An Extension Of German Haskalah

During the second half of the 19th century, American Judaism had been profoundly reformed, with a number of 250,000 German Jews enlightened by German Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) rushing to America. These German Jews overwhelmingly facilitated Jewish Reform movement in this new world, with a model of German Haskalah.In this dissertation, from three aspects, the author will demonstrate that American Jewish Reform Movement was an extension of German Haskalah. First of all, the American Jewish emancipation in the new land was an echo of German Jews'determination of earning a better life in the country they resided. American reformists inherited the pursuit of economic emancipation, social right emancipation and political rights emancipation of German Haskalah. Second, more importantly, American Jewish ritual reform extended German Haskalah in all aspects, for instance: the prayer book, religious learning, religious service reduction and also the reform of synagogue. Third, most importantly, in the final analysis, German Jewish theological principles in Haskalah featured the American Jewish reform most. German Jews introduced Haskalah theological values such as Universalism, Anti-Messianism and anti-Zionism to American Judaism.This dissertation will clarify that German Haskalah principles shaped American Jewish Reform profoundly. Enlightened by the value of Haskalah, American reform Jews extended all the civil right reform, ritual reform and theological values in the new world, to defuse Jews'distinctiveness, to modernize American Jews, to elevate their image in gentile world, and finally to assimilate into American society.