Author. Born Micah Josef Berdichevsky, the son of an Hasidic Rabbi, at Medzhaybizh, Ukraine. An early marriage was ended when his traditionally minded father-in-law found that he was studying the so called Haskala or Enlightenment, which was a movement advocating that Jews integrate into modern secular society. After study at Volozhin Yeshiva, in 1890, he traveled to Germany and Switzerland to study at the universities of Berlin, Breslau and Bern completing a Doctorate in Philosophy. He began publishing articles in Hebrew journals, and became a highly noted leader of the movement of the Hatseirim, or The Young, who rejected standard definitions of Jewish experience. He married dentist Rachel Romberg in Berlin, and during the remainder of his life he was a near reclusive intellectual, publishing numerous books including “From the Treasures of the Haggada”, dealing with Jewish legends and folklore; “The Well of Judah”; and “The Legends of the Jews”. His last years were spent in intensive research and writing. His works were published in Hebrew, Yiddish, and German. After his death at age 56, his wife and son translated some of his works into German. (bio by: Iola)