LEHMANN, JOSEPH:
French chief rabbi; born at Belfort Nov. 1, 1843. He numbers among his ancestors on his father's side R. David Diespeck, the author of "Pardes Dawid" (Sulzbach, 1786), and on his mother's side six Swabian rabbis. Educated at first by his father, who was for fifty years rabbi at Belfort, he completed his studies at the rabbinical seminary of Paris, and was ordained rabbi in Sept., 1867. Two years later he succeeded Zadoc Kahn as rabbi of the Temple of the Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth.
Lehmann was almoner of the army of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71; almoner of the fourth army corps, 1874-90; professor of the Talmud at the Talmud Torah of Paris, 1874-90; and was appointed director and professor of the Talmud in the seminary of that city in 1890. He was president of the Société des Etudes Juives in 1898, was elected officer of the Academy in 1886, and was made chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1898.
Lehmann's works include: "Le Procès d'Hérode: Saméas et Pollion," Paris, 1892; "Les Sectes Juives Mentionnées dans la Mischna de Berakhot et de Meguilla," Paris, 1896; "Assistance Publique et Privée dans I'Antique Législation Juive," ib. 1897; "Quelques Dates Importantes de la Chronologie du 2e; Temple à Propos d'une Page du Talmud, Aboda Zara 8b," ib. 1898.
