Meisl, Josef

Dr. Josef Meisl (Brno, Moravia 1883 - 1958 Jerusalem), was a historian, archivist and founder of the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) in Jerusalem. He studied law, philosophy and history at universities in Vienna and Berlin. He settled in Berlin in 1906. In 1908 Meisl began to work for the Jewish community in Berlin, and from 1915 to 1930 was the community’s general secretary. Later he was appointed head of the community’s library. A lifelong Zionist, Meisl came on aliya in 1934, shortly after the Nazis came to power in Germany. He engaged in research, published books, wrote many articles, and contributed to Jewish historiography. He was particularly interested in the history of the Jews in Poland and Russia, the Haskalah in Russia, activities of the first modern Jewish historians (Zvi Graetz and Simon Dubnow), and history of the Jewish yishuv in Eretz Yisrael. In 1939 Josef Meisl founded the Jewish Historical General Archives, later the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP), which he directed until 1957. Before and after World War II, he was able to transfer important archival materials from Europe to the Archives. The private collection of Josef Meisl consists for the most part of family letters and extensive professional correspondence, among them his correspondence with the Jewish community in Berlin, the manuscripts of Meisl's writings, historical sources related to his historical works, circulars of various Jewish organizations, press clippings, book sections, and articles on Jewish issues. The collection contains also photographs, and correspondence of various personalities. In addition, his estate includes the archive of his father-in-law, author, translator and public activist Saul Pinchas Rabinowicz (Acronym: Shefer) (1845-1910). -- Read more