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Hirsch, Markus

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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Hirsch, Levin Joseph

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Chief rabbi of Hamburg; born at Tisza-Beö, Hungary, Feb. 17, 1833. In 1853 he went to Prague, where he became the pupil of I. L. Rapoport, attending at the same time lectures at the university. In 1856 he became rabbi at Karczag, whence he was called to Beö as district rabbi; and in 1861 he became rabbi of Alt-Ofen, where he was also appointed director of a great Talmudical school. At that time Hungarian Judaism was in a state of unrest, and Hirsch was urged by the government to make peace between the conflicting parties. His "Dibre Shalom we-Emet" was written to that end. In the congress of Hungarian Jews (1869-1870) Hirsch was the leader of the Status Quo party. He was a member of the committee entrusted with the elaboration of the statutes for the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary. In 1880, after refusing calls to Raab and Papa, Hirsch went to Prague as chief rabbi in succession to his former teacher Rapoport. Beingtoo conservative, and being unable to realize his ideals there, he accepted in 1889 the chief rabbinate of the Orthodox community of Hamburg, where he is still (1903) active. He founded the Jüdische Höhere Tochterschule, and has done much for the Talmud Torah school, whose spiritual head he is.