Background
He was born in Pesth, the son of a Jewish merchant.
He was born in Pesth, the son of a Jewish merchant.
University of Edinburgh.
Saphir travelled to Edinburgh with Rabbi Duncan and Alfred Edersheim to improve his English, and studied in Berlin from 1844 to 1848. He then studied at the University of Glasgow, Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the Free Church College, Edinburgh. In 1854, Saphir was appointed a missionary to the Jews.
He worked briefly in Hamburg before moving to England where he served in South Shields, Greenwich, and Notting Hill.