HEVESI, SIMON

HEVESI, SIMON (formerly Handler; 1868–1943), rabbi and scholar in Hungary. He studied at the Budapest rabbinical seminary and at Budapest University. In 1894 he was appointed rabbi of Kassa (now Kosice, Slovakia) and later officiated in various communities. Hevesi was a brilliant speaker. He subsequently became rabbi of Pest and in 1927 chief rabbi, continuing in this position until his death. Hevesi combined considerable rabbinical learning with interest in general and Jewish philosophy. From 1905 he was lecturer in homiletics and Jewish philosophy at the rabbinical seminary. Hevesi took a leading role in public affairs of Hungarian Jewry, and was active in establishing social and educational organizations, including an association for popular education (OMIKE). He published various essays on philosophy and also books, and participated in editing the learned periodicals Ha-Zִofeh le-Hִokhmat Yisrael, Magyar Zsidó Szemle, and Yavneh. His works in Hebrew include studies of the Book of Job (in Ha-Zִofeh le-Hִokhmat Yisrael, 5 (1921), 35–39, 81–89, 156–63, 283–93); and Ecclesiastes (in Festschrift der Landesrabbinerschule (1927), second pagination in Hebrew, 15–38; and in Hungarian, Dalalat Alhairin (1928) on Maimonides' Guide. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Emlékkönyv Dr Hevesi Simon… papi muködésének negyvenedik évfordulójára (1934), 1–73, includes Hebrew section and bibliography; J. Katona, Hevesi Simon, 1868–1943 (Hung. 1943). (Alexander Scheiber)