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Jakob Hoffmann Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 2017

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains a variety of documents by and about Jakob Hoffmann, including many articles, speeches, and responsa. The speech given in 1904 on the occasion of Theodor Herzl's death may be found in folder 2. The material in folder 6 includes the program for the 1953 Testimonial Dinner of the World Federation of Jews of Hungarian Descent. Most documents are photocopies.

Dates

  • Creation: 1904-1985

Creator

Language of Materials

This collection is in German, English, Hebrew, Yiddish and Hungarian.

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Access Information

Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:

Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Biographical Note

Jakob Hoffmann (later Jacob Hoffman) was born in 1881 in Pápa, Hungary. He studied at the Pressburg Yeshiva (today Bratislava) and received his rabbinical ordination in 1905/1906. From 1906 to 1908 he served as rabbi of the Montefiore congregation in Vienna, then became rabbi in Kostel, Moravia (today Podivín, Czech Republic) until 1912, when he accepted the position as chief rabbi in the Bukovina town of Radautz. During WWI he served as chief field rabbi in the southern region. Following the war he continued to serve in Radautz (now Rădăuţi ) which had now become part of Romania. In 1923 he was offered the position of Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Frankfurt am Main. Here he held the rabbinical office from 1923 to 1937 and was elected to serve on the Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden. In 1937 he was arrested by the Gestapo. As a Hungarian national, his release was negotiated and he was expelled from Germany, whereupon he left for the United States hoping to raise money for the Jews in Germany. In New York he was elected rabbi of Ohab Zedek where he served until 1953. In 1954 he moved to Israel together with his wife, Recha Hoffmann nee Schlesinger. In addition to his rabbinical studies in Bratislava, he completed a PhD at the University of Vienna in 1919. He was also awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Yeshiva University in 1951. Hoffmann was a founding member of the Mizrachi organization in the Bukovina and active in the movement throughout his life. He died in 1956 in Tel Aviv.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet

Abstract

The collection contains a variety of documents by and about Jakob Hoffmann, including many articles, speeches, and responsa.

Other Finding Aid

A partial inventory of the collection's contents may be found in folder 1.

Title
Guide to the Jakob Hoffmann Collection, 1904-1985  AR 2017
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Julie Dawson
Date
© 2012
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • July 20, 2012 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

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