Auerbach fought for Jewish emancipation and often spoke out on behalf of the German Jews, claiming that their destiny was linked with that of their non-Jewish fellow citizens rather than with Jews in other countries. Judaism for him meant a religion only, not a nationality, and he preferred the term "Mosaism" to "Judaism," with the implication that "Mosaism" may be interpreted as a philosophic system comparable to Hegelianism and other modern doctrines. Auerbach thus implored Moses Hess to desist from writing about the Jews as a distinct nationality. Although he used every opportunity to emphasize his fervent patriotism, Auerbach eventually realized that the Germans had no wish to share their fatherland with the Jews. He came to acknowledge the truth of Heine's distrust of German nationalism, and admitted that his own efforts to promote cooperation between the Germans and the Jews were a total failure.