Elias Birkenstein (ca. 1778–1854), an early nineteenth-century German Jew who
advocated for sweeping religious reforms, was largely ignored by his reform-minded contemporaries
and forgotten by later historians. This essay will first survey the political and religious
aftermath of the Congress of Vienna, especially the new expressions of anti-Jewish hostility
and the Jewish responses they engendered. Against this backdrop, Birkenstein’s writings, including
some that were initially published anonymously, are examined in detail, underscoring
their radical nature. The essay demonstrates that, despite their evident familiarity with these
writings, other Jews refrained from addressing the most provocative aspects of Birkenstein’s
arguments. It endeavors to elucidate some of the substantive and contextual reasons for the
reluctance to confront Birkenstein and for his subsequent disappearance from the pages of
history.

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• Lost to History: The Writings of Elias Birkenstein