Moritz Stern

Moritz Stern was born on 29 June 1807 as the son of Abraham Süsskind Stern. In accordance with his mother’s wishes, he enrolled at the University of Heidelberg in 1826 in order to prepare himself for a career as a rabbi. However, a short time later he broke with his family tradition and declined the honorary position of mohel. Moritz Stern devoted himself to mathematics and, in 1859, became the first Jew in Germany to receive a professorship. He was a passionate advocate of the Jewish Enlightenment and Jewish emancipation. In a letter to the lawyer and politician Gabriel Riesser dated 29 December 1842 he wrote: “The idea of emancipation […] will be realized as surely as the struggle for liberty and justice in Europe will be brought to a happy conclusion.” Letter from Moritz Stern to Gabriel Riesser, 29 December 1842.