Skip to main content

Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 3919

Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the collection consists of the final manuscript for a prayer book, which was sponsored by the Leo Baeck Institute in New York and published by the Israeli publishing house Koren. The Hebrew language book is a critical edition of the “Mahzor Ashkenaz” for the Jewish High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, according to traditional German, French and Polish (Ashkenazi) rites.

Also included is the business correspondence between Goldschmidt in Jerusalem and the Leo Baeck Institute in New York about the publication of the planned prayer book. It is interspersed with various other, related documents.

Upon the publication of the prayer book in 1970, the largely private correspondence between Goldschmidt in Jerusalem and Rabbi Max Gruenewald in New York had been removed from the Max Gruenewald collection and placed here.

Another folder containing typescripts and other documents was added after Goldschmidt’s death in 1972: it includes among others a German language description of the prayer book, which was written on occasion of Goldschmidt being awarded with the Tel Aviv ‘Rav Kook Prize’ in 1971; a Hebrew language bibliography of Goldschmidt’s works; an obituary by Heinrich Roloff, “Ernst D. Goldschmidt zum Gedenken”; as well as other obituaries and related correspondence.

Dates

  • Creation: 1956-1973

Language of Materials

The collection is in German, English and Hebrew.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open to researchers.

Access Information

Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.

Biographical Note<extptr actuate="onload" altrender="Portrait of Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt (1895–1972)" href="http://digital.cjh.org/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=3465270" show="embed" title="Portrait of Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt (1895–1972)"/>

Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt (1895–1972) was a librarian and a scholar of Jewish liturgy. He was born in Koenigshütte (now Chorzow, Poland), where his father was a rabbi. 1926 to 1935 Goldschmidt served as a librarian in the Prussian State Library, Berlin. After emigrating to Palestine in 1936, he joined the staff of the Jewish National and University Library. Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt died 1972 in Jerusalem.

Throughout his lifetime, Goldschmidt prepared critical editions of various Jewish liturgical texts. His Passover Haggadot in German and Hebrew became very popular, and he also edited various prayer books according to Lithuanian, Polish and Roman rites. Of particular importance was his final edition of the "Mahzor Ashkenaz", a prayer book for the High Holidays, which was as a compendium of all Ashkenazi rites.

Extent

1 Linear Feet

Abstract

The bulk of the collection consists of materials for a critical edition of a prayer book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, "Mahzor Ashkenaz" from the late 1960s. Also included are correspondence with the Leo Baeck Institute, 1956-1972; correspondence with Max Gruenewald, 1958-1972; as well as accompanying documents.

Arrangement

The materials have been arranged in one series.

Other Finding Aid

Copies of the original, German language index cards describing the correspondence folders are included.

Digitization Note

The collection was digitized and made accessible in its entirety.

Separated Material

The unbound, printed, Hebrew language prayer book, Maḥazor Le-Yamim Ha-Noraʼim: Le-fi Minhage Bene Ashkenaz Le-Kol ʻanfehem Kolel Minhag Ashkenaz (ha-Maʻaravi) Minhag Polin U-Minhag Tsarfat Leshe-ʻavar. Yerushalayim: Ḥ. Ḳoren, 1970. has been removed to the LBI Library.

A magnetic tape that was sent by E.D. Goldschmidt to Rabbi Max Gruenewald on occasion of his 70th birthday on December 4, 1969, was placed in the LBI’s audio/visual collection.

Title
Guide to the Ernst Daniel Goldschmidt Collection 1956-1973 AR 3919
Author
Processed by Hermann Teifer
Date
© 2014
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Revision Statements

  • December 2015: dao links and digitization note added by Leanora Lange.

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States