Letter on His Conversion

Daniel Khvolson

ca. 1855

A few days after receiving your precious letter of 5 November 1854, I began collating [the pages of my book], which took me until New Year’s eve to finish. But what a chasm in between! I began the work as a Jew and finished as a Christian [ . . . ]! As my first child lay dying from his circumcision, I made the initial decision to convert to…

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Creator Bio

Daniel Khvolson

1819–1911

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.

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.

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