For the Jews of Eastern Europe, the 1850's were a decade of relative quiet in an otherwise tumultuous century. Yet during this respite, many Jews saw an opportunity to assimilate, and this opened the window for the haskalah. Its effect on the Jewish people was devastating, but great leaders arose to combat it. Rabbi Wein delves into the lives of two of them: Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch and Sir Moses Montefiore. One achieved in Torah and the other in philanthropy, and together, they make for a truly inspiring lecture.

• Baron Rothschild, Sir Moses Montefiore's mentor
• how Sir Moses Montefiore kept himself humble
• the Damascus blood libel of 1840
• Rabbi Hirsch's community in Frankfurt
• his debate with the Reform
• the realschule - the first Jewish day school

For more about Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch, please check out his biography in "The Challenge of Secularism." And for something really unique, "Orthodox Response to Modernity" captures his friendship with Rabbi Yisrael Salanter.

To learn about Sir Moses Montefiore and his impact on the Land of Israel, listen to "Builders of the Holy Land," especially the lectures on Rav Shmuel Salant.