“Moses Mendelssohn, Religious Enlightenment and Enlightened Religion”

I would like to invite you to a conference on “Moses Mendelssohn, Religious Enlightenment and Enlightened Religion,” on Sunday, November 13, 2011, from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon, The conference will take place in the Art/Sociology Building, Room 2309 on the University of Maryland campus and is sponsored by the The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Center of Jewish Studies.

One of Judaism’s most original and influential thinkers, Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) has been called the first modern Jew, the founder of Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), the father of Reform Judaism, and an early model for modern orthodox Judaism. His edition of the Bible with German translation and commentary made him an object of veneration by generations of German Jewry.

Over time, Mendelssohn’s brand of rational Judaism was found wanting by romanticists, nationalists, pietists, and traditionalists. But in today’s post 9/11 age, where the stark alternatives of militant secularism and religious fundamentalism seem to leave little room for moderate, “reasonable” religion, Moses Mendelssohn presents a model of religious enlightenment that will at the very least challenge people who wish to think seriously about religion

The conference will bring together six of the foremost Mendelssohn scholars in the United States, Canada, and Israel to consider the thinker and his legacy

I would appreciate it if you would circulate this invitation to others. I have attached a pdf of the conference brochure.