Ephraim Deinard
Ephraim Deinard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1846 |
| Died | 1930 |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, bibliographer, publicist, polemicist, historian, memoirist, writer, editor, publisher |
| Known for | Hebrew literature, Jewish history, bibliography, Zionism |
Ephraim Deinard (1846–1930) was a multifaceted figure in the Hebrew literary world—engaging as a bookseller, bibliographer, publicist, polemicist, historian, memoirist, writer, editor, and publisher. Over his career, he authored approximately 70 works addressing Jewish history, antiquities—particularly those related to Crimea, Russia, America, and the Holy Land—as well as critiques of Hasidism, Christianity, Communism, parodies, Hebrew literature, Jewish religious topics, and notably the lore surrounding books.
Deinard’s antiquarian pursuits took him extensively through Europe, the Orient, and the Americas, where he established connections with scholars, collectors, booksellers, and libraries. His vast erudition and incisive criticism are evident in his extensive Hebrew publications that span more than fifty years. These writings engage deeply with Jewish historical and literary debates prevalent before and after the First World War.
Publisher
Throughout his publishing career, Deinard brought forth a diverse array of Hebrew literature encompassing both medieval and contemporary works, American Hebrew authorship, and critical analyses of modern Hebrew prose. Having been active in Hebrew journalism from an early age, he initiated several short-lived periodicals—including one of the earliest Hebrew newspapers in America and a Zionist Yiddish publication based in Newark, New Jersey (no known copies remain). While his primary focus was Hebrew texts, he also issued Yiddish works by historian M. N. Litinsky during his tenure in Odessa, incorporating Yiddish titles into his catalogs and bibliographies. His later publication Devir Efrayim (post-1925) features a section dedicated to Yiddish following the establishment of the Yiddish Scientific Institute (YIVO).
Deinard’s books were printed in eleven different cities spanning Europe, Ottoman Palestine, and America—including Odessa, Pressburg, Warsaw, Vienna, New York City, Newark, Kearny, Jerusalem, Jaffa, St. Louis, and Arlington. During his lifetime, he was the most productive Hebrew author-publisher operating in New Jersey. In the latter part of his career, he produced sixteen volumes at the Moinester Press in St. Louis—a press primarily serving Eastern European immigrant rabbinic writers. Some of these St. Louis editions were nominally "published" in New Orleans—a hub for Hebraists where Deinard spent his final twelve years.
Several of Deinard’s publications rank among bibliophilic rarities—often printed in limited runs of 50 or 100 copies with some surviving only as unique specimens. Revitalizing older Hebrew printing customs, five titles were printed on colored papers (blue, green, red, yellow, gold), with two employing multiple hues and one entirely printed in red ink. Certain volumes display unusual dimensions—ranging from very small octavos to an oversized folio on gold paper dedicated to Moses Montefiore. The slender miniature Zemir `Aritsim, printed on colored sheets, is recognized as a significant curiosity within Hebrew bibliographic lore. Some editions include illustrative plates or fold-out leaves; for instance, Kundes features cartoons originally from Abraham Goldfaden’s pioneering illustrated Yiddish periodical. A handful of volumes showcase intricate typographic designs.
Following a tradition of fictitious imprints common in Hebrew publishing—especially within Eastern Europe—one work bears the imprint "Sodom," another "Boltunovka" ("Chatter-town"), though both were actually printed in Newark. Another rare edition on colored paper carries the imprint "Tsevu'im" ("the painted capital of hypocrites") "at the press of the Raziel the angel." Deinard’s idiosyncratic character is reflected through these bibliographical peculiarities: he created special copies featuring variant texts customized for individual recipients.
Polemics and Parodies
Deinard is recognized both as a bibliophile and a vigorous polemicist, with his writings primarily addressing disputes in religion, politics, and bibliography. He launched critiques against Hasidism and Christianity alike, while also confronting Communism, Reform Judaism, Kabbalah, Jewish apostates, and Karaism. Among his efforts was the republication of early anti-Hasidic texts like Zemir 'Aritsim and the Hebrew translation of Israel Ubel’s German invective. He curated several contentious manuscripts from the Bodleian Library and brought to light an unpublished anti-Hasidic manuscript by the Russian maskil Isaac Baer Levinsohn. His two-volume work Alatah contends that the Zohar is a fabrication and posits that Hasidism conceals elements of Catholicism. Additionally, he critiqued the early Hasidic historian Michael Levi Rodkinson.
Christianity constituted another significant target of Deinard’s criticism; over four decades, he released seven volumes of anti-Christian polemics beginning with medieval Judeo-Christian disputations. He republished Hasdai Crescas’ 14th-century Christian refutation, although his edition of an 18th-century anti-Christian text by David Nassy was destroyed in a fire. Deinard contested Jewish biographies of Jesus authored by Joseph Klausner and questioned Jesus' historical existence in his final book, A Zoo Without an Animal. His writings also condemned Jewish converts to Christianity, including the antiquarian Moses Wilhelm Shapira, who was known for controversial Biblical manuscript fragments.
Deinard’s literary prowess is showcased in his parodic works Kundes ("Prankster") and Ployderzak ("Chatterbox"), which emulate the style of earlier maskilic or anti-Hasidic literature. The latter satirizes defective contemporary Jewish journalism and ranks among the earliest Hebrew parodies composed in America around 1900.
Zionism
An ardent Hebraist and committed Zionist, Deinard actively participated in Jewish nationalist movements spanning three continents. He authored numerous publications concerning the Holy Land, Zionism, and Jewish nationalism throughout Russia, Europe, and America. His travel accounts across Ottoman Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Europe emphasize Jewish communities and political developments. Prior to emigrating in 1888, he published early works in Pressburg that addressed Jewish aliyah. Subsequent writings include critiques of Ottoman administration in Palestine, British policies, and a critical biography of proto-Zionist Anglo-Jewish patron Sir Moses Montefiore. While living under Ottoman rule in Palestine, Deinard issued manuscripts chronicling events such as late 18th-century anti-Jewish riots in Ancona, Italy. He also published S. Raffaeli’s illustrated overview of ancient Hebrew coins—the pioneering Hebrew publication on this subject.
Kohelet Amerika
Deinard’s most distinguished achievement is the two-volume Kohelet Amerika, which chronicles American Hebrew literary production from 1735 to 1926. He was the pioneer in concentrating on Hebrew books printed abroad by American writers. Yosef Goldman’s Hebrew Printing in America expands on this groundwork; Goldman has occasionally been referred to as "Deinard Junior" due to their comparable contributions.
Deinard also specialized in early Hebrew printing, focusing especially on post-incunabula from Italy as detailed in Atikot Yehudah. His extensive input into the history of Hebrew bibliography and printing is particularly notable concerning Eastern Europe. The prospectus for Deinard’s final library—later purchased by Harvard—includes a catalog of ceremonial Judaica that eventually became part of the Smithsonian collections.
Libraries Featuring Deinard's Works
Deinard's publications are scattered across libraries worldwide, with no single institution possessing a complete compilation; several editions are notably scarce. The most extensive assembly is believed to be the Yosef Goldman Collection located in New York. Additionally, the private collection of Pini Dunner in Los Angeles contains an almost full range of volumes, including rare pieces that critique Deinard.
Prominent repositories holding substantial collections of Deinard's materials include the Hebrew Union College libraries in Cincinnati and Los Angeles, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, as well as Harvard University Library, which benefits from donations by Lucius Nathan Littauer and houses these works within its Widener and Houghton libraries.