Goldschmidt, Ernst Daniel

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GOLDSCHMIDT, ERNST DANIEL

GOLDSCHMIDT, ERNST DANIEL (1895–1972), librarian and scholar of Jewish liturgy. Goldschmidt was born in Koenigshuette (now Chorzow, Poland), where his father was rabbi. He served from 1926 to 1935 as librarian in the Prussian State Library, Berlin. Immigrating to Palestine in 1936, he joined the staff of the Jewish National and University Library (1936–62). Goldschmidt prepared critical editions of various liturgical texts. His various Passover Haggadot (with German translation, introduction, and notes, 1936, 1937; Hebrew, 1947, 19602) became very popular; the Haggadah by N.N. Glatzer (Eng., 1953, 19692) is based on Goldschmidt's work. In 1959 his edition of Maimonides' prayer text appeared; it was followed by Siddur Tefillat Yisrael (two rites) in 1964; Seliḥot according to both the Lithuanian and Polish rites in 1965; Kinot (liturgy for the Ninth of Av, Polish rite) in 1968; S.D. Luzzatto's introduction to his edition of the Maḥzor Roma was reissued by Goldschmidt (1966) with notes and an essay on the Roman rite. His edition of the High Holiday maḥzor (1970), which is a compendium of all the Ashkenazi rites, is of particular importance.

[Alexander Carlebach]

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