Lehman Kahn (September 9, 1827 – February 4, 1915), also known by the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
L. K. Amitaï, was a Belgian Jewish educationist and writer.
Biography
Lehman Kahn was born in
Breisach
Breisach (formerly Altbreisach; Low Alemannic: ''Alt-Brisach'') is a town with approximately 16,500 inhabitants, situated along the Rhine in the Rhine Valley, in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about halfway b ...
,
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
, to
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
parents Sara () and David Kahn. He was educated at the
Progymnasium
''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school''. Bef ...
of Breisach and at the polytechnic school and the pedagogic seminary of
Carlsruhe.
After occupying the position of teacher in his native country and at the Jewish school of
Hegenheim,
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, Kahn was called to Brussels as principal of the Jewish school there (1855). He also taught singing and conducted the choir at the city's synagogue services. In October, 1863, he founded ''L'Institut International Kahn'', a school of commerce and modern languages.
Under the pseudonym L. K. Amitaï, he published essays on
intermarriage,
assimilation,
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
, and other topics of concern to the Jewish community.
Publications
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* Translated into Dutch, English, and German.
* Two pamphlets against the plan of the Brussels city administration to close the Jewish cemeteries.
* Awarded a prize by the Academy of Sciences of Brussels.
* Two pamphlets.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahn, Lehman
1827 births
1915 deaths
Belgian Jews
19th-century Belgian educators
Jewish writers
People from Breisach
School founders
Jewish educators