The Jewish Enlightenment movement of the 18th-19th centuries that emphasized secular education, Hebrew language reform, and modernization within Jewish society.
From Hebrew 'haskalah' meaning 'enlightenment' or 'education,' derived from 'sekhel' meaning 'reason' or 'intellect.' The movement was a direct Jewish response to the broader European Enlightenment.
Haskalah was the moment when Jewish intellectuals decided their people needed to learn modern languages, science, and culture—not instead of Judaism, but alongside it—and this intellectual awakening shaped modern Jewish identity.
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