Hirsch, Samson Raphael

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Hirsch, Samson Raphael (1808–88). Prominent exponent of Jewish orthodoxy in 19th-cent. Germany. His most important works, Neunzehn Briefe ueber Judentum (Nineteen Letters on Judaism) (1836; Eng. 1899) and Choreb, oder Versuche ueber Jissroels Pflichten in der Zerstreuung (Hobab-Essays on Israel's Duties in the Diaspora) (1837; Eng. 1962), were designed for young adults as a defence of traditional Judaism. He strongly opposed the emergent Reform movement, defending, both Hebrew as the proper language for prayer, and also the traditional synagogue organization.

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