Umberto Cassuto (Moshe David, 1883-1951)

Bible scholar. Born in Florence, Italy, he studied there at the university and the Collegio Rabbinico. After graduating in humanities and receiving his rabbinic diploma, he took up teaching positions in both institutions.
At this time his main research was on the history and literature of the Jews of Italy.
From 1914 to 1925 Cassuto was chief rabbi of Florence and then in 1925 became professor of Hebrew language and literature in the University of Florence and then took the chair of Hebrew at the University of Rome.

Here he began to catalogue the Hebrew manuscripts in the Vatican but the 1938 anti-Semitic laws forced him out of his positions and he continued his academic career at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
He had a son Nathan and a daughter Hulda, see below
He edited a Bible with Hebrew commentary that has remained an Israel school classic. His interests focused on Bible exegesis in which he contested the documentary theory of Wellhausen on the origin of the Pentateuch, postulating its redaction to a school around the 10th century BCE.
Cassuto also made important contributions to Ugaritic studies.

Bibliography CASSUTO, Umberto.
The documentary hypothesis and the composition of the Pentateuch: eight lectures by U. Cassuto. Translated from the Hebrew by Israel Abrahams. Pp. xii, 117. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1961
CASSUTO, Umberto. A commentary on the book of Genesis. Translated from the Hebrew by Israel Abrahams. 2 vols. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1961-1964
CASSUTO, Umberto. A commentary on the book of Exodus. Translated from the Hebrew by Israel Abrahams. Pp. xvi, 509. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1967
CASSUTO, Umberto. Biblical and oriental studies. Translated from the Hebrew and Italian by Israel Abrahams. 2 vols. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1973-1975
CASSUTO, Umberto. Storia della letteratura ebraica postbiblica. Pp. xvi, 212. Firenze: Casa editrice Israel, 1938
Links: The Virtual Jewish History Tour – Florence Tempio Maggiore, The Great Synagogue of Florence

from Wikiverse:
Umberto Cassuto, also known as Moshe David Cassuto, (1883 – 1951), was born in Florence, Italy.
He studied there at the university and the Collegio Rabbinico. After getting a degree and Semicha, he taught in both institutions. From 1914 to 1925, he was chief rabbi of Florence. In 1925 he became professor of Hebrew language and literature in the University of Florence and then took the chair of Hebrew at the University of Rome. When the 1938 anti-Semitic laws forced him from this position, he moved to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Umberto’s son Nathan was also a rabbi in Florence. He went into hiding during World war II, was betrayed and perished in the Nazi death camps. Nathan’s wife and children were saved and emigrated to Israel. One child, the architect David Cassuto (born 1938), played a key role in rebuilding the Jewish quarter in the old city of Jerusalem. In the 1990s he was for some years deputy mayor of Jerusalem.

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