Moses Mendelssohn

He has been referred to as the father of Reform Judaism . Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature and from his writings on philosophy and religion came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Germans and Jews. He also established himself as an important figure in the Berlin textile industry, which was the foundation of his family's wealth. Moses Mendelssohn's descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn and the founders of the Mendelssohn banking house. However, the author also notes on the same page that 'current Reform spokesmen are resistant to claim him as their spiritual father' ( Google books )

Moses Mendelssohn's glasses, in the Berlin Jewish Museum Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the Haskalah , the 'Jewish enlightenment' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is indebted. Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature and from his writings on philosophy and religion came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Christian and Jewish inhabitants of the Holy Roman Empire . He also established himself as an important figure in the Berlin textile industry, which was the foundation of his family's wealth. Moses Mendelssohn's descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn and the founders of the Mendelssohn & Co. banking house.

Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the Haskalah , the 'Jewish Enlightenment' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is indebted. Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau , Principality of Anhalt , and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature and from his writings on philosophy and religion came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Christian and Jewish inhabitants of German-speaking Europe and beyond. He also established himself as an important figure in the Berlin textile industry, which formed the foundation of his family's wealth. His descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn ; Felix's son, chemist Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy ; Fanny's grandsons, Paul and Kurt Hensel ; and the founders of the Mendelssohn & Co. banking house. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

German philosopher and theologian (1729–1786) Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian . His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the Haskalah , or 'Jewish Enlightenment' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau , Principality of Anhalt , and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature. Through his writings on philosophy and religion he came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Christian and Jewish inhabitants of German-speaking Europe and beyond. His involvement in the Berlin textile industry formed the foundation of his family's wealth. His descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn ; Felix's son, chemist Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy ; Fanny's grandsons, Paul and Kurt Hensel ; and the founders of the Mendelssohn & Co. banking house. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).

German philosopher and theologian (1729–1786) Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian . His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the Haskalah , or 'Jewish Enlightenment' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau , Principality of Anhalt , and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature. Through his writings on philosophy and religion he came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Christian and Jewish inhabitants of German-speaking Europe and beyond. His involvement in the Berlin textile industry formed the foundation of his family's wealth. His descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn ; Felix's son, chemist Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy ; Fanny's grandsons, Paul and Kurt Hensel ; and the founders of the Mendelssohn & Co. banking house. There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).