Moritz Güdemann
Encyclopedia
Moritz Güdemann was an Austrian
rabbi
.
. In the latter year he was called to the rabbinate of Magdeburg
; in 1866 he went to Vienna
as preacher, where he became rabbi in 1868, and chief rabbi in 1890.
to lay more stress on the national than on the religious character of Judaism, for which he was severely attacked by the friends of the Zionist movement. As far back as 1871, however, he had strongly protested against the proposal of the Jewish community of Vienna to strike from the prayer-book all passages referring to the return of the Jews to the Holy Land (compare his sermon "Jerusalem, die Apfer und die Orgel," 1871), and had even gone so far as to threaten to resign from the board of trustees.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
.
Life
He was educated at Breslau (Ph.D. 1858), and took his rabbinical diploma (1862) at the Jewish Theological Seminary of that cityJewish Theological Seminary of Breslau
Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar , The Jewish Theological Seminary of BreslauInstitution in Breslau for the training of rabbis, founded under the will of Jonas Fränckel, and opened in 1854...
. In the latter year he was called to the rabbinate of Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
; in 1866 he went to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
as preacher, where he became rabbi in 1868, and chief rabbi in 1890.
Works
Güdemann wrote on history of Jewish education and culture. He published:- "Die Geschichte der Juden in Magdeburg," 1865
- "Die Neugestaltung des Rabbinenwesens," 1866
- "Sechs Predegten," 1867
- "Jüdisches im Christenthum des Reformationszeitalters," 1870
- "Jüdisches Unterrichtswesen Während der Spanisch-Arabischen Periode," 1873
- "Religionsgeschichtliche Studien," 1876
- "Gesch. des Erziehungswesens und der Kultur der Abendländischen Juden," 3 vols., 1880–88
- "Nächstenliebe," 1890
- "Quellenschriften zur Gesch. des Unterrichts und der Erziehung bei den Deutschen Juden," 1894
- "Das Judenthum in Seinen Grundzügen und nach Seinen Geschichtlichen Grundlagen Dargestellt," 1902
- "Das Judenthum im Neutestamentlichen Zeitalter in Christlicher Darstellung," 1903.
On Zionism
In his Nationaljudentum (Vienna, 1897) he wrote against the tendencies of ZionismZionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
to lay more stress on the national than on the religious character of Judaism, for which he was severely attacked by the friends of the Zionist movement. As far back as 1871, however, he had strongly protested against the proposal of the Jewish community of Vienna to strike from the prayer-book all passages referring to the return of the Jews to the Holy Land (compare his sermon "Jerusalem, die Apfer und die Orgel," 1871), and had even gone so far as to threaten to resign from the board of trustees.