Creator Bio

Judah Monis

1683–1764

Judah Monis was the first college instructor of the Hebrew language in North America. Descended from Portuguese New Christians who returned to Judaism, he was born in Italy and studied in yeshivas in Leghorn (Livorno) and Amsterdam. Around 1715 he left for America. In New York, he became a merchant and offered Hebrew instruction to Christians and Jews. He then moved to Boston. Appointed Harvard University’s first full-time Hebrew teacher, he publicly converted to Christianity in order to meet the university regulations, although many voiced doubts concerning his religious convictions. In addition to A Grammar of the Hebrew Tongue, he also wrote works defending his conversion to Christianity.

Content by Judah Monis

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A Grammar of the Hebrew Tongue

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Since through the good Hand of GOD upon me, he has not only taken Moses’s Vail from me, but even has Placed me in his Service, i.e. to Teach and Promote the Knowledge of the Hebrew Tongue at…
Page of printed Hebrew text with word set in decorated border on top.
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Jewish Printing and Book Culture

1500–1750

Jewish printing unified far-flung communities by standardizing religious texts, created textual uniformity, and enabled vernacular translations, and facilitated the spread of Jewish texts and knowledge. 

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Early Modern Jewish Languages

1500–1750

As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.