A Life of Study and Service Solomon Formstecher lived much of his life in Offenbach am Main, Germany. Born in 1808 to Moses Formstecher, a man who worked with woodblock cutting, Solomon grew up surrounded by the precision of craft. He spent his early years receiving instruction from his father and the local rabbi, Gottlieb Metz. This foundation led him to Giessen University, where he studied philosophy, philology, and theology. By 1831, he had earned his Ph.D. His path moved toward the pulpit and the classroom. He began working as a preacher and religious teacher in Offenbach shortly after hi…