Finkelstein, Louis (Eliezer Aryeh). Sifre al Sepher Devarim. With Alternative Texts and Comments.

A scholarly edition of the Sifre commentary to the Book of Deuteronomy. Painstakingly prepared over the course of fifteen years, it was finally issued by the Cultural Federation of Jews in Berlin in October, 1939 <<a month after the hostilities of World War Two had begun.>> Louis Finkelstein, then Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, writes in the introduction to the second edition (1969) of his work: “We can only marvel at the fortitude of their hearts in these conditions, at the sheer strength of their will and their love for Torah and wisdom that brought them to complete the printing of this book.” As for the fate of the published volumes themselves: “The great majority remained in Germany, were lost over the course of the war and nothing remains of them.” The Jüdischer Kulturbund was established in 1933 in order to provide a creative and cultural outlet for German Jews who found themselves banned from the arts in Germany. Initially established as the Cultural Federation of German Jews, the Nazis insisted the word ‘German’ be dropped. The notable American author chose to publish his work in Berlin perhaps to show his support for the beleaguered Jewish-German community. <<Few copies of this scholarly Hebrew volume are extant. Issued in Berlin, October, 1939.>>