LEIMDOERFER, DAVID

LEIMDOERFER, DAVID (1851–1922), Hungarian-born Reform rabbi and scholar. After serving as rabbi at Nordhausen, Germany, from 1875 to 1883, he became preacher at the Hamburg Reform temple; he was a brilliant orator. Leimdoerfer took a moderate line in the Reform movement. His works include three studies of Psalms, Psalterklaenge, Homiletische Einleitung in die Psalmen (1894), Psalter-Ego in den lch-Psalmen (1898), and Die Himmel ruehmen (1906); two studies of Ecclesiastes, Der "Prediger Salomonis" in historischer   Beleuchtung (1892) and Loesung des Kohelethraetsels durch den Philosophen Barukh ibn Barukh (1900); a study of Esther, Zur Kritik des Buches Esther (1899); and shorter works, including Messias-Apokalypse (1895), Altbiblische Priestersegen (1900), and Talmudische Ethik des Alphabets (1912). He edited the centenary volume of the Hamburg Reform temple Festschriftzum hundertjaehrigen Bestehen des Israelitischen Tempels in Hamburg (1918); many of his sermons were published, and he wrote textbooks for Jewish schools.