​Ha-Me'assef – המאסף

המאסף – Der Sammler, edited by Isaac Euchel, Salomon Cohen. Königsberg, Berlin, Breslau 1783-1797, 1809-1811. Hebrew, German (occasionally in Hebrew letters) | Call Number: AB/Zs 4793, MP 3949 | Digital copy via Compact Memory as part of Frankfurt's Digital Judaica Collections.

Ha-Me'assef was a periodical published by  members of the Haskalah at the end of the 18th century i and named after the first generation of the Haskalah, the Me'assefim. This intellectual journal was founded in 1783 in Konigsberg by followers of Moses Mendelssohn; its  first editor was Isaac Euchel (1756–1804). Later editions appeared in Berlin and  Breslau. Between 1809-1811 a new edition of Ha-Me'assef was published and edited by Salomon Cohen (1771–1845). Ha-Me'assef was devoted to the education of youth, promoted the Hebrew language for all aspects of life, and aimed to introduce its readers to contemporary culture. Many of the articles published were unsigned. The periodical's moderate Haskalah policy, which avoided breaking with tradition, was restored only when the publication was renewed under Cohen. In the spirit of Haskalah, Ha-Me'assef's literary section published poems in praise of wisdom and nature that opposed obscurantism and idleness, as well as festive poems, ethical parables, and hymns of praise to notable persons and kings. Further subjects included linguistic studies, biblical exegesis, historical studies, biographies of famous Jews, reviews, news relevant to the Jewish world, translations of works from world literature, and supplements in German, which were occasionally printed in Hebrew letters.