Judah Hurwitz (Hebrew: יהודא בן מרדכי הלוי הורוויץ, romanizedYehuda ben Mordekhai ha-Levi Hurvitz; 1734–1797) was a Jewish physician and author living in Amsterdam, Netherlands in the 18th century. Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, he was the son of Mordechai Hurwitz.

In 1766, his then-popular work Ammudei Beit Yehuda (translated as Pillars of the House of Judah) was published by Yehuda Leib Sussmans in Amsterdam. Although Hurwitz's stated intention in the book is to defend the theology and practice of traditional Judaism, he is often considered an early member of the Haskalah.[1] His writings evinced interest in science.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ Feiner, Shumuel (2000-01-01). "Solomon Maimon and the Haskalah". Aschkenas. 10 (2): 337–360. doi:10.1515/asch.2000.10.2.337. ISSN 1016-4987. S2CID 162038208.
  2. ^ Pelli, Moshe (1979). "The Beginning of the Epistolary Genre in Hebrew Enlightenment Literature in Germany: The Alleged Affinity Between Lettres Persanes and 'Igrot Meshulam". The Leo Baeck Institute Year Book. 24 (1): 83–103. doi:10.1093/leobaeck/24.1.83.

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