Franz Kafka, Notebook with Hebrew-German word list

Novelist Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883 and died, after a lengthy battle with tuberculosis, in 1924. Kafka met Max Brod, Felix Weltsch, and Samuel Hugo Bergmann at the university; later this circle of friends would become proteges of Martin Buber. Because Kafka entertained thoughts of immigrating to lsrael, he studied Hebrew at various places. During the same period, Puah Ben-Tovim (Menczel), attended the "Gymnasia" in Jerusalem and worked at the National Library, cataloguing German-language books. Ben-Tovim became acquainted with Bergmann, who served as director of the National Library from 1920-1935. When Ben-Tovim graduated from high school in the early 1920s, Bergmann suggested that she continue her studies in Prague and board at his mother's house. Ben-Tovim heard from Bergmann's mother that Kafka was interested in learning conversational Hebrew. The notebook which Kafka kept during his lessons with her is now at the National Library. The notebook reflects their readings together, which included, amongst others, Yosef Haim Brenner's 1920 novel 'Breakdown and Bereavement.