Sigmund Feist
Encyclopedia
Sigmund Feist was a German Jewish pedagogue and historical linguist. He was the author of the Germanic substrate hypothesis
as well as a number of important works concerning Jewish ethnic and racial identity
. Feist served as the director of the Jewish Reichenheim Orphanage in Berlin
from 1906 to 1935. In 1907 he became a member of the Gesellschaft der Freunde society.
Feist emigrated to Denmark
in 1939 where he died four years later.
Several of the soldiers who wrote the letters later went on to attain notoriety in academic circles, an example being Hermann Teuchert
.
The collected correspondence has been archived in the Centrum Judaicum of the New Synagogue in Berlin since 1995. The letters were published as a collection in 2002.
Germanic substrate hypothesis
The Germanic substrate hypothesis is an attempt to explain the distinctive nature of the Germanic languages within the context of the Indo-European language family...
as well as a number of important works concerning Jewish ethnic and racial identity
Jewish identity
Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under the broader definition, the Jewish identity does not depend on whether or not a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an external set of religious, or legal, or...
. Feist served as the director of the Jewish Reichenheim Orphanage in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from 1906 to 1935. In 1907 he became a member of the Gesellschaft der Freunde society.
Feist emigrated to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1939 where he died four years later.
Correspondence with Jewish soldiers during WWI
As director of the Reichenheim Orphanage, Feist established and maintained close relationships with his wards, 77 of whom corresponded with him during their time of service in the First World War. The correspondence consists of 745 letters which Feist received between the years 1914 and 1918, and offers a glimpse into the lives of Jewish soldiers who served in World War I.Several of the soldiers who wrote the letters later went on to attain notoriety in academic circles, an example being Hermann Teuchert
Hermann Teuchert
Hermann August Teuchert was a German historical linguist.Teuchert was born in Loppow In 1920 he was granted the newly created professorship for Low German Philology at the University of Rostock and served in this position until 1946...
.
The collected correspondence has been archived in the Centrum Judaicum of the New Synagogue in Berlin since 1995. The letters were published as a collection in 2002.
Works in Historical Linguistics and (Indo-)Germanic Studies
- Einführung in das Gotische (1922)
- Etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache (1923)
- Vergleichende Wörterbuch der Gotischen Sprache mit Einschluss des Krimgotischen und sonstiger zerstreuter Überreste des Gotischen (1923)
- Indogermanen und Germanen (1924)
- Germanen und Kelten in der antiken Überlieferung (1925)
Works in Jewish History and Ethnicity
- Stammeskunde der Juden. Die jüdischen Stämme der Erde in alter und neuer Zeit. Historisch-anthropologische Skizzen. (1925)
- Die Ethnographie der Juden (with Lionel S. Reisz) (1926)
- Rassenkunde des jüdischen Volkes (1930)
- Ein Zeitgenosse Alexander des Großen über die Juden (?)
Referenced in
- Bibliography for Wulfila database: Feist, Sigmund. Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Gotischen Sprache Mit Einschluss des Krimgotischen und sonstiger zerstreuter Überreste des Gotischen. Dritte neubearbeitete und vermehrte Auflage E. J. Brill Leiden 1939
- An Analysis of * z loss in West Germanic
- "Studying the Jew"
- Listed in The Encyclopedia of Language and LinguisticsEncyclopedia of Language and LinguisticsThe Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, first published in 1994, with a 2nd edition in 2006, is an encyclopedia of all matters related to language and linguistics...
Related literature
- Roemer, Ruth: Sigmund Feist und die Gesellschaft fuer deutsche Philologie in Berlin (1993)
- Roemer, Ruth: Sigmund Feist: Deutscher – Germanist – Jude In: Muttersprache 91 (1981), S. 249-308.
External links
- Otto's encyclopedia
- List of some available works
- Review of Feldpostbriefe jüdischer Soldaten 1914 –1918 by Prof. Dr. Jürg Riecke (German)
- Review of Feldpostbriefe jüdischer Soldaten 1914 –1918 by Thea Koberstein (German)