É. Apor (ed.): David Kaufmann Memorial Volume: Papers Presented at the David Kaufmann Memorial Conference, November 29, 1999, Budapest.

ORMOS, István: David Kaufmann and his Collection

ISTVÁN ORMOS harsh, cold and unfriendly person, while the tender, sensitive and affectionate mother nourished the young boy's thirst for knowledge, which manifested itself rather early. Extremely tender and tight bonds existed between Kaufmann and his mother throughout all his life.

4 The bright boy attended the local Jewish elementary school between 1856 and 1860 and then the Piarist grammar school at Kremsier

5 as private pupil between 1860 and 1867. In addition to his regular subjects, he also did well at Jewish studies, which he pursued privately. At Easter 1867 the family had to decide on the boy's future and the choice fell on the study of theology, in conformity with the mother's wishes, although the father would have preferred agriculture to be the vocation of his elder son. So the boy entered the secondary school of the Jewish Theological Seminary at Breslau" in nearby Prussian Silesia and studied in that town for not less than ten years altogether. Meanwhile he spent a semester (1869) in the Lutheran secondary school at Teschen in Austrian Silesia, obtaining an Austrian Abitur there.

7 As an Austrian subject he was thus exempted from military service and had the right to do a one-year voluntary service instead. He obtained an Abitur at Breslau too, but that was not recognized in Austria in those days. It was in fact Kaufmann who, after his return to Breslau, drafted a petition in the name of all the Austrian students at Breslau and sent it to the Imperial-Royal War Ministry in Vienna requesting the recognition of the Abitur obtained at the Breslau Seminary and its validity for the exemption from military service replacing it with a one-year voluntary service. The request was granted.

8 Subsequently he moved into the "upper course" of the Seminary, consisting of subjects on Jewish theology only. At the same time he also enrolled at Breslau University, attending lectures in the fields of the natural sciences, philosophy (Dilthey) and oriental studies. Meanwhile he attended lectures in Arabic studies at Leipzig University during the summer semester of 1874, subsequently obtaining a doctorate there. His thesis dealt with the system of religious philosophy of Saadia al-Fayyumi (lOthc.).'' The formal conclusion of his studies at Breslau took place on 28 January 1877. By 1876, however, he had already applied for the post of the rabbi of the Berlin community, although a practical occupation of this kind did not really suit his inclinations and skills. The "test sermons" he delivered during the great festivals in Berlin were an overwhelming success, although some expressions and certain remarks made in private conversations convinced the reform-minded members Róza (Rose) married Lajos (Ludwig) KÖNIG of Budapest. The grandson of the latter, dr. Béla BAKONYI

, lives with his family and descendants in Budapest now. 4 She died in 1906 at the age of 84. See the note [Anon.,] Kaufmann Dávid édes anyja [David Kaufmann's mother] = Magyar-Zsidó Szemle 23 (1906) 380. 5 Present-day Kroméríz in the Czech Republic. 6 Present-day Wroclaw in Poland. 7 Present-day Cesky Tésín in the Czech Republic. 126