Hevra Mefitsei Haskalah Society
Title: Hevra Mefitsei Haskalah Society
Inclusive Dates: 1909-1938
ID: RG 22
Extent Information
1'8"; 4 5"lgl
Arrangement
This collection is arranged
Administrative/Biographical History
The Hevrah Mefitsei Haskalah Society (Society for the Promotion of Culture Among the Jews of Russia) was founded in St. Petersburg in 1863 with the financial support of wealthy Jews such as the Barons Gunzburg and Leon Rosenthal. Its original purpose was to disseminate Russian language and culture among the Jews in order to encourage assimilation and to remove the cultural and religious barriers between Jews and Russians. The founders believed that this would hasten the granting of civic equality to Jews. The society's practical objectives were to teach Russian language and culture, to promote secular education, and to publish books and periodicals in Russian and Hebrew. Eventually, branches were opened in Moscow, Riga, Kiev, Grodno, Vilna, and other cities. The society was dissolved by Soviet authorities in 1930. The Vilna branch was founded in 1909. It maintained schools, encouraged the formation of cultural centers, organized cultural activities such as lectures and conferences. The Vilna branch continued to exist until 1938.
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