Moses Mendelssohn

Who was Moses Mendelssohn?

Moses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the Haskalah is indebted. Although himself a practicing orthodox Jew, he has been referred to as the father of Reform Judaism.

Born to a poor Jewish family in Dessau and originally destined for a rabbinical career, Mendelssohn educated himself in German thought and literature and from his writings on philosophy and religion came to be regarded as a leading cultural figure of his time by both Christian and Jewish inhabitants of the Holy Roman Empire. He also established himself as an important figure in the Berlin textile industry, which was the foundation of his family's wealth.

Moses Mendelssohn's descendants include the composers Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn and the founders of the Mendelssohn & Co. banking house.