Ernest David Klein, (July 26, 1899, Szatmárnémeti – February 4, 1983, Ottawa, Canada) was a Hungarian-born Romanian-Canadian linguist, author, and rabbi.
Early life and education
Klein was born to father Yitzchok (Ignac) and mother Sarah Rachel (Roza) Klein (née Friedrich) on July 26, 1899. in Szatmárnémeti (also known as Szatmar), in Partium, a region of Kingdom of Hungary (now Satu Mare, Romania. He had three sisters.
Klein's father was a respected scholar known for his brilliance. He was rabbi of the Jewish Status Quo Community in Marosvásárhely (now Târgu Mureș, Romania) and author of over 20 books on rabbinical subjects, including the following (all were printed in Satu Mare):
- Hebrew Torah Journal Ohel Yitzchok (1903–1914)
- Hebrew Book Zichron L'Yisroel (1912)
- Hebrew Torah Journal Sefer Hamagid (1928–1934)
- Hebrew Torah Journal Magid Yeruchem (1925–1930)
- Hebrew Book Kol Ha'chatan (1937)
Klein's mother also had rabbinical lineage. She was one of the daughters of Chaim (Jakob) Friedrich who was rabbi of the orthodox community in Turc, Ugocsa County, Kingdom of Hungary (now part of Turț, Satu Mare County, Romania).
From early on in Klein's childhood, his greatness was already noted. At the young age of nine years, Klein was able to recite the entire Book of Psalms by heart. As a youth in Hungary, Klein spent his free time in between classes learning new languages. Remarkably, at the age of 15, Klein taught himself English using English language textbooks. he received his Doctorate of Philosophy from the latter in 1925.