Abraham Benisch (; 1811 – 31 July 1878, London) was an English Hebraist,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and

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. He wrote numerous works in the domain of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

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, and

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, and during a period of nearly forty years contributed weekly articles to the pages of the ''Jewish Chronicle''.

Biography

Benisch was born to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents at Drosau,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, in 1811. He studied

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Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

about 1836—while a commentary on

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which he had written was being published—with a view to preparing himself for a journey to

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. Together with his close friends and fellow students Albert Löwy and Moritz Steinschneider, he founded in 1838 the proto-Zionist secret society "Die Einheit". For some years he studied medicine at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, but abandoned the study before proceeding to a degree. He left Austria in 1841 to settle in England, where he devoted himself to Jewish journalism and literature. His Hebrew learning and his actively displayed devotion to Judaism secured for him a high reputation among the Jews in England. In 1854 he became editor of the '' Jewish Chronicle'', which position he held till 1869, resuming the editorship again from 1875 till the year of his death. His editorial influence was exerted in favor of a moderate orthodoxy. He made quite a feature of the correspondence columns of the paper. Benisch took an active part in communal affairs, and helped to found several learned societies, including the Biblical Institute and its allies, the Syro-Egyptian and the Biblical Chronological Societies. These three were afterward fused into the Society of Biblical Archaeology. He zealously promoted the formation of the Society of Hebrew Literature in 1870, and of the Anglo-Jewish Association in 1871. Benisch died at Hornsey on 31 July 1878. He left the copyright of the ''Jewish Chronicle'' to the Anglo-Jewish Association, which, shortly after his death, sold it to Israel Davis and Sydney Montagu Samuel.

Partial bibliography

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References

* * 1811 births 1878 deaths 19th-century English male writers 19th-century English writers 19th-century English journalists 19th-century English translators Emigrants from the Austrian Empire to the United Kingdom British Hebraists English Jews Czech Jews English newspaper editors Jewish translators of the Bible English male journalists People from Klatovy District Translators of the Bible into English {{UK-journalist-stub