Cohen, Hermann, 1842-1918

Envelope 4/77 ; microfilm reel 055 ; Frames 643 - 672

3 newspaper clippings and 1 booklet and 2 articles from periodicals

Hermann Cohen was a German-Jewish philosopher, one of the founders of the Marburg School of Neo-Kantianism, and he is often held to be "probably the most important Jewish philosopher of the nineteenth century"-- (Wikipedia). Hermann Cohen's influence on modern nineteenth-century Jews was tremendous. His emphasis on Judaism's universal ethics to better the entire world encouraged Jews to integrate into the secular cultures around them as an aspect of their religion. It was legitimately Jewish to assimilate into society so long as the individual's goals focused on social justice. If a Jewish ritual enhanced that ethical imperative, it was important to retain it. If it appeared to contradict the high ethics of religion of reason, it was to be dropped --(Jewish Virtual Library)