (2019). Prince of the Press. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. pp. 3–4.
- ^ "YIVO | Oppenheim, David". Yivoencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
- ^ "Oppenheim, David Ben Abraham". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
- ^ Marx 1944, p. 254.
Bibliography
Alexander Marx, "The History of David Oppenheimer's Library", in Studies in Jewish History and Booklore, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York 1944, pp. 238–255.
Teplitsky, Joshua, Prince of the Press. How One Collector Built History's Most Enduring and Remarkable Jewish Library, Yale University Press, New Haven & London 2019.
External links