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“Adopt the mores and constitution of the country you live in, but retain the religion of your forefathers.”
Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) was considered the father of the Jewish enlightenment. he won acclaim as a philosopher in German intellectual circles, which were impressed by his abilities and even called him the “German Socrates” and the “second Spinoza.”
Mendelssohn argued that Judaism was not at variance with the enlightenment as it is essentially founded on a system of moral laws and not on an arbitrary truth that runs counter to reason. As part of his efforts to spread the enlightenment among the Jews, Mendelssohn published a German translation of the Torah transliterated into hebrew. he himself managed to strike a balance between preserving his heritage and integrating into German culture. Many of his followers, however, assimilated and even converted to Christianity.
