Haskala

The Haskala ( השכלה ) is a Jewish movement of thought of the 18th century and 19th century, strongly influenced by the Movement of the Lights. The promoters of Haskala are called maskilim .

Introduction

The Age of Enlightenment in Europe for influenced the movement of Haskala much.

Many historians define the period of Haskala like the beginning of a new era in the Histoire of the Jewish people. The introduction of Haskala within the Jewish communities of Diaspora mark first steps of the modernization of the Jewish , of which the first to be adhered to the ideas of this movement are the German Jews. This last extends thereafter to the rest of Europe Western like Eastern.

The ideas of Haskala also reach the communities of North Africa and those of the Moslem countries in XIXme and beginning of XXme century. This effect comes from the consequences of the policy from colonization from the France and the England.

Haskala

The movement of Haskala exerts its influence lasting approximately hundred years, of the medium of XVIIIme century to second half of XIXme century.

It begins in Germany, and is influenced by the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. The Jewish intellectuals put all their hopes in these new ideas, with the means of which they hope, they will be able to achieve the discounted goals which will make it possible to improve the situation of the European Jews.

One of these goals is field of education; to lavish to the Jews an educational training basic and the bases of the general culture, mainly centered on sciences and the languages. The defenders of Haskala propose also certain reforms within traditional education, which causes a strong reaction on behalf of the traditional Jews and their leaders. Sometimes even, they make call near the modes with the capacity so that the latter are implied in the application of certain measures to the existing educational executives. This last initiative does nothing but increase the tension with the traditional Judaïsme.

The movement of Haskala preaches also the change and the improvement of the economic situation of the Jews, by initiation with the productive lifestyle, based on the professional training.

One of the other intentions that Haskala is fixed is to improve the relations between the Jews and the people in which they live, by the attenuation of the external differences present hitherto. The thinkers of Haskala are persuaded on the one hand that it is here about the historical occasion which will allow a real integration of the Jews in their respective country, and on the other hand that the political powers in place share this same will. They are firmly persuaded that their objectives are dependant on the desire of the Jews to destroy the barriers which separate them from the citizens of the Christian States; the Jews must behave, express themselves and get dressed like their fellow-citizens, and thus they will be able to affirm their cultural identity of enlightened Jews.

During XIXme, the ideas of Haskala also touch the Jews of Eastern Europe, but they will take in their application a somewhat different form. Thus two distinct currents resulting from Haskala develop; the first, present especially in Germany and Western Europe, preaches the integration of the Jews in the Christian economic companies, by the introduction of reforms within the Judaism. As for the second, it proposes the identity of the Jewish people.

The report/ratio with the language is one of the expressions of this difference; the movement of Haskala at the Jews of Western Europe promptly defends the training of the language of the country (German, French and English), whereas that of Eastern Europe, mainly in second half of XIXme century, encourages the training and the practice of the Hebrew , parallel to the training of the language of the country.

The tolerance of Haskala

The spirit of tolerance is spread in Europe as of second half of XVIIIme century, within the Christian companies and at the Jews by same time. Jews and Chrétiens discover that a reciprocal approach is possible. The social bringing together, think, can be done only by one catch of distance compared to the religion. A practical example of this new design is concretized by the friendship dependant between Moïse Mendelsohn, intellectual Jew, and Gotthold Lessing, Christian writer. The history brings back how from part of failures was born this completely particular friendship for the time.

In Germany, Mendelsohn is regarded as a Jew of a new type. It is interested in the profane fields such as the literature, philosophy, the music and mathematics, places of interest common to other Christian intellectuals. The traditional Jewish company in Germany in XVIIIme century is only not very sensitive to profane sciences as with the bringing together with the Christian intellectuals. But gradually the spirits open, and some, whose Rabbin Jacob Emden, approach the Christian world.

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • history of Haskalah on History of Juifs.com

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