Samuel Hirsch

Samuel Hirsch ( born June 8, 1815 in Thal fishing near Trier, † May 14, 1889 in Chicago) was a rabbi, philosopher of religion and representatives of Reform Judaism, first in Germany, then in the United States.

He studied at the universities of Bonn and Berlin, received his rabbinical training in Metz. He was rabbi in 1839 on a trial basis in Dessau, and 1841 out of office. However, he was able to stay in Dessau and worked mainly on his " philosophy of religion of the Jews" by the support of friends. It represents the first band of an extensive work under the title " The system of the religious views of the Jews " which was to include nine volumes. Inter alia enough the first chapter of this book " The Ansich the active religiosity and the waste of her " the University of Leipzig to him in 1842 the Dr. phil. to graduate. From 1843-1866 he was Chief Rabbi of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ( appointed by the Dutch king, who was also Grand Duke in personal union ). On the German rabbis meetings of the years 1844/45, he represented a radical reform of Judaism, which he could not penetrate the German Confederation.

As Hirsch in 1866 accepted a call as rabbi of the Reform congregation in Philadelphia as a successor to David Einhorn, he emigrated to the United States. He founded the Orphan's Guardian Society and the first U.S. branch of the Alliance Israelite Universelle and was chairman of the first Conference of the U.S. ( de facto) ( Reform ) rabbis (Philadelphia 1869). As such, he played a major role in the formulation of the principles of Reform Judaism. He stayed 22 years rabbi in Philadelphia, retired in 1888 and moved to his son, Emil Gustav Hirsch, who was also a philosopher and rabbi, to Chicago, where he soon died out.

Samuel Hirsch attempted, between a " permanent ideological core " and one of the days need underlying merely " external rite " of Judaism to distinguish, as in his Catechism of the Israelite religion. He took on the basis of this absolution radical changes, such as the eagerly advocated the introduction of Sunday worship.

In his philosophical writings he argued against Hegel, who had settled Judaism in his hierarchy of religions under the pagan nature religions that Judaism and the ( primal ) Christianity absolutely superior to the religions of the freedom of any nature religion are ( The philosophy of religion of the Jews, Leipzig in 1842, Hart has broken unfinished masterpiece ). Judaism itself is needed to overcome the arising of Paul "Linking Judaism and paganism " A Long- segregation " model of the new humanity."

Other works

• Peace, freedom and unity. Six sermons held in the synagogue at Dessau, 1839
• Judaism, the Christian state and the modern criticism: letters to illuminate the Jewish Question of Bruno Bauer. Heinrich hunger, Berlin 1843 digitized
• The Messiah doctrine of the Jews in pulpit lectures, 1843
• The reform of Judaism and whose profession at the present time, 1844
• Humanity as a Religion, 1858