Moses Hess (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Moses Hess <p>Rome 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. <p>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 diaspora: it brought some Jews back to their people 5 it strengthened assimilationist tendencies among others. <p>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 to-day: the Jewish national idea versus assimilation. It should be widely read, especially by those who are seeking an answer to the question: what is the place of the Jew in the modern world? <p>About the Publisher <p>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com <p>This 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.