Leopold Zunz (1794–1886) was a historian, religious scholar, and a pioneering figure in the development of the modern Science of Judaism (Wissenschaft des Judentums) – the academic study of Judaism. He was a tireless advocate for Jewish emancipation and integration into broader society. For Zunz, Judaism was neither simply a religion nor a national identity, but a rich culture deserving of systematic scholarly study and full participation in modern life. His work shaped the field of Jewish studies and played a key role in the intellectual and civic integration of Jews in 19th-century Europe.
Rachel Livne Freudenthal, born in 1940, is a historian and leading scholar of Jewish history. Based at the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem, she has published widely on Jewish life in Germany, including her book The Verein: Pioneers of the ‘Wissenschaft des Judentums’ in Germany (in Hebrew) and her contributions to the volume Jews in Berlin 1671–1945.
Lutz Vössing spoke with her about Leopold Zunz and his role in transforming the way Judaism is studied and understood.
How did you come across Leopold Zunz?
I first encountered Leopold Zunz while researching the Verein für Cultur und Wissenschaft der Juden – the Association for Culture and Science of the Jews. Zunz, together with Eduard Gans, was a central figure in the association and is widely seen as the founder of the modern academic study of Judaism. For me, Zunz still stands as a model for how Judaism, universal humanism, and political engagement can be brought together. I only fully understood this after reading his writings and personal correspondence.
What was Zunz’s family background?
There isn’t much to say about his family. He was born in 1794. His father was a teacher at a Beit Midrash and also ran a small grocery shop. He died when Leopold was just eight years old. After that, Zunz attended a boarding school in Wolfenbüttel, where he became the first Jewish pupil at the local grammar school.
What was the situation for Jews during his lifetime?
Zunz lived at a time of great uncertainty for Jews in Prussia. The Edict of 1812 had raised hopes of full emancipation, hopes that were further buoyed by the Napoleonic Wars. But those hopes were soon dashed during the period of political Restoration. At the same time, the Jewish elite in Germany was, to a large extent, integrated into German culture and society. Many members of the Association for Culture and Science of the Jews had studied at university.
How did he become politically engaged?
Zunz describes this in Das Buch Zunz. In this short autobiographical text, he recalls that one of the first pieces of music to leave an impression on him was the Marseillaise. The images on his wall were of Bonaparte, Lord Nelson, and Alexander Suvorov.
How did his political career develop? How did he become involved in politics?
Zunz was very much a product of his time – both as a Jew and as a German. As a German Jew, he stood firmly for the full civil rights of Jews. When he and many of his friends realised that the political Restoration was obstructing Jewish emancipation, he began looking for other paths forward. The key historical event that shaped his thinking was the French Revolution. He was convinced that Jewish freedom could only be achieved as part of a broader struggle for general freedom. That conviction led him into politics. He also came to believe that piecemeal reforms would never be enough to bring about real change. In his view, only revolutionary upheaval – like in 1789, 1830, and 1848 – could dismantle the structures of the old regime. ‘The revolution will be complete’, he wrote, ‘when the rule of law is established throughout Europe.’ Between 1840 and 1850, he was active in the democratic movement in Berlin and took part in its struggles.
Zunz was a founding member of the Association for Culture and Science of the Jews. Under what conditions was it established, and what was its aim?
Zunz was the only member of the association who remained committed to the project of the Science of Judaism for his entire life. The association’s aim was to radically transform the way Jews understood themselves. For Zunz and his peers, Judaism was not just a religion or a nation – it was a culture. And Jews, they believed, were a cultural people.
What did they mean by culture?
While the categories of ‘religion’ and ‘nation’ were seen as mutually exclusive, culture – in their view, drawing on the ideas of Herder – was an inclusive, integrative concept. Since Judaism was understood as a culture, it should be studied and interpreted through scholarly methods. The goal of the Science of Judaism was to present Jewish culture, as revealed in its textual traditions, as an enlightened culture – and to depict Jews as citizens of the world. This, they hoped, would enable and justify their full integration into the societies in which they lived.
That must have been controversial…
Absolutely. Zunz and his peers believed that one didn’t have to be Jewish to practise the Science of Judaism, and that this form of scholarship would endure even if Jews themselves were no longer present. Because they defined Judaism not primarily as a religion or a nation, their position angered both rabbis and early Zionists – and as a result, they were largely ignored.
What was Zunz’s standing within the Jewish community? How did he view assimilation and Jewish life within broader society?
His position in the Jewish community was complicated. For a short time, Zunz served as a preacher in a reform congregation, but he wasn’t well liked there. He and others associated with the Verein took a fundamentally critical view of the established Jewish community, which they regarded as outmoded and ultimately damaging to Jewish progress. Zunz, like Eduard Gans, wanted no formal ties to communal structures.
Who or what were they criticising?
Their main target was the rabbinical and communal leadership. They considered the rabbis to be poorly educated and unsuited to the task of educating the next generation or leading the community effectively.
Did Zunz support religious reform?
In his early years, yes – Zunz advocated for reform within Jewish religion and community life. But later he came to oppose religious reform, even as he continued to support the social and political integration of Jews into German society and other national contexts.
And what about German society at large? Did he continue to believe in the power of reform?
At first, he did. In 1819, writing under the pseudonym Helvitz, he published On the Organisation of Jews in Germany, in which he expressed confidence that freedom – including freedom for Jews – was becoming a shared value in society. But the experience of the Restoration era soon led him to conclude that reform alone would not be enough. He came to believe that only revolution could secure genuine freedom – for both Germany and the Jews. That belief is clearly expressed in his political writings. Once the state failed to uphold constitutional rights, he argued, only revolution could move the cause of liberty forwards.
What was his attitude towards Zionism?
Zionism as a political movement emerged in the final years of Zunz’s life, when he was no longer politically active. That said, he had a generally negative view of all forms of nationalism and was dismissive of the idea.
What, in your view, is his legacy?
That depends on who you ask. Zunz is widely recognised as a historian, and his academic works were translated into Hebrew, for instance. But his political writings and speeches have largely been overlooked, especially in Israel. I see him as a revolutionary figure – both within Judaism and in the context of German politics. His most important contribution lies in the way he linked the so-called ‘Jewish question’ with the broader struggle for rights, equality, and liberty, and how he connected that political vision with the intellectual project of the Science of Judaism. He stands at the beginning of a tradition of liberal, humanist Jewish thinkers who brought the idea of Tikun Olam – of repairing the world through political action – into European intellectual life. And he laid the foundations of the Science of Judaism as a modern scholarly discipline.
Text: Lutz Vössing
This article is part of the series ‘Civil Engagement and Democracy in German History: Jewish Experiences and Perspectives’, first published in German as Engagement & Demokratie in der jüdisch-deutschen Geschichte by the Freunde und Förderer des Leo Baeck Instituts. You can read the original article at: https://fuf-leobaeck.de/2025/03/leopold-zunz-revolutionaer-im-judentum/
Leopold Zunz. Photo: LBI.
