The Frankfurt Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus’ Impact on its Prominent Jewish Thinkers: Religious Action, Responses to Modernity, and Thinking Beyond Movements

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the works of multiple prominent figures who attended the Frankfurt Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus in order to find recurring themes indicating a common influence of the Lehrhaus upon these figures. The first chapter discusses Lehrhaus figures considering faith motivated action in the world was a spiritual requirement of a person of faith. The second chapter observes these figures’ tendency to demonstrate dissatisfaction with modernity and a need to propose modifications on and/or progressions beyond modernity. The third chapter demonstrates these figures inclination to think outside the boundaries of the movements of their times pursuing intellectual honesty and individual thought.