Cassel David (1818, Głogów – 1893, Berlin) – German Hebraist, teacher, and theologist of Jewish descent.

He was born into a Jewish family from Głogów. He studied philosophy and philology in Berlin. After graduating in 1842 and obtaining a rabbi’s diploma in 1843, he managed the Dina-Nauenschen Erziehungsanstalt orphanage. He later taught in various Jewish schools: in Berlin’s Jüdisches Lehrerseminar (German Jewish Teachers’ Seminar) since 1858 and in the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (German Higher School of Jewish Studies) since 1872.

He was the author of many textbooks and Hebrew dictionaries. He also worked on the translation and edition of ancient Jewish works (eg. Teshuvot Geonim Kadmonim or Zikron Yehudah by Juda ben Asher). He co-founded the Hülfs-Verein für Jüdische Studierende (German Relief Society for Jewish Students), which continues to operate to this day. He also belonged to the Jewish self-help organisation Gesellschaft der Freunde (German Friends’ Society). He died in Berlin.

Selected works:

• Leitfaden für den Unterricht in der Jüdischen Geschichte und Literatur, Berlin 1868.
• Hebräisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch, Berlin 1871.
• Geschichte der Jüdischen Litteratur, 2 volumes, Berlin 1872–1873.

Bibliography:

• Rabenau K. von, “Cassel David,” [in] Neue Deutsche Biographie, vol. 3, Berlin 1957, p. 167.