The Place of Jakób Handel (1888–c.1942) in the History of Language Study in Poland

In this paper we examine the life and work of Jakób Handel (1888–c.1942), an underappreciated Polish-Jewish scholar whose interests ranged from comparative-historical linguistics and the history of linguistics to classical history and Jewish studies. Apart from printed publications, his contributions include various forms of outreach directed towards the Jewish community in Lviv (Ukrainian Львів [L'viv], Polish Lwów, German Lemberg). Based among others on the available records of his involvement in professional societies and the reviews of his books, we point to the reasons behind the relative lack of appreciation of his work among contemporary and later scholars despite its in-depth and original nature.