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enjámin, lászlÓ
to England through Florida and Nassau, and there made for
himself a distinguished career as barrister (he was appointed
Queen’s Counsel), which in many ways outshadowed his prewar
American legal career. Ill health forced his retirement
from active work in 1882 and he died two years later in Paris
where he had finally rejoined his wife and daughter.
Benjamin took no discernible interest in Jewish affairs,
although he never denied his origin and was never converted
to the Catholic faith of his wife. There is no record of membership
on his part in any synagogue, nor did he ever give
support to any Jewish cause or organization.
Bibliography: B.W. Korn, American Jewry and the Civil War
(1951), index; idem, Eventful Years and Experiences: Studies in Nineteenth
Century American Jewish History (1954); R. Douthat Meade,
Judah P. Benjamin, Confederate Statesman (1943). Add. Bibliography:
E.N. Evans, Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate (1988).
[Bertram Wallace Korn]
BENJÁMIN, LÁSZLÓ (1915–1986), Hungarian poet, born
in Budapest. His first poems were published in the left-wing
press and in such anthologies of working-class poetry as Tizenkét
költő (“Twelve Poets,” 1940). Benjámin’s early poetry
was based on the hopelessness preceding World War II and,
during and immediately after the war itself, on the class struggle.
The collections of this period include A csillag nem jött
fel (“The Star Did Not Come Forth,” 1939), Betüöntók diadala
(“The Victory of the Typecasters,” 1946), and A teremtés után
(“After the Creation,” 1948). When the Hungarian Communist
government was formed in 1949, Benjámin became one of its
chief literary spokesmen. From 1953 his writing changed, and
he turned to themes of self-criticism and personal confusion.
This later poetry appears in Éveink múlása (“The Passing of
our Years,” 1954), Egyetlen élet (“Only During One Lifetime,”
1956), and Ötödik évszak (“The Fifth Season,” 1962).
Bibliography: Magyar Irodalmi Lexikon, 1 (1963), 136–7;
Hét évszázad magyar versei, 3 (1966), 686–740.
[Itamar Yaos-Kest]
BENJAMIN, MOSES (first half of the 18th century), rabbi
and kabbalist in Baghdad. He was the first of the Baghdad
scholars known to have studied much Kabbalah and was
an expert in Lurianic Kabbalah. Very little is known about
his life; his wife and children died in an epidemic before 1737,
and he never fulfilled his desire to immigrate to Jerusalem.
He apparently served as rabbi, because he mentions among
his writings “some legal rulings.” His book Ma’aseh Rav (Constantinople,
1736) is a kabbalistic commentary on the sayings
of *Rabbah b. Bar Ḥana. In the introduction he mentions
the following of his own works: Matteh Moshe, a commentary
on the masorah as well as an explanation of rabbinic
verses and sayings; Ho’il Moshe, a homiletical interpretation of
the Pentateuch; and a collection of sermons which he preached
on Sabbaths and various occasions. His kabbalistic works
are Tefillah le-Moshe and Sha’arei Yerushalayim, completed
in 1731 (author’s manuscript; Sassoon Library, 771). The lat-
ter contains kabbalistic principles according to the *Zohar
and Isaac *Luria. These two books were stolen while en route
to the publishers and the author was left with only the first
draft.
Bibliography: D.S. Sassoon, Ohel Dawid, 1 (1932), 442–3;
A. Ben-Jacob, Yehudei Bavel (1965), 95–96.
BENJAMIN, RAPHAEL (1846–1906), U.S. Reform rabbi.
Benjamin was born in London, England, received his B.A.
degree from the University of London, and was ordained by
the chief rabbi of the British Isles. In 1874, he was elected assistant
minister and reader of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation
(Bourke Street Synagogue) in Melbourne, Australia
as well as master of the Jewish schools of that city. He
earned his M.A. from the University of Melbourne. In 1882,
he was named rabbi of K.K. Benai Israel (the Mound Street
Synagogue) in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he also served as vice
president of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association. In addition,
Benjamin lectured and served as governor and examiner
at Hebrew Union College. In 1889, he became rabbi of Congregation
Shaarei Shomayim (the Fifteenth Street Temple)
in New York. When his congregation merged with the Fifty-
Fifth Street Synagogue (Congregation Ahavath Chesed), he
ministered at large in New York City, serving as secretary of
the Board of Jewish Ministers (later the New York Board of
Rabbis) and conducting services at the Hebrew Orphan Asylum.
In 1902, he became rabbi of the Keap Street Temple in
Brooklyn (Congregation Beth Elohim). Benjamin was also
a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement
of Science.
[Bezalel Gordon (2nd ed.)]
BIBLIOGRAPHY: M.A. Meyer, Publications of the American
Jewish Historical Society, Number 17, 1907.
BENJAMIN, RICHARD (1938– ), U.S. actor and director.
Born in New York City, Benjamin attended the New York High
School of Performing Arts and then Northwestern University,
where he met his actress wife Paula Prentiss; he graduated in
1960. While Prentiss’ film career took off immediately, Benjamin
focused his attention initially on the stage; his Broadway
debut was Star-Spangled Girl (1966). Benjamin’s first on-screen
appearance was opposite Prentiss in the television series He
& She (1967), while his film turn came with the adaptation of
Philip Roth’s Goodbye, Columbus (1969), which was followed
by Mike Nichols’ Catch 22 (1970) and another Roth adaptation,
Portnoy’s Complaint (1972). He was first nominated for
the Golden Globe for The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker
(1971) and won the award for his supporting role as Walter
Matthau’s nephew in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys (1975).
In 1982, Benjamin turned his attention to directing with My
Favorite Year, followed by City Heat (1984), The Money Pit
(1986), My Stepmother is an Alien (1988), Mermaids (1990),
and a made-for-television update of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye
Girl (2004).
[Adam Wills (2nd ed.)]
358 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3