Lichtenberg und das Judentum
Discusses the attitude of the 18th-century German philosopher toward Jews and Judaism. Conceives of Lichtenberg as a typical representative of enlightened anti-Judaism. Although he criticized Jewish religious laws, which he considered absurd, he also advocated religious tolerance and rejected any form of Christian use of force. He shared most anti-Jewish prejudices of his time, defining the Jews as materialistic and immoral, but he opposed religiously-motivated myths such as blood libels and host desecration accusations. Lichtenberg knew and appreciated some prominent Jews, e.g. Mendelssohn, Anschel, and Gumprecht. However, he was also influenced by the antisemitic attitudes of Michaelis, von Schlözer, and Meiners.