Max Schloessinger

Max Schloessinger (September 4, 1877 – May 9, 1944) was a German Jewish scholar who worked in America, Germany, the Netherlands, and Mandatory Palestine.

Life

Schloessinger was born on September 4, 1877, in Heidelberg, Germany, the son of Jacob Schloessinger and Brunette Oppenheimer.{{Cite book |url=https://google.com/books/edition/American_Jewish_Year_Book/CbQyAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Schloessinger |title=The American Jewish Year Book, 5665 |publisher=The Jewish Publication Society of America |year=1904 |editor-last=Adler |editor-first=Cyrus |editor-link=Cyrus Adler |location=Philadelphia, P.A. |pages=182 |language=en |editor-last2=Szold |editor-first2=Henrietta |editor-link2=Henrietta Szold |via=Google Books}}

Schloessinger attended the Heidelberg public school and gymnasium. He then went to the Heidelberg University, the University of Vienna, the University of Berlin (graduating from there with a Ph.D. in 1901), the Israelitisch-Theologische Lehranstalt in Vienna, the Veitel-Heine-Ephraim'sche Lehranstalt, and the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums in Berlin (where he was ordained a rabbi in 1903). In 1903, he went to America and joined the editorial staff of The Jewish Encyclopedia in New York City.{{Cite web |last1=Adler |first1=Cyrus |author-link=Cyrus Adler |last2=Haneman |first2=Frederick T. |author-link2=Frederick T. Haneman |title=SCHLOESSINGER, MAX |url=https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13284-schloessinger-max |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=The Jewish Encyclopedia}}

In 1904, Schloessinger resigned as office editor of The Jewish Encyclopedia to join Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, as its Professor of Biblical Exegesis and Librarian.{{Cite news |date=30 July 1904 |title=Domestic News |url=https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/refadv/1904/07/30/01/article/1/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1 |work=The Reform Advocate |location=Chicago, I.L. |page=572 |via=Historical Jewish Press |volume=XXVII |issue=23}} He, Max Margolis, and Henry Malter all resigned from the College in 1907 due to their support for Zionism.{{Cite news |date=5 April 1917 |title=DOMESTIC |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91052361/1907-04-05/ed-1/seq-4/ |work=The Jewish Outlook |location=Denver, C.O. |page=4 |via=Chronicling America |volume=IV |issue=23}} Schloessinger returned to Germany afterwards and began a successful import-export business. He then moved to the Netherlands shortly after the outbreak of World War I for business reasons. Active in the Dutch Zionist movement, he served as director of the Jewish National Fund.{{Cite web |title=Schloessinger, Max |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/schloessinger-max |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Encyclopedia.com}} He resided in The Hague.{{Cite web |title=Bevolkingsregister met Max Schlössinger |url=https://www.wiewaswie.nl/nl/detail/107131795 |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=WieWasWie}}

Schloessinger immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1930. He was friends with Hebrew University president Judah Leon Magnes since they were students at the University of Berlin and was involved with Hebrew University since it was founded in 1925.{{Cite news |date=14 May 1944 |title=DR. MAX SCHLOESSINGER |url=https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/pls/1944/05/14/01/article/13/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1 |work=The Palestine Post |page=2 |edition=Late |publication-place=Jerusalem, Israel |via=Historical Jewish Press |volume=XIX |issue=5486}} He became a member of the University's Board of Governors in 1925 and the Executive Council in 1935, and from 1930 to 1935 he was acting chancellor. He retired in 1939 and moved to the United States, settling in New York City.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XZ4YAAAAIAAJ&q=Schloessinger |title=The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia |publisher=The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. |year=1943 |editor-last=Landman |editor-first=Isaac |editor-link=Isaac Landman |volume=9 |location=New York, N.Y. |pages=410 |language=en |via=Google Books}}

In 1910, Schloessinger married Dr. Miriam C. Schaar, chief of the Bureau of School Hygiene in Cincinnati.{{Cite news |date=1 April 1910 |title=TIE ACROSS OCEAN |url=https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/temple/1910/04/01/01/article/7/?e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI--------------1 |work=The Temple |location=Louisville, K.Y. |page=284 |via=Historical Jewish Press |volume=II |issue=13}} They had a daughter, Hadassah."New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24KL-KVJ : Sun Mar 10 17:25:31 UTC 2024), Entry for Hadassah Schloessinger, 1937.

Schloessinger died at Mount Sinai Hospital on May 9, 1944. He was buried in Westchester Hills Cemetery.{{Cite web |date=9 May 1944 |title=D-M-1944-0011025 |url=https://a860-historicalvitalrecords.nyc.gov/view/7272037 |website=The NYC Historical Vital Records Project}}