The Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaft des Judentums in Its Historical Context

Abstract

Wissenschaft des Judentums, the movement for the scientific understanding of Judaism as an academic discipline, was arguably the single most important contribution of German Jewry to Jewish culture in modern times. Less known, but equally significant, however, was the intellectual engine that drove this academic pursuit: the Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaft des Judentums. Throughout its 36 years (1902-38) the Society for the Advancement of the Science of Judaism not only supported numerous ground-breaking projects and publications but also had a lasting impact on the study of Jewish thought and culture in academic institutions around the world - up to the present day. Henry C. Soussan places the organization in its historical context and retraces the social and ideological impulses leading to its creation, thereby making an invaluable contribution to the field.