Yosef Eisen

The Haskalah: The unending attacks on Jewish life in the 1800s caused a radical break in the inner life of Russian Jewry. Although only a small minority — mainly the intelligentsia — adopted the values of the Haskalah, or Enlightenment, its pernicious effects filtered down through Jewish society. At first, the Maskilim, or Enlighteners, felt that integration into Russian society would be a viable answer to government anti-Semitism.

Assimilation in Germany – Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786): While personally a religious Jew, Mendelssohn introduced ideas that led to the mass defection of German Jews from Torah observance. Although he did not intend so, Mendelssohn ultimately was responsible for the twin influences of Reform and baptism of German Jews, and the spiritual destruction of a major portion of the Jewish people to this very day.

Jewish history begins with the Biblical narrative of creation, G‑d selecting Abraham, the exile in Egypt and the subsequent Exodus and journey to the Holy Land. Hundreds of years of Jewish life in Israel, under the leadership of judges, prophets, and kings, is followed by the current exile, which came at the heels of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Modern Jewish history contains low points—such as the Holocaust—and high points—including the miracles and wonders we’ve witnessed in our own time.