Samuel Klein ( he, שמואל קליין; lived 17 November 1886 – 21 April 1940) was a Hungarian-born rabbi, historian and

historical geographer Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. It is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with history, anthropology, eco ...

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

Biography

Born in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

to Idel Hertzfeld and to Avraham Zvi Klein, a rabbi of Szilas-Balhas in western Hungary, he initially received a traditional Jewish education (1893–1897), graduating from the Government Gymnasium at Budapest in 1905. From there he went on to study at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Berlin where he was ordained in the rabbinate. From 1906 to 1909, he was enrolled at the Hochschule für Wissenschaft des Judentums, and in the

Friedrich-Wilhelm University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of ...

of Berlin, before advancing to

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

where he wrote a thesis entitled: ''Beiträge zur Geographie und Geschichte Galiläas'' (Leipzig 1909) (Contributions to the Geography and History of Galilee), his first important contributions to the science of Historical Topography of the Holy Land. In it, he gave an incisive analysis of the topographical and historical material preserved in the liturgical poems of Kalir, and by which novel work he received in 1909 his PhD. He served as a rabbi in the city of

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, ed ...

in Bosnia from 1909 to 1913, during which time, in 1911, the ''Association for Jewish Studies'' in Berlin awarded him a research grant of 500

Marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

which enabled him to conduct research in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. After he had taken a wife in 1913, he then served as the rabbi of the town of Érsekújvár (

Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; hu, Érsekújvár; german: Neuhäus ; la, Novum Castrum; tr, Uyvar) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, ...

) (1913-1928). During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Klein was conscripted in the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

army as a rabbi, and became the patron and benefactor of some 200 refugees who came to Nové Zámky in search of a new life. In 1924, Klein became the first professor of the newly opened ''Institute of Jewish Studies'', which was to form part of the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. In 1927, Klein was an instructor at the ''Hebrew Pedagogical Institute'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, an institute involved in training of Hebrew teachers for the countries of Central Europe and the Balkans. In 1929 he immigrated to

where he began work as Professor of Geography of the Land of Israel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and worked in this capacity until his death. While at the Hebrew University, Klein was chairperson of the ''Historical Topography of Palestine''. He is the author of many books and articles, both in Hebrew and in German, mostly treating on the subject of

historical geography Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. It is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with history, anthropology, eco ...

. Klein's research on the geography of the Land of Israel has helped promote a greater understanding of the map of ancient Israel /

, and whose works have been incorporated in Hebrew schools in the Diaspora and in Israel.

Death and legacy

In Mandatory Palestine, he became a member of the Hebrew Language Committee, as well as participated in committees on Geography and Archaeology. In his final years, he served as the President of the

Jewish Palestine Exploration Society The Israel Exploration Society (''IES'') (Hebrew:החברה לחקירת ארץ ישראל ועתיקותיה - Hakhevra Lekhakirat Eretz Yisrael Va'atikoteha), originally the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, is a society devoted to histori ...

, a consortium of British Mandate scholars. He died at the age of 53 in his home in the

Bukharim quarter The Bukharan Quarter ( he, שכונת הבוכרים, ''Shkhunat HaBukharim''), also HaBukharim Quarter or Bukharim Quarter, is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, Israel. The neighborhood was established by Bukharan Jews of the Old Yishu ...

of Jerusalem on the eve of Passover, 1940, and was buried at the cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Yitzhak Ben-Zvi ( he, יִצְחָק בֶּן־צְבִי‎ ''Yitshak Ben-Tsvi''; 24 November 188423 April 1963) was a historian, Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist leader and the longest-serving President of Israel. Biography Born in Poltava in the ...

William F. Albright William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891– September 19, 1971) was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist, and expert on ceramics. He is considered "one of the twentieth century's most influential American biblical scholars." ...

, and

David Yellin David Yellin (; March 19, 1864 – December 12, 1941) was an educator, a researcher of the Hebrew language and literature, a politician, one of the leaders of the Yishuv, the founder of the first Hebrew College for Teachers, one of the founders ...

wrote moving eulogies of the man upon his death. In the words of Albright: "Samuel Klein represents Jewish philological research at its best; his erudition was exhaustive, covering Graeco-Roman as well as Hebrew and Aramaic sources; his critical judgment was sound and highly developed; his acumen and insight into complex historical and topographical situations were unsurpassed among specialists in the field." Klein's greatest contribution to scholastic research is his identification of old

place names Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

during the classical period, drawn principally from the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

Tosefta The Tosefta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah. Overview In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, and from the writings of

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

in transliterated Greek form, as well as from other

epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

texts of antiquity.

Published works (partial list)

* Samuel Klein (n.d.). ''Weinstock, Feigenbaum und Sykomore in Palästina'' (The Vine, Fig Tree and Sycamore in Palestine), (publisher unknown) * ''

Ditto DITTO is a company that sells software that aids eyewear companies sell their products online using virtual fitting. Originally DITTO was a retailer that sold designer prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. The company is based in San Francisco, ...

'' (1908). "Der hebräische Name der Battof-Ebene", in: ''

Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins The ''Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins'' (English: ''Journal of the German Society for Exploration of Palestine'') is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on the cultural history of the Southern Levant. It is pub ...

'' (ZDPV – Journal of the German Society for Exploration of Palestine) * ''

'' (1909). "Barajta der vierundzwanzig Priesterabteilungen" (Baraitta of the Twenty-Four Priestly Divisions), in: ''Beiträge zur Geographie und Geschichte Galiläas'', Leipzig (reprinted in Vienna in 1924) () * ''

'' (1909). ''Galiläa - Beiträge zur Geschichte und Geographie Galiläas'' (Contributions to the History and Geography of Galilee), Rudolf Haupt: Leipzig * ''

'' (1910). ''Zur Topographie des alten Palästina: (Ergänzungen und Berichtigungen zu Thomsens Loca sancta)'', Wiesbaden * ''

'' (1912). "The Estates of R. Juda Ha-Nasi", in: JQR * ''

'' (1914). "Das Ostjordanland in den halachischen Midraschim" (The East Bank of the Jordan in Halakhic Midrashim), in: ''Festschrift D. Hoffman'', Berlin * ''

'' (1915). "Hebräische Ortsnamen bei Josephus" (Hebrew place names in Josephus), in: '' MGWJ'' (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism), vol. 59, Breslau () * ''

'' (1915). "Tiberias" (טבריא), in: ''Ha-Zofeh me-Eretz Hagar'' (הצופה מארץ הגר), vol. 4, pp. 49–64 * ''

'' (1917). "Zur Geographie Palästinas in der Zeit der Mischna" (On the Geography of Palestine in the time of the Mishnah), in '' MGWJ'' (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism), vol. 61, issue 4/6, in: ''Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums'', pp. 133–149 () * ''

'' (1920). ''Jüdisch-Palästinisches Corpus Inscriptionum'' (Jewish-Palestinian Inscriptions), Vienna and Berlin * ''

'' (1922). ''Eretz Yisrael: Geography of Israel for High Schools and for the People'' (ארץ ישראל—גיאוגרפיה של ארץ ישראל לבתי ספר תיכוניים ולעם), Menorah: Vienna * ''

'' (1922). ''Jeschurun'' * ''

'' (1923). ''Palästina-Studien'' (מחקרים ארצישראליים), in 3 volumes, Menorah: Vienna * ''

'' (1923). "Neue Beiträge zur Geschichte und Geographie Galiläas" (New Contributions to the History and Geography of Galilee), in: ''Palästina-Studien'' (vol. 1, issue 1), Menorah: Vienna () * ''

'' (1923). "The Topography of the Land of Israel" (החומר הטופוגרפי לא"י), in: Ishtori Haparchi's ''Kaftor Vaferach'' ("Book of Button and Flower"), Budapest * ''

'' (1923). "Derekh Hof Hayam" ("Die Küstenstrasse Palästinas" - ''The coastal road of Palestine''), in: ''Written Works of the University and Library in Jerusalem'', Jerusalem * ''

'' (1923). "Drei Ortsnamen in Galiläa" ("Three place names in Galilee"), in: '' MGWJ'' (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism), vol. 67, issue 7/9, in: ''Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums'', pp. 202–205 () * ''

'' (1925). ''Jewish Transjordan: From the time of the Second Temple until the last century of the Middle Ages'' (עבר הירדן היהודי: מזמן בית שני עד המאה האחרונה של ימי הביניים), Menorah: Vienna * ''

'' (1926). ''Three Good Gifts'' (שלש מתנות טובות), Jerusalem * ''

'' (1927). "Meḥqarim be-firqē hay-yaḥas šeb-be-sēfer diḇrē yay-yāmīm" (), in: '' Zion: Me’asef'' II, p. 9 * ''

'' (1928). "Galiläa von der Makkabäerzeit bis 67" (Galilee of the Maccabees until 67), in: ''Palästina-Studien'' (vol. 1, issue 4), Vienna () * ''

'' (1928). "Four Ancient Palestinian Place-names", in: ''Yerushalayim'' (ירושלים), Journal of the Jewish Palestinian Exploration Society, vol. in memory of A.M. Lunce, Jerusalem * ''

'' (1928). ''Studies on the Genealogical Chapters in the Book of Chronicles'' (מחקרים בפרקי היחס שבספר דברי-הימים), Jerusalem * ''

'' (1929). "Zur Midrasch-und Palästinaforschung" (On Midrash and Palestine research), in: ''Palästina-Studien'' (vol. 2, issue 2), Berlin * ''

'' (1929). "Das tannaitische Grenzverzeichnis Palästinas" (The Tannaitic Boundary Index of Palastina), in: '' HUCA'' V (German) (reprint from 1928 Menorah: Vienna - Berlin, published in ''Palästina Studien'') () * ''

'' (1930). "Narbatta und die jűdischen Siedlungen westlich von Samaria" (Narbatta and the Jewish settlements west of Samaria), in '' MGWJ'' (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism); ''Palästina-Studien'' (vol. 2. issue 6) () * ''

'' (1930). "Notes on Topography" (לטופוגרפיה), in: ''

Tarbiẕ Tarbiẕ () was a scientific quarterly of contemporary Jewish studies, Humanities and religion, published in Hebrew, by the Institute of Jewish Studies (now ''Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies'') at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The journ ...

'' (Journal), Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies: Jerusalem, pp. 127–131 (Hebrew) () () * ''

'' (1931). "Yanuh", in: ''Encyclopedia Judaica'', vol. 8, p. 575 * ''

'' (1931). "Inschriftliches aus Jaffa" (Inscriptions from Jaffa), in '' MGWJ'' 75 (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism) * ''

'' (1933). ''The Twenty-four City Councils in Judea'' (ארבע ועשרים בולאות שביהודה), Vienna (in memory of R. Zvi Peretz Chayot) * ''

'' (1933). ''Those leaving the Land of Israel or Babyloniaref>Lit. "those going down" and Rabbah the son of Bar Hana'' (''On the subject of Eretz Israel'') �'נחותי' ורבה בר בר חנה - על ענייני ארץ ישראל Jerusalem * ''

'' (1934). "Notes on History of Large Estates in Palestine" (לקורות "האריסות הגדולה" בארץ ישראל), in: (Journal) ''Yediot - Bulletin of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society'' (ידיעות החברה לחקירת ארץ-ישראל ועתיקותיה), Volume 1, Jerusalem, pp. 3–9 * ''

'' (1934). "The Cities of the Priests and the Levites, and the Cities of Refuge" (ערי הכהנים והלויים וערי מקלט), in: ''Qovetz'': Journal of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, Jerusalem - Tel-Aviv ebrew * ''

'' (1934). ''"

Itinerarium Burdigalense The ''Itinerarium Burdigalense'' ("Bordeaux Itinerary"), also known as the ''Itinerarium Hierosolymitanum'' ("Jerusalem Itinerary"), is the oldest known Christian ''itinerarium''. It was written by the "Pilgrim of Bordeaux", an anonymous pilgrim ...

"'' ("Bordeaux Itinerary"), in: Journal: ''

Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Names ...

'' O.S. 6 * ''

'' (1935). "On the Kings of Canaan" (לפרשת מלכי כנען), in: ''Qovetz'': Journal of the

, 2nd year, volumes 1–4 * ''

'' (1935). ''The History of the Jewish Settlement of Palestine, from the Redaction of the Talmud to the Palestine Settlement Movement'' (תולדות הישוב היהודי בארץ-ישראל: מחתימת התלמוד עד תנועת ישוב ארץ ישראל) Reprinted post-mortem in Tel-Aviv 1950 * ''

'' (1935). "Remarks, Julis.", in: ''Yediot - Bulletin of the

'' (ידיעות החברה לחקירת ארץ-ישראל ועתיקותיה). * ''

'' (1937). ''The History of Palestine Exploration in Hebrew and Universal Literature'' (תולדות חקירת ארץ ישראל בספרות העברית והכללית) * ''

'' (1937). ''The Question of the Torah in the Words of the Prophets'' (לשאלת דברי התורה בפי הנביאים), Budapest * ''

'' (1937). Cities Enclosed by a Wall from the Time of Joshua bin Nun (ערים מוקפות חומה מימות יהושע בן נון), Jerusalem * ''

'' (1937). ''"Vitae Prophetorum"'' (Life of the Prophet), ''Sefer Klausner'' * ''

'' (1938). "The Letter of Rabbi Menahem of Hebron", in: ''Bulletin of the Jewish Palestinian Exploration Society'' (BJPES) VI * ''

'' (1938). "Some Notes on the Excavations at Beth Sheʿarim (''Sheikh Abreiq'')" (הערות אחדות למאמריהם של מייזלר ושובה על החפירות בבית שערים), ''Yediot - Bulletin of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society'', vol. 5, pp. 109–116 * ''

'' (1938). "A Chapter in Palestine Research towards the End of the Second Temple", in: ''Magnes Anniversary Book'' (edd. Jacob N. Epstein, ''et al.''), Jerusalem, pp. 216–223 * ''

'' (1939). ''Sefer Ha-Yishuv'' (ספר הישוב) (The Book of the Yishuv: A treasure of information and records, inscriptions and memoirs, preserved in Israel and in the people in the Hebrew language and in other languages on the settlement of the Land of Israel), 2 vols,

Bialik Institute Bialik Institute ( he, מוסד ביאליק, ''Mosad Bialik'') is a research institution and publishing house, mostly dealing with the history and culture of the Hebrew language. It was established in 1935 by the World Zionist Executive and the ...

: Jerusalem / Devir Publishers: Tel-Aviv () * ''

'' (1939). "Comments on the Words of Israel's Sages" (הערות לדברי חז"ל), in: Journal ''Sinai'' (ed. Y.L. Hacohen Fishman), Jerusalem ebrew* ''

'' (1939). ''Judaea: from the Return of the Babylonian Exiles to the Redaction of the Talmud'' ( ארץ יהודה: מימי העליה מבבל עד חתימת התלמוד), Devir: Tel-Aviv * ''

'' (1939). "Targumische Elemente in der Deutung biblischer Ortsnamen bei Hieronymus" (Aramaic Translation Elements in the Interpretation of Biblical Place Names by Jerome), in: ''Monatsschrift für Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums'' ( MGWJ), Jahrg. 83 (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism) * ''

'' (1945). ''Land of the Galilee: From the Time of Babylonian Immigration until the Redaction of the Talmud'', ed. Yehuda Elitzur,

Mossad Harav Kook Mossad HaRav Kook ( he, מוסד הרב קוק, "Rabbi Kook Institute") is a religious research foundation and publishing house based in Jerusalem. Mossad Harav Kook is named after Abraham Isaac Kook, the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British ...

: Jerusalem (reprinted in 1949; published post-mortem) * ''

'' (1950). ''Toledot ha-Yishuv'', Tel-Aviv (reprinted from 1935 edition, published post-mortem) * ''

'' (1965). ''The Borders of the Land - Researches'' (Heb. גבולות הארץ - מחקרים), co-edited with Naphtali Zvi (Hirsch) Hildesheimer, Jerusalem. Published post-mortem () * ''

'' (1971). "Jüdisch-palästinisches Corpus Inscriptionum" (Jewish-Palestinian Inscriptions), in: ''Ossuar-, Grab-, und Synagogeninschriften'' (Ossuary, Tomb, and Synagogue Inscriptions), published post-mortem, a reprint of 1920 Vienna edition

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Samuel 1886 births 1940 deaths Mandatory Palestine Historical geographers Hebrew University of Jerusalem faculty Palestinologists Hungarian Jews Hungarian emigrants to Israel Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives Rabbis in Jerusalem Topographers Epigraphers Rabbis in Mandatory Palestine