Haskalah

American  

[hah-skuh-lah, hah-skaw-luh, hah-skah-lah] / ˌhɑ skəˈlɑ, hɑˈskɔ lə, hɑ skɑˈlɑ /

noun

1. an 18th–19th-century movement among central and eastern European Jews, begun in Germany under the leadership of Moses Mendelssohn, designed to make Jews and Judaism more cosmopolitan in character by promoting knowledge of and contributions to the secular arts and sciences and encouraging adoption of the dress, customs, and language of the general population.

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Etymology

Origin of Haskalah

From the Hebrew word haśkālāh enlightenment

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Haskalah

Haskalah itself was not impugned, and as theretofore translations and original works on science were encouraged, and the wish was entertained that "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

From The Haskalah Movement in Russia by Raisin, Jacob S.

They began to see that the fears of the orthodox and their denunciations of Haskalah were not altogether unfounded.

From The Haskalah Movement in Russia by Raisin, Jacob S.

But at the worst this was the result of mistaken zeal for the cause of Haskalah.

From The Haskalah Movement in Russia by Raisin, Jacob S.

It had been established by Meïr Horn, Moses Landau, and Hirsh Hurwitz, all of whom were indefatigable laborers in the cause of Haskalah in the Ukraine.

From The Haskalah Movement in Russia by Raisin, Jacob S.

The Slavuta publishing house, it is claimed, was closed, and the Schapiras met with their tragic end, because "as printers they scrupulously abstained from publishing Haskalah literature."

From The Haskalah Movement in Russia by Raisin, Jacob S.