David Hirsch

David Hirsch (23 May 1813 – 2 February 1895) was a German educator of the deaf.

Biography David Hirsch was born into a Jewish family in , Rhenish Prussia, in 1813. At a young age, he began teaching children in the local Jewish community. His success in teaching two deaf boys to speak and write attracted the attention of the Prussian government. He went on to study at the Heinicke Institute for Deaf-Mutes in Crefeld, and afterwards at a similar institute in Cologne.

At the age of 25, Hirsch was appointed director of a school for the deaf in Aachen. In 1847, he relocated to Rotterdam to work as a private tutor for the two deaf children of . Over time, additional deaf children were placed under his instruction. On 23 May 1853 Hirsch founded the Rotterdamsche Inrichting voor Doofstommen-onderwijs, the first school in Holland dedicated to the oralist method for the education of the deaf. He managed this institution until 1887, when health issues forced him to step down from active leadership.

In recognition of his contributions to education, the Dutch government awarded Hirsch the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and France named him an Officier de l'Académie.

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