Solomon Birnbaum

Solomon Birnbaum, also Salomo, Solomon A or Solomon Asher, (December 24, 1891, Vienna – December 28, 1989, Toronto) was a Yiddish linguist and Hebrew paleographer.

Career

Birnbaum was the oldest son of Nathan Birnbaum and Rosa Korngut. He served in World War I in the Austro-Hungarian Army, and then studied and attained a doctorate from the University of Würzburg. From 1922 to 1933, he filled the first worldwide Yiddish Chair at the University of Hamburg. After the rise of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) in Germany, Birnbaum escaped with his wife, Irene Gruenwald and his children to Great Britain.

From 1936 to 1957, Birnbaum was a lecturer on Hebrew paleography and epigraphy at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London. Starting in 1938, he taught Yiddish at the same time at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University of London. During World War II, Birmbaum worked in the postal censorship for the British authorities. In 1970, Birnbaum immigrated to Toronto (Canada).

Publications