Towards normality?

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This volume, part of a distinguished series from the London Leo Baeck Institute, explores emancipation, assimilation, and acculturation through diverse scholarly perspectives. The central theme is the concept of normality, closely linked to these processes. From the Enlightenment to the 1930s, German-speaking Jews sought to align themselves with their surroundings, striving for a sense of normalcy. Although historians have rarely used this term, examining the pursuit of normality offers a fresh lens to analyze the varied experiences of German Jewish acculturation and integration. The contributions include Peter Pulzer's obituary for Werner E. Mosse and an introduction by Rainer Liedtke and David Rechter. Michael A. Meyer discusses the complexities of German Jewry's path to normality and assimilation, while Christhard Hoffmann examines Mendelssohn Jubilee Celebrations. Johannes Hei addresses persecution in Jewish historiography, and Christian Wiese explores the apologetics of Wissenschaft des Judentums as an anti-colonial response. Deborah Hertz analyzes the dialectic between reform and conversion in Biedermeier Berlin, while Simone Lässig looks at middle-class religiosity in the German-Jewish reform movement. Other topics include military masculinity as a final stage of acculturation, Jewish dueling fraternities, and the integration of Jews in wartime society. The volume also discusses Jewish identities in Salzburg, divergen