Daniel Khvolson
Born in Vilna (Vilnius), Daniel Khvolson (Khvol’son) received a traditional Jewish religious education. He moved to Riga and then was invited to complete his studies in Breslau, where he learned German, French, and Russian. Upon converting to Christianity in 1855, he became a professor of Hebrew and Syriac studies at the University of St. Petersburg. His Die Sabier un der Sabismus (1856) not only established his expertise in Semitic studies, but also helped shape Russian-language scholarship in that field. Despite his conversion, he defended Jews against blood libels and helped to win their acquittal in numerous cases.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
Letter on His Conversion
Primary Source
The Semitic Nations
Related Guide
Life Writing: Biography, Autobiography, and Ego Documents, 1750–1880
The famous and the obscure, women and men, in epitaphs and private letters, ethical wills, cookbooks, and religious reflections, all reflect aspects of Jewish life in a period of great transition.