Einweihungszeremonien als Übergangsriten in jüdischer Aufklärung und Reformbewegung. Drei Fallbeispiele
Title Alternative:Initiation Ceremonies as Rites of Transition in Jewish Enlightenment and Reform Movement. Three Case Studies
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Národní pedagogické muzeum a knihovna J. A. Komenského
Technická univerzita v Liberci, Fakulta přírodovědně-humanitní a pedagogická
Technická univerzita v Liberci, Fakulta přírodovědně-humanitní a pedagogická
Abstract
The opening of the Jewish Wilhelm School in Breslau (Wroclaw) in 1791 was celebrated with a large public ceremony, which was attended not only by the newly admitted pupils, their parents and teachers, but also by high state officials and well-known scholars. Similar large-scale and publicly announced celebrations took place in 1810, when the first German Reform synagogue, the so-called Jacobs Temple, was solemnly inaugurated in Seesen. Two years before this event, the Westphalian Consistory of Israelites in Kassel had been opened also with a public celebration. Both institutions now held “confirmations,” which replaced the traditional bar mitzvah. The admission to the Wilhelm School in Breslau and the participation in the Reform services in Seesen and Kassel meant for the Jewish pupils and “confirmands” not only the transition into another phase of life. These entries also marked the transition from traditional Judaism to a Judaism of modernity. Accordingly, these newly created institutions were primarily concerned with forming entirely ‘new humans’. The Breslau School aimed at a balanced perfection of the intellect, emotions and morality of its pupils. Analogously, the worship services and confirmations in Seesen and Kassel were directed toward “thinking, feeling, and acting religiously”. Drawing on the descriptions of the opening ceremonies and the inauguration speeches in Breslau, Kassel and Seesen, the rites of transition, the terminology associated with the transition and the conceptual content of the envisaged new type of education and instruction are outlined.
Dr. Uta Lohmann is a research associate at the Institute for the History of the German Jews in Hamburg. The main field of her research is the Jewish Enlightenment movement (Haskalah) in Berlin and Breslau, with special focus on the history of Jewish education, reform politics, cultural transfer, and Jewish-Christian relationships. In cooperation with Dr. Kathrin Wittler (Freie Universität Berlin) she presently prepares an annotated edition of the very rare school programs of the Breslau Königliche Wilhelmsschule which were published by the Jewish enlightener Joel Löwe (1762–1802). uta.lohmann@igdj-hh.de
Dr. Uta Lohmann is a research associate at the Institute for the History of the German Jews in Hamburg. The main field of her research is the Jewish Enlightenment movement (Haskalah) in Berlin and Breslau, with special focus on the history of Jewish education, reform politics, cultural transfer, and Jewish-Christian relationships. In cooperation with Dr. Kathrin Wittler (Freie Universität Berlin) she presently prepares an annotated edition of the very rare school programs of the Breslau Königliche Wilhelmsschule which were published by the Jewish enlightener Joel Löwe (1762–1802). uta.lohmann@igdj-hh.de
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Initiation Ceremonies, Jewish Enlightenment, Jewish Reform Movement, Royal Wilhelm School in Breslau, Westphalian Consistory of Israelites in Kassel, Jacobs Temple in Seesen, Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786), David Friedländer (1750–1834), Joel Bril Löwe (1762–1802, Israel Jacobson (1768–1828), David Fränkel (1779–1865)
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2336-680X