David Caro: Jewish, German, Polish

David Caro was an advocate of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) who lived most of his life in Poznan. This article examines the role of Idealism in his published works, his aspirations for cultural and political development, his much-noted programme for rabbinic reform, and his campaign for modern schooling for Jews. Previous studies have characterised Caro’s work as either radical or as moderate in respect to his aspirations for religious reform. The present article seeks to reframe thestudy of Caro’s thought with attention to his context – Jewish, German and Polish – and through closer examination of his absorption of Idealist cultural, educational and political thought.