| StorageSite | UCL Special Collections |
| Level | Collection |
| Reference Number | GASTER |
| Title | Gaster Papers |
| Date | 1794-1981 |
| Description | Correspondence and papers of Dr Moses Gaster, his family, and the family of his wife Lucy (née Friedlander), 1796-1973, dating largely from the 1870s to the 1930s, also including some material on Gaster's life and work which post-dates his death. Many papers relate to Gaster's activities in his official posts, notably as Haham, to his interests in Jewish affairs and Zionism, and as a scholar, but the collection touches upon a wide range of topics in late 19th and early 20th century history, including the history of Romanian Jewry and Anglo-Jewry. The bulk of the collection comprises Gaster's correspondence, which includes letters from Jewish and Zionist organisations in Britain, Europe and Jerusalem, from newpapers, periodicals and publishers, and from a large number of individuals outside Gaster's family, including eminent British, European and American Jewish scholars, rabbis and public figures, such as members of the Adler, Gollancz, Mocatta, Montefiore and Rothschild families, and with non-Jewish public figures, but it also includes a wide range of other material.
The Correspondence series (GASTER/9) covers letters to Gaster from individuals and organisations; copies of his outgoing correspondence in the form of loose items and copy-books; letters to and from his family including extended family in Romania; and a small amount of material described as "strangers to strangers", which are probably enclosures that have become separated from other letters.
A series of bound volumes (GASTER/5) contains press cuttings and other items, largely printed, including circulars and pamphlets, with some letters received and written by Gaster, and relating to various subjects, although much of the material was apparently bound haphazardly; the contents, overall dating largely from 1879-1939 but with items of 1796, 1838-1849, and 1867, include persecution of Jews in Romania and elsewhere; emigration; Anglo-Jewish matters and the Anglo-Jewish Association; hospitals and schools; lectures, weddings, and other functions; the Board of Deputies of British Jews; Shechita; the Slaughter Bill, 1911; the Spanish-Portuguese congregation, including Bevis Marks Synagogue and Gaster's 25th anniversary as Haham, 1912; Independent Order of B'nai B'rith; letters congratulating Gaster on his engagement, marriage and birth of his children, and on the 'Gaster Anniversary Volume' ; Zionism, including the Jewish Colonial Trust, and Zionist Congresses in 1905, 1907 and 1913; Palestine; the Royal Asiatic Society; the Folklore Society.
Printed ephemera (GASTER/1), dating from the 1870s to the 1930s, includes invitations to lectures, weddings and other events; visiting and greeting cards and condolences.
Papers of 1890-1896, on the Ramsgate affair (GASTER/4) relate to Gaster's association with the Judith Lady Montefiore College, the controversy over his management, and events leading up to his departure in 1896.
Papers relating to Zionism (GASTER/3/C) include copies of letters between Gaster and Theodor Herzl at the turn of the 20th century and other Zionist correspondence and papers leading up to the Balfour Declaration of 1917.
Printed material and press cuttings (GASTER/8) contains material relating to the Anglo-Jewish Association, conferences, various national and international organisations, Gaster's life and works, and posters for various events.
Working papers (GASTER/6) include notebooks, many undated, relating to Gaster's studies (from the 1870s) and later research; typescript and some manuscript reviews, sermons, letters to the press, obituary articles or notices, speeches and articles by Gaster; loose press cuttings of Gaster's reviews and articles, and cuttings on Gaster himself and his areas of interest; reproductions of texts and manuscripts and working notes by Gaster on his scholarly research. |
| Extent | c300 boxes |
| AdminHistory | Moses Gaster was born in Bucharest, eldest son of Abraham Emanuel Gaster, who was attached to the Netherlands legation in Bucharest, and his wife Phina Judith Rubinstein, 1856. He received his Bachelier dès lettres et sciences from the University of Bucharest in 1873 and his PhD from Leipzig in 1877.
In 1880 he returned to Romania and was awarded the Rabbinical Diploma, Theological Seminary, Breslau, in 1881. He became a lecturer on Romanian language and literature and comparative mythology at the University of Bucharest from 1881-1885. However, his agitation on behalf of persecuted Jews in Romania led the government to expel him in 1885, and Gaster settled in England in 1886, where he was appointed Ilchester Lecturer on Slavonic and Byzantine literature at Oxford. Although his explusion was later rescinded and he received various honours and awards from the country of his birth, he never returned to live in Romania and became a naturalised British citizen in 1893.
In 1890 he married Leah Lucy (usually known by the given name 'Lucy'), the only child of Dr Michael Friedlander (d 1910; Principal of Jews' College, London, 1865-1907). Together they had 7 sons and 6 daughters, among them the political activist Jacob [Jack] Gaster (1907–2007). In 1890 Moses Gaster was also chosen as Principal of the Judith Lady Montefiore College at Ramsgate. However, in 1896 serious differences of opinion over the management of the College and an incident known as the "Ramsgate Affair" led him to resign as Principal.
Gaster was a prominent member of the Anglo-Jewish community, and was appointed Haham, or Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews in England in 1887, a post that had been vacant for 8 years since the death of Benjamin Artom. In 1919, failing eyesight compelled him to retire from his rabbinate but he remained active in a wide range of organisations and he continued to speak at events and write papers with the help of his wife and children. He was recognised as an eminent Jewish linguist, literary historian, folklorist, and pioneer of the study of Rumanian literature, accumulated a large library of printed and manuscript material in his fields of interest, namely Hebraica and Judaica, Samaritana, and Rumanian and related studies. His publications included the first translation of the Jewish liturgy into Rumanian, 1883, and his seminal work on the study of Rumanian language and literature, 'Chrestomatie Românk', 1891. His various posts and awards included: honorary member of the Romanian Academy, 1929; Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, 1930; Vice-President of the Royal Asiatic Society, Anglo-Jewish Association, and Jewish Historical Society of England; Vice-President and President of the English Folklore Society; holder of Romanian Orders "Bene merenti" 1st class, for literary achievements, and Commander of Romanian Crown.
Gaster is known for his support of Zionism; for a time after his arrival in England he continued to support the Choveve Zion movement in which he had been active in Romania, but later supported Theodor Herzl's Zionist movement, and was a founder and President of the English Zionist Federation and Vice-President of Zionist congresses in Basel and London, 1898-1900. His house was the venue for talks between prominent Zionists and the Foreign Office before the issue of the Balfour declaration, of 1917. His commitment to Zionism frequently brought him into conflict with other factions of the Anglo-Jewish and Sephardic communities.
Moses Gaster died on 5th March 1939.
Publications include: 'Literatura Populara Romana' (1883), on Rumanian popular literature; 'Ilchester Lectures on Greeko-Slavonic literature' (1887); 'Chrestomatie Românk' (2 volumes, 1891); reports of the Montefiore College (1891-1896); 'The Sword of Moses' (1896); 'The Chronicles of Jerahmeel' (1899); 'Geschichte der rumanischen Literatur', in 'Grundriss der Romanischen Philologie', vol ii (1900); 'Hebrew Illuminated Bibles of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries and a Samaritan Scroll of the Pentateuch' (1901); 'History of the Ancient Synagogue of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, the cathedral synagogue of the Jews in England, situate in Bevis Marks ... 1701-1901' (privately printed, 1901); edited 'The Book of Prayer and Order of Service according to the custom of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' (6 volumes, 1901-1907), a new edition of the Sephardic service books with revised English translation; 'The Hebrew Version of the "Secretum Secretorum"' (1907-1908); 'Das Buch Josua' (1908), on the Samaritan Book of Joshua; 'Rumanian Bird and Beast Stories' (1915); 'Children's Stories from Roumanian Legends and Fairy Tales' [1923]; 'The Exempla of the Rabbis' (1924); 'The Samaritans' (Schweich lectures, 1925); 'The Asatir: the Samaritan Book of the Secrets of Moses' (1927); 'The Story of Chanucah' (1928); 'The Tittled Bible' (1929); 'The Story of Passover' (1929); 'The Story of Purim' (1929); 'The Story of Shavuoth' (1930); 'The Story of the High Festivals and the Feast of Tabernacles' (1931); 'Ma'aseh Book' (1934), translated from the Judeo-German; various Biblical Apocrypha in 'Proceedings of the Society for Biblical Archæology'; contributions to the 'Encyclopædia Britannica', 'Hastings' Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics', and other journals and reviews. 'Gaster Centenary Publication' (1936) provides a 'List of Publications of Dr M Gaster', by Bruno Schindler.
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| CustodialHistory | Originally deposited on permanent loan by the Trustees (members of the Gaster family) and in 1974 presented to University College London as a gift and held with other Jewish collections in the Mocatta Library. |
| Acquisition | Transferred from the Mocatta Library (subsequently the Jewish Studies Library) to UCL Special Collections. |
| AccessStatus | Partially Open |
| AccessConditions | Some parts of the collection are temporarily closed for cataloguing. Please contact us for more information. |
| Related Material | University College London Special Collections holds a letter from Gaster to the Rev Nathan Adler, 4 Mar 1886, and Gaster's application for the Chair of Hebrew, including a list of his publications, 22 Sep 1898 (Ref: COLLEGE CORRESPONDENCE). University College London Library holds a small 'Gaster Collection', of books by and about Gaster.
British Library of Political and Economic Science holds miscellaneous correspondence of Gaster, 1937 (Ref: Seligman Papers/11/1/2). Southampton University Library holds papers relating to Abraham Mocatta and the Sephardi community in London, including reports of an address by Gaster on Mocatta from the Jewish Chronicle, 4 Jan 1901, and the Jewish World, 4 Jan 1961 (Ref: MS 116/48); and an undated copy of an appeal letter for additional subscribers for the Jewish Encyclopaedia signed by prominent members of Anglo-Jewry, including Gaster (Ref: MS 116/80). Leopold Muller Memorial Library, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, holds a file of newspaper cuttings on Moses Gaster, and also a file on his daughter Irene and her contributions to social work (Ref: Kressel Archive). YIVO Archives, New York, holds a collection of circular letters and printed appeals for charitable aid from institutions in Palestine, c1900-1920s (Ref: RG 375); see Brad Sabin Hill, 'The YIVO Collection of "Moses Gaster Papers"', YIVO News, 2006, pp 16-17. American Jewish Archives, Cincinatti, holds material dealing with western hemisphere Jewry, included in the collection of Moses Gaster (Ref: X-176), as well as photographs, correspondence, newsclippings, publications and memorabilia relating to his son Theodore Herzl Gaster (Ref: PC-1405; Nearprint Biographies). British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections, holds the bulk of the Hebrew manuscripts collected by Gaster (Ref: Or 9879 - Or 12379); see Catalogue of Hebrew Manuscripts in the Gaster Collection, The British Library, London (Hebrew Section, Oriental and India Office Collections, London, 1996), which reproduces manuscript and typescript slips to the collection, and a concordance of Gaster and British Library manuscript numbers. Manchester University, John Rylands Library, holds a large collection of material assembled by Gaster, comprising the rump of his Hebrew manuscripts, the major portion of his Samaritan manuscripts, and material in other scripts; Gaster's substantial correspondence with the Samaritan community in Nablus (Nabulus, Palestine), largely with English translations; and publications, largely written by Gaster, heavily annotated by him, and relating to Jewish history, folklore and religion, with special reference to eastern Europe, particularly Rumania. Brotherton Library, Leeds, holds a collection of cylinder recordings, books and pamphlets from Gaster's library. Gaster's collection of Rumanian and related manuscripts was sold to the Rumanian Academy in Bucharest, and his Rumanian and related printed books, touching upon language, literature, folklore and history of Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania and Bukovina, and upon Rumanian Jewry, and including texts from the 16th to 18th century, were divided between the Academy and the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES), University College London; see Dennis Deletant, 'A survey of the Gaster books in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library', Solanus, no 10, 1974, pp 14-23, and The Gaster Collection of Rumanian Printed Books held in the Library of The School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies, University College London (London, 1995), which reproduces the original typescript card catalogue of the collection at SSEES and a typescript catalogue of Rumanian manuscripts sold as 'The Gaster Collection' to the Rumanian Academy, 1936 (a copy of an original at University College London). Although some of Gaster's Hebrew printed books were lost in the bombing of London during World War Two, printed Judaica passed ultimately to the library of the University of California at Los Angeles. |
| FindingAids | This online catalogue supercedes all previous finding aids. |
| PublnNote | Victor Eskenasy, 'Moses Gaster and his Memoirs - the Path to Zionism', Shvut 16 (Diaspora Research Institute, the Goldstein-Goren Center for the History of the Jews in Romania, The Society for Jewish Historical Research, Tel Aviv University, 1993), cites memoirs written by Gaster, 1930-1939, at University College London, and includes information on Gaster's life in Rumania. |