GEIGER, ABRAHAM

(1810-74)

German Reform leader and scholar. In 1832 he became rabbi in Wiesbaden, where he reformed the synagogue services and published theWissenschaftliche Zeitschrift fur jüdische Theologie. In 1837 he convened the first meeting of Reform rabbis. He later became rabbi in Breslau, where he established a school for religious studies and led a group that worked on Hebrew philology. He participated in subsequent Reform synods and from 1863 served as rabbi in Frankfurt am Main. In 1870 he became rabbi of the Berlin congregation, and helped to establish the Hochschule fur Wissenschaft des Judentums in the city. His works include studies of the Bible, the Sadducees and Pharisees, Jewish history, mishnaic Hebrew, andMaimonides.