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Esperanto
(1,889 words)

A planned language, developed by Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof (1859–1917) and presented to the public in 1887. Esperanto was associated with universalistic ideas, which have their roots in the experiences of the Jewish founder of the language in an Eastern Europe that was marked by a multiplicity of linguistic cultures.

1. On the language and its creator

In Warsaw in 1887, the ophthalmologist Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof published, under the pseudonym …

Cite this page
van Dijk, Ziko, “Esperanto”, in: Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture Online, Original German Language Edition: Enzyklopädie Jüdischer Geschichte und Kultur. Im Auftrag der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig herausgegeben von Dan Diner. © J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart/Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2011–2017. Consulted online on 27 September 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2468-8894_ejhc_COM_0209>
First published online: 2017
First print edition: 20180401



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