Haskalah

Haskalah, or the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among Ashkenazi Jews in the late 18th and 19th centuries that sought to modernize Jewish life by embracing secular knowledge, European culture, and civil participation while maintaining Jewish identity. Emerging in the German-speaking lands under the influence of the broader European Enlightenment, and associated with Moses Mendelssohn, its advocates promoted education reform, rational inquiry, and greater integration into wider society, though they differed on the balance between tradition and modernity.

The movement centered on a new generation of Jewish writers, teachers, and thinkers who urged Jews to study sciences, languages, history, and philosophy alongside Talmud study. They also advocated the revival of Hebrew for secular and literary purposes, and the publication of Hebrew and bilingual literature and periodicals to spread new ideas. The movement urged Jews to seek civil rights, improved schooling, and participation in public life, arguing that emancipation depended on literacy and modernization rather than withdrawal from secular society.

Reaction to Haskalah varied. Traditional rabbinic authorities often resisted Maskilic reforms and accused Maskilim of betraying Judaism, while many Jews in Western and Central Europe embraced changes that eventually influenced Reform Judaism, modern Jewish education, and the broader Jewish cultural awakening. In Eastern Europe, the movement contributed to debates about modernization and national belonging, and helped lay groundwork for later Jewish social and political movements.

Legacy: Haskalah is regarded as a turning point that fostered modern Jewish thought, education, Hebrew literature, and the struggle for civil rights, setting the stage for later Zionist and secular currents.