ABSTRACT
HebrewliteratureonGermansoilwastobeshort-lived.In1783Moses Mendelssohn(1729-86),theleadingfigureoftheGermanHaskalah, finishedhisfamousBiur,thetranslationofthePentateuchfromHebrew intoGermanwithaHebrewcommentary.Thistranslationmayhavehad theeffectofbindingGermanJewstotheHebrewBiblebutitalso introducedthemtothepleasuresofreadingGerman,forcertainlymany GermanJewslearntGermanfromtheBiur.Inanyevent,nosoonerhad GermanJewrybeenintroducedtoasecularliteratureinHebrewthanthey startedabandoningitforGermanliterature,somuchsothatahundred yearslateronewouldhavebeenhard-pressedtofindanyGermanJew capableofwritingHebrewbelleslettres.However,theHaskalahandthe Hebrewliteraturewhichwasitsmostsignificantexpressionweretofind morefertilesoilfurthereast,firstinGalicia,theninLithuaniaand Belorussia,andtowardstheendofthenineteenthcenturyintheBlackSea porttownofOdessa,whichbecametheprincipalcentreofHebrew creativityuntilaftertheRussianRevolutionof1917whenPalestine becametheonlyimportantcentreofHebrewliteraryactivity(apartfroma fewyearsinthe1920swhenBerlinbecametheshort-livedhomeofa numberofexpatriateandmostlyEastEuropeanHebrewwriters).
