David Hirsch was born into a Jewish family in Müntz [de], Rhenish Prussia, in 1813.

His success in teaching two deaf boys to speak and write attracted the attention of the Prussian government.

In 1847, he relocated to Rotterdam to work as a private tutor for the two deaf children of Machiel Polano [Wikidata].

On May 23, 1853, Hirsch founded the Rotterdamsche Inrichting voor Doofstommen-onderwijs,[2] the first school in Holland dedicated to the oralist method for the education of the deaf.

[3] 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.