Marcus Hyman Bresslau (1807/8 – 14 May 1864) was a

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

-born English

Hebraist A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...

, editor, author, and journalist.

Biography

He was born to Gutel and Ḥayyim Bresslau in Breslau, Germany, and moved to London as a youth. He received a traditional

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cu ...

, and at some point became influenced by the ideas of the

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

. For a time he taught

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

at the Westminster Jews' Free School, and worked as ''

baal keriah A baal keriah (Hebrew: , 'master of the reading'), colloquially called the baal korei (Hebrew: , 'master-reader'), is a member of a Jewish congregation who reads from the Sefer Torah during the service. As there are no niqqud, punctuation, or c ...

'' at the Western Synagogue, at which he occasionally delivered sermons. He then became connected with the ''Hebrew Review'', which ran under the editorship of Morris J. Raphall from 1834 to 1836. He became editor of the '' Jewish Chronicle'' in October 1844, when the periodical was revived by Joseph Mitchell. As editor, he advocated for

popular education Popular education is a concept grounded in notions of class, political struggle, and social transformation. The term is a translation from the Spanish educación popular or the Portuguese educação popular and rather than the English usage ...

, for a more effective system of Jewish communal

poor relief In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

, and for certain changes to

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

liturgy and ritual. He resigned in October 1850 after disputes with Mitchell, but on the latter's suicide in June 1854, he re-assumed the editorship and became sole proprietor, though he sold it a few months afterward. Some years later he tried to revive the ''Hebrew Review'', but failed, and he then retired from active work. Bresslau was the author of a Hebrew grammar and dictionary. From the German he translated devotional exercises for women, and copied various Hebrew manuscripts in the collection at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He helped to translate into English the two volumes of "Miscellanea" from the

Bodleian The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

, edited by

Hirsch Edelmann Hirsch Edelmann (1805 – 20 November 1858) was a Russian Jewish author and editor. Born in Swislocz, in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus), he was the son of a rabbinical scholar, and received a good Talmudical education, which he later ...

. Bresslau also publicly criticised the

London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ) (formerly the London Jews' Society and the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews) is an Anglican missionary society founded in 1809. History The society began in the early 19th ...

, and wrote of the denial of Jews' rights in England. Bresslau declined numerous offers of employment within the Jewish community, and he lived his later years dependent on charity. A public subscription and testimonial were presented him during this time, in recognition of a thirty-year literary activity.

Partial bibliography

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Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bresslau, Marcus Hyman 1800s births 1864 deaths 19th-century British Jews 19th-century English educators English newspaper editors English people of German-Jewish descent German emigrants to England Grammarians of Hebrew Hebrew–English translators Jewish lexicographers Journalists from London Journalists from Wrocław Writers from Wrocław 19th-century lexicographers Year of birth uncertain