Neumann, Joachim

Neumann, Joachim a noted German educator and Hebraist, was born at Brody, in Austrian Poland, in the year 1778 or 1779, of Jewish parentage. Up to his thirteenth year he received his education in the house of his father, which he then left for Posell, where he was enabled to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. Towards the end of the last century he obtained an appointment as teacher in a celebrated Jewish school at Dessau, where he remained until the year 1807. During his residence there he took part with three other learned Jews in publishing a German translation of the twelve minor prophets, which was accompanied by a Hebrew commentary. At that time a great change had taken place among the Jews living in different parts of Prussia with regard to their social position. About the year 1790 the king of Prussia granted the Jews who had obtained permission to live in Breslau an exemption from the taxes which had formerly been imposed on them when obtaining such permission, on the condition that they should establish a. school for the poor children of their community. This led to the founding of William School in 1791, and in 1807 Neumann was invited to become the head master and inspector of that school. For about nineteen years he had charge of that institution, i.e., from 1807 to 1826. During his connection with this school Neumann had been on terms of the most intimate friendship with professors Steffens and Scheibel, who were the means of bringing him to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ. Satisfied of the necessity of accepting Christ as the Messiah, he was baptized on April 16, 1826, together with his wife and three sons, in the parish church of St. Elizabeth, by professor Scheibel, having as one of the sponsors professor Braniss, of the University of Breslau, his brother-in- law. Neumann was now engaged as a teacher of Hebrew in the university, in which, besides professor Braniss, professor Fischer, professor of chemistry-another brother-in-law of his were distinguishing themselves. Neumann died suddenly, March 3, 1865. His second son is now professor of medicine in the University of Breslau. Neumann wrote, besides his Commentary on Amos, Nahum, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, which was published at Dessau in 1805, under the title, ת8א וּבַאוּר קצָת תּרֵי עֲסִר עַם, a Hebrew Chrestomathy in 2 volumes. (Breslau, 1821). See Furst, Bibl Jud. 3:30; Steinschneider, Bibliographisches Handbuch (Leipsic, 1859), page 101; Jewish Intelligencer, 1865. (B.P.)