Haskalah

1770s–1800s · Berlin (Berlin, Germany)

The Jewish Enlightenment, centered on Moses Mendelssohn in Berlin, argues for secular learning, civic integration, and the reform of Jewish life; the Haskalah opens the modern period and the movements that follow from it.

Tagged: Revival Conservative Judaism Jewish Orthodox Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism Reform Judaism Secular Judaism

The Event

Date
1770s–1800s (approximate)
Era
Modern; Standard periodization of Jewish history
Location
Berlin; today Berlin, Germany
Traditions
Judaism
Streams
Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Secular Judaism
Key figures
Moses Mendelssohn
Key texts
Jerusalem (1783)

Primary Sources

  • Moses Mendelssohn, Jerusalem

Secondary Sources

  • Meyer, Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism (Oxford, 1988)
  • Goodman, A History of Judaism (Princeton, 2018)

Provenance: HIST-0123; confidence 0.85; accessed 2026-10-27.

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