Montezinos, David
MONTEZINOS, DAVID
MONTEZINOS, DAVID (1828–1916), librarian and bibliophile in Amsterdam. His father, Raphael Montezinos, served as rabbi of the Portuguese community there from 1852 to 1866. David studied at the Eẓ Ḥayyim seminary where he obtained the title Maggid. An enthusiastic bibliophile, he acquired one of the largest private libraries of the time. In 1866 he was appointed librarian of the Eẓ Ḥayyim library. In 1889, after the death of his wife, he donated his private collection to the library of the seminary, including 20,000 books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and illustrations. It contained extensive material relating to the Jews in Holland, and in particular to the Spanish-Portuguese community. The library was named after Montezinos and was directed by him until his death. Montezinos wrote a number of bibliographic studies, published in Letterbode, as well as a monograph on David *Franco-Mendes, published in 1867 in Joodsch-letterkundige bijdragen.
bibliography:
J.S. de Silva Rosa, David Montezinos, de stichter der "Livraria D. Montezinos" (1914); idem, David Montezinos (Dutch, 1917); idem, Geschiedenis der Portugeesche Joden te Amsterdam (1925), 153ff.