Zionist library for boys and girls · 1908-01-01 · 4 · p. Seite 2

-2placc on the side of the fight for social justice - Socialism. He came into close contact with Marx and Engels and received at that time the nickname iTCommunist Rabbi";. The Government sought to suppress all radical movements, "but the more it fought against them, the mightier they became, until in the year 1848 they "broke out in Revo lut i on Moses Hess took an active part in the Revolution on the socialist side, but as the Revolution failed, (Altho' it brought Gemarty one stej forward to unity and a constitutional government was introduced)9 many revolutionaries were exiled - amongst t-hem Hess. He fled to Paris where he devoted all his time to his philosophic -al studies. He published many important works and was a great contributor to the revolutionary publications of that time. During this time Hess did not see his place among his own people, until a sudden change occurred. He vjas brought back to Judaism through a few important facts. Already in 1840, Hess was deeply stirred by the terrible massacres of Jews in Damascus (the Jews were accused of having murdered the Christ-' ian Monk Thomas in order to use his blood for tte prepartion of Matzoth-thc so-called ritual murder. The Jews were tortured and massacred for these absurd accusations.| At that time Hess suppressed his Jewish feelings. The fight for national freedom-in Germany and especially in Italy had a great influence on Hessv return to Judaism. Hq agreed with their fight, and came to the conclusion that the Jewish people like all others oppressed must fight for their freedom. The renewed study of Jewish history-and especially the recently'published Jewish