\ninterested in the intellectual basis of Reform Judaism, which I saw as an
\nopportunity to connect with both tradition and the modern world. I turned my
\nattention to the archives at the Center for Jewish History, and through my
\nresearch, found that the roots of the Judaism I was brought up in can be traced
\nback to 19th<\/sup> century Germany. \u00a0
\nGermany at the time was a hotbed of ideas and had a century to react to
\nthe emergence of enlightened rationalism. Germany was churning out literary and
\nphilosophical giants such as Goethe and Hegel.
\nEnlightenment thinking affected Jews and gentiles alike, as there arose
\nmany thinkers in Germany in the 1800\u2019s whose ideas would have repercussions for
\nJews in Europe as well as America. \u00a0As
\nother secular or Reformish acquaintances of mine can attest, the real nuts and
\nbolts of these early reformist ideas were absent from our Jewish
\neducation. Therefore, I will use my
\ninterest in the history of Reform Judaism in 19th<\/sup> century Germany
\nand America to write a two-part series of blog posts hoping to give context for past
\nattempts at reconciling Judaism with modern culture.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Reform movement in 19th<\/sup> One of the first attempts at a Despite the eventual conversion of almost all Jul Loewensohn, \u201cSeated studio portrait of Leopold Zunz holding a book; Berlin Portraits Men,\u201d Franz Rosenzweig Collection AR 3001, F AR 3001, Call # F3824N, Leo Baeck Institute. http:\/\/search.cjh.org\/beta:CJH_SCOPE:cjh_digitool884570<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n This work helped to If \n\u201cSeated studio portrait of Abraham Geiger, Portraits Men,\u201d circa 1860, Abraham Geiger Collection AR 29 AR 29, call # F 2200, Leo Baeck Institute.http:\/\/search.cjh.org\/beta:CJH_SCOPE:cjh_digitool891829<\/a>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Geiger\u2019s theology was based on the idea that The loosening Last, Samuel Holdheim, in The <\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: you can read more about the origins of the Reform movement in the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe (http:\/\/www.yivoencyclopedia.org\/article.aspx\/Reform_Religious<\/a>) or Jewish Encyclopedia (http:\/\/www.jewishencyclopedia.com\/articles\/12634-reform-judaism-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-reform-jew<\/a>).<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n References<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n 2008. German Confederation.<\/i> August 21. Hill, Harvey. 2007. “The Science of Reform: 2004. “Leopold Zunz.” Encyclopedia of Petuchowski, Jakob J. 1976. “Abraham Geiger and Wallach, Luitpold. 1958. “The Thoughts of <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> (German Confederation 2008)<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> (Wallach 1958)<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> (Leopold Zunz 2004)<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> (Hill 2007)<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/i><\/p>\n [6]<\/a> (Petuchowski 1976)<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> (Petuchowski 1976)<\/p>\n
\ncentury Germany can be understood by highlighting a few of its prominent
\nvoices. \u00a0Reform began in 19th<\/sup>
\ncentury Germany despite the obstacles of ideological irrelevance in the wake of
\nEnlightenment rationalism and political subjugation. \u00a0Following the disintegration of the Holy
\nRoman Empire, Germany consisted of a confederation of 39 different
\nGerman-speaking states, all of which varied in their legislative influence on their
\nJewish communities.[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> \u00a0Early on in the 1800s, reform was generally
\nan urban phenomenon, mostly supported by members of the wealthier, educated
\nclasses.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nresurrection of Judaism culturally and politically was the formation of the
\nSociety for the Culture and Science of the Jews. \u00a0The society was comprised of \u201ca young
\ngeneration of Jews educated at German Gymnasiums and universities [which]
\ngathered from 1819 to 1824.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nof the members to Christianity, one figure remained stalwart in his pursuit of
\nthe Society\u2019s original goal. \u00a0This man
\nwas Leopold Zunz (1794 \u2013 1886). \u00a0Often
\nspoken of in the same breath as Moses Mendelssohn, Zunz was educated in the
\nstudy of Classics and History at Berlin University.[3]<\/a> \u00a0He continued with the initial project of the
\nSociety, developing the Science of Judaism (Wissenshaft
\ndes Judentums<\/i>), the precursor to what we would today consider the academic
\nstudy of Judaism.\u00a0 <\/p>\n![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/6970a1d8e63e848681eac3ffeeb8b90c\/tumblr_inline_oy0v51PocA1r0yq0k_540.png\")
<\/figure>\n
\nlegitimized Judaism in the eyes of the educated classes of Germany and give
\nJudaism a place in 19th<\/sup> century intellectual life. \u00a0This work was of considerable importance
\ntowards the work of reform, considering the political situation at the time
\nwidely barred Jews from positions in academia, education, and government. \u00a0Interestingly enough, however, \u201cZunz himself
\nultimately gave up hope for reform and confined himself to strictly historical researches,
\neven adopting increasingly orthodox practices as he aged.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n
\nLeopold Zunz represented the academic face of the reform movement, then Abraham
\nGeiger and Samual Holdheim represented the theological face. Geiger, too, was engaged in the work of
\nforming a science of Judaism, but did so by incorporating this work into his
\nrabbinic career. \u00a0Raised in an Orthodox
\nfamily, he quickly entered secular university and began the work of reform.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Geiger was often at odds with more conservative
\nmembers of his community, refusing to compromise by relinquishing \u201cbeth din
\n(the Rabbinical Court) and the halakhic (legal) functions\u201d of the Breslau
\nJewish community to Rabbi Solomon Tiktin, and refused a position as head of the
\nBerlin Jewish Reform Congregation on the grounds that reform must not cause a schism
\nin the Jewish community as a whole.[6]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 <\/p>\n![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/30c12829e6b32378b298ccf5994a34f7\/tumblr_inline_oy0vadG1vE1r0yq0k_540.png\")
<\/figure>\n
\nJudaism evolved naturally over time, and that it was necessary to rely on these
\nhistorical processes which worked over centuries for the work of reform. \u00a0Geiger understood the history of Judaism to
\nbe divided into four different periods: Revelation, Tradition, Rigid Legalism,
\nand finally Liberation and Criticism. \u00a0In
\nhis own words, the task which confronts Judaism in this current stage \u00a0was:<\/p>\n\n
\nof the fetters of the previous period [Rigid Legalism] through the use of
\nReason and historical investigation \u2013 without interrupting the connection with
\nthe past. \u00a0It is a period of attempts at
\nself-renewal, of bringing the historical process into flux again, a period of
\ncriticism.[7]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\ncontrast with Abraham Geiger, believed in a radical break with the past. \u00a0Holdheim\u2019s focus on a departure from
\ntradition is at odds with his education as a \u201cTalmudist of the old school.\u201d[8]<\/a> \u00a0His theology was based on what he thought was
\na radical misunderstanding \u201cof the events of the year 70 C.E., when the Jewish
\nState and the Jerusalem Temple were destroyed.
\nThe task of the nineteenth-century Jew, therefore, was to get back to
\nthe Bible \u2013 or, at any rate, to those parts of the Bible which, according to
\nHoldheim, were meant to have eternal validity.\u201d[9]<\/a> \u00a0For Holdheim, the destruction of the Temple
\nwas due as much to the action of God as the actions of the Romans. \u00a0This unique reading of history upended such
\nconcepts as Jewish racial purity, allowing mixed marriages, and observance of
\nthe laws associated with the ancient Jewish theocracy in Palestine.[10]<\/a> \u00a0These details of these two thinkers\u2019 legacies
\nare presented in several 20th<\/sup> century manuscripts which are
\naccessible in the digital collections of the Center for Jewish History.<\/p>\n
\nwaves that these thinkers made in the intellectual and theological worlds in
\nGermany would first be exported to America in relatively insular German-Jewish
\ncommunities know as Landsmanschaften<\/i>,
\nbut given the absence of a deeply entrenched orthodox monolith in America, they
\nwould soon spread and develop in unique ways, which I will explore in the next
\nentry.<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/German-Confederation.<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0Abraham Geiger and the Wissenschaft des Judentum.” Modern Judaism<\/i>
\n \u00a0329-349. <\/p>\n
\n \u00a0World Biography.<\/i> <\/p>\n
\n \u00a0Samuel Holdheim – Their Differences in Germany and Repercussions in
\n \u00a0America.” New York City: Leo Baeck Institute, April 12. Hyperlink: http:\/\/search.cjh.org:1701\/beta:CJH_SCOPE:CJH_ALEPH004613018<\/a><\/p>\n
\n \u00a0Leopold Zunz.” Center for Jewish History: Digital Archives. Hyperlink: http:\/\/search.cjh.org:1701\/beta:CJH_SCOPE:CJH_ALEPH000202068<\/a><\/p>\n