Trudy Gold
The Hebrew Enlightenment: Russian Style and its Consequences
Summary
The lecture explores the Haskalah, or Jewish Enlightenment, within the context of Russia, shedding light on the broader theme of modernity and Jewish identity. It examines the geographic and demographic aspects of the Pale of Settlement, where Jews were concentrated in the Russian Empire, emphasizing the influence of Enlightenment ideas from neighboring regions such as Prussia and the Habsburg Empire. The lecture further explores the aspirations of Haskalah proponents to elevate Jewish society, while acknowledging the complex dynamics of identity and the enduring challenges faced by Jews.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
This huge movement of peoples is modern. For example, prior to the Second World War in England the majority of people were English, either Protestant or Catholic. There might have been a few traders and ambassadors that were Jewish, but no settlement. It’s only after the collapse of the empires that people had rights in France, Italy, and Britain, that everything changes.
In the British Enlightenment, you did have some interesting women, like Mary Shelley who wrote “Frankenstein.” There are lots of women, but not enough, because women didn’t have that kind of role in the world.
That was part of it. But the Haskalah itself was worried. They saw what had happened in Europe and they believed Russia could be different.