Moses Hess

About this book

Excerpt from Moses HessRome and Jerusalem is not only a proud reaffirmation of the Zionist idea; it is imbued with a social pathos rooted in the belief of the Prophets in a better world and universal peace. Moses Hess was among the first champions of the modern idea of Jewish national revival, based on the ideas of social justice.In Hess's time assimilation was a militant ideology, whose champions included a number of brilliant men who inadvertently enriched Judaism. To-day assimilation is a passive trend of drifting away from Jewish life; a process of disintegration. In the 19th century assimilation meant a conscious act of self-abnegation. To-day many leave Jewish life often without noticing it themselves. A hundred years ago there was a vigorous struggle of ideologies within Jewry. Today one can hardly speak of a struggle. There are a few 'to-day who fight for assimilation on the basis of a special philosophy of Jewish life. Nevertheless, to-day disintegration is a greater threat to the Jewish future than in the 19th century. A hundred years ago self-liquidation was an ideology; to-day it is an integral part of Jewish diaspora life. In the 19th century Jewish persecution was a deterrent to national suicide; to-day Jewish equality is considered by some as an encouragement to the giving-up of the Jewish way of life. The establishment of Israel had a double effect on the it brought some Jews back to their people 5 it strengthened assimilationist tendencies among others.Moses Hess's life story published below - is not only a piece of historical research; it is a timely pamphlet dealing with one of the most acute problems of Jewish existence the Jewish national idea versus assimilation. It should be widely read, especially by those who are seeking an answer to the what is the place of the Jew in the modern world?About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.