Chaim Schirmann

Chaim (Jefim) Schirmann (born October 19, 1904 in Kiev ; died June 15, 1981 ) was an Israeli scholar. His research focus was the medieval Jewish fiction of Spain, Provence and Italy.

Life

Growing up in the Russian Empire, the family moved to Germany due to the consequences of the October Revolution in 1920. So it came about that Schirmann was only able to decide to attend a grammar school in 1924. By 1928, however, his dissertation, The Hebrew Translation of the Maqamen des Hariri (Frankfurt am Main 1930), was ready for printing . A short time later, Schirmann was able to start work at the newly founded Schocken Institute for research into medieval Hebrew poetry at the invitation of the director, Chaim Brody . After the " seizure of power " by the National Socialists , both emigrated to Jerusalem , where the institute was able to continue its work and the contributions have not appeared in German since. In 1937, Schirmann received an invitation as a guest lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem , where he was appointed Professor of Medieval Hebrew Poetry in 1952. In this area, he has done both the edition of the works of individual authors and his monumental complete work, the two-volume History of Hebrew Poetry , which was published posthumously by Ezra Fleischer . In 1957, Schirmann received the Israel Prize for Jewish Studies, and in 1964 he was elected to the Academy of Sciences . He retired in 1968.

Works (in selection)

• The Hebrew translation of the Maqamen des Hariri (Writings of the Society for the Advancement of the Science of Judaism 37). Frankfurt am Main: J. Kauffmann 1930.
• מבחר השירה העברית באיטליה [ Anthology of Hebrew Poetry in Italy ]. Berlin: Schocken 1934.
• השירה העברית בספרד ובפרובאנס [ Hebrew poetry in Spain and Provence ]. 2 volumes Jerusalem 1954/56.
• תולדות השירה העברית בספרד המוסלמית [ The History of Hebrew Poetry in Muslim Spain. Edited, Supplemented and Annotated by Ezra Fleischer. ] Jerusalem: Magnes 1995. ISBN 965-223-914-3 (Hebrew)
• תולדות השירה העברית בספרד הנוצרית ובדרום צרפת [ The History of Hebrew Poetry in Christian Spain and Southern France. Edited, Supplemented and Annotated by Ezra Fleischer ]. Jerusalem: Magnes 1997. ISBN 965-223-963-1 (Hebrew)

literature

• Isaac E. Barzilay: Hayyim (Jefim) Schirmann (1904-1981). In: Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research 49 (1982), pp. XXV-XXXI.
• Adina Hoffman & Peter Cole: Sacred Trash. The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Genizah. New York 2011, pp. 169-178; 270-272