The Religions Book

189

See also: God’s covenant with Israel 168–75 ■ Progressive Judaism 190–95

■ The origins of modern political Zionism 196–97

F

ollowing in the wake of the

Enlightenment in Europe,

the Haskalah movement,

or Jewish Enlightenment, was

inspired largely by the work

of the German Jewish philosopher

Moses Mendelssohn. He believed

that the persecution endured by the

Jews was largely a result of their

separateness from the societies

in which they lived.

His criticism of the separation

of Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews)

also raised the issue of what it

meant to be Jewish. In his opinion,

Judaism was a religion that should

be treated in the same way as any

other in a tolerant, pluralistic

society, and its followers should be

allowed freedom of conscience as

citizens of the country in which

they lived; conversely, being

a Jew did not imply belonging

to a separate nation or people.

In his book Jerusalem: or On

Religious Power and Judaism (1783),

Mendelssohn argued not only for

emancipation of the Jews, but also

that they should “come out of the

ghettos” and play a more active

part in secular cultural life. In

particular, he promoted the idea

of Jews learning the local language

—as he had done—to help integrate

themselves better into non-Jewish

societies, and published his own

translation of the Torah into German.

Although Mendelssohn was

himself a practicing Orthodox

Jew, his ideas and the Haskalah

movement he inspired built the

foundation for Reform Judaism in

the 19th century. ■

JUDAISM

IN CONTEXT

KEY FIGURE
Moses Mendelssohn

WHEN AND WHERE
Late 18th century, Germany

BEFORE
135 CE The Romans drive the
Jews from the Land of Israel.

AFTER
1770s–1880 The Haskalah or
Jewish Enlightenment: Jews,
especially in western Europe,
become increasingly integrated
into their adopted societies.

1791 The emancipation of
Jews in France during the
French Revolution is followed
by emancipation in Holland,
and later in the countries
conquered by Napoleon.

1896 Theodor Herzl publishes
The Jewish State and starts
the modern Zionist movement.

19th century Reform Judaism
is inspired by the Haskalah.

1948 The State of Israel
is founded.

The state has physical power

and uses it when necessary;

the power of religion is

love and beneficence.

Moses Mendelssohn

JUDAISM IS A

RELIGION, NOT

A NATIONALITY

FAITH AND THE STATE