GASTER, MOSES (1856-1939), Rumanian Jewish scholar, was born at Bucharest, and educated at Bucharest university, where he became lecturer in Rumanian language and literature (1881-85). His championship of the cause of persecuted Jews led to his expulsion from Rumania, and he came to England, where he held a lectureship at Oxford in Byzantine and Slavonic lan guages (1886 and 1891), and was for six years (189o-96) prin cipal of the late Montefiore college at Ramsgate. The Rumanian order, Bene merenti, 1st class, was bestowed on him for literary achievements. In 1887 he was appointed chief rabbi of the Sephardic communities of England. He retired in 1919.
His numerous publications include: History of Rumanian Popular Literature (1883) ; new edition of Sephardic Prayer-Book with revised English translation (5 vols., 1901-06) ; The Hebrew version of Secretum Secretorutn of Aristotle (1908) ; The Samaritan Book of Joshua (1908) ; Example of the Rabbis (1924) ; many Rumanian translations, and contributions to learned journals.