The Institut zur Forderung der israelitischen Literatur was a society, founded by Ludwig Philippson, for the promotion of Jewish literature. The books published by the society were issued from Leipsig. On Feb. 12, 1855, an article by Philippson appeared in the "Allg. Zeit. des Jud.," proposing the creation of a Jewish publication society. On May 1 following, the society began its active existence with a membership of twelve hundred subscribers, which increased to two thousand during the year. The annual subscription of two thalers entitled each member to the works published within the year. A committee of three, Ludwig Phillippson of Magdeburg, Adolph Jellinek of Leipsic, and Isaac Markus Jost of Frankfort-on-the-Main, selected the works for publication and awarded honoraria to the authors. In 1856, when Jellinek was called to Vienna, he was succeeded by M. A. Goldschmidt. On the death of Jost (1860) L. Herzfeld of Brunswick became a member of the committee. In 1855 the Austrian government issued a prohibition against joining the society (Frankl-Grün, "Gesch. der Juden in Kremsier," ii. 28), and Philippson was expelled from Austrian territory when he was on a tour in Milan, 1858 ("Allg. Zeit. des Jud." 1868, p. 428). The society existed for eighteen years, chiefly through the untiring efforts of its founder; and its membership reached at total of about three thousand. It published, in German, about eighty works of Jewish history, science, poetry, fiction, and biography.