Zionist library for boys and girls · 1908-01-01 · 2 · p. [Seite]

the highest possible achievement whs to become p. "schutz-jUdo" ("a T'protoctod Jew) . These Jews received a special letter giving then the "protection" of the Government, for which they hod to pay 'a considerable sun of money. The EMANCIPATION MQVIMEEC which developed in Germany under the leadership of the Philosopher Moses Mend els oh] hoped to emancipate the Jews from this ghetto life by giving them a knowledge of science and literature and general subjects. It was believed, that by raising the cultural standards of the" Jews to that of the non-Jews, it would bo possible to break down the ghetto walls, and get recognition of the Jew as a worthy citizen on equal footing with the non-Jewish population. ■ Mendelsohn and his followers did of course contri- I bute to the emancipation of the Jews, but a far more important factor was the Preach Bevolution and the consequent reign of Napoleon in Germany, bringing with it at least a temporary emancipation for the Jews, i greater influence still was, the German Revolution of [ 1848 which gave the Jews, Gorman citizenship. Moses Mendelsohn was "a small hunchbacked Jew with j with a strongly hooked nose He was a clerk in a factory and was just as "tolerated" in Berlin as were his follow Jews. It is very interesting to notice that although the Jews in general had such a miserable life wi th su. eh cruc 1 res trie ti ons , that s dec exc op ti ons were made with regard to a few individual Jews, by the , j German*educated circles. This was due to the high ideas of "humanity" and'; "purity of the Spirit" which were expounded by the philosophers of that time and influenced those educated circles. "Nathan the Wise" by Lcssings, in which the Jew; is portrayed as a very nice character had some influence on these people. Kant the great philosopher of that period was a close friend of the Jewish johilospher Mendelsohn. It *is no wonder then that Mendelshon1 s poors house became a meeting