"The Haskalah movement attempted to transmit to the Yiddish-speaking, Hebrew-reading Jews the thought and literature of the non-Jewish world through articles, essays, plays, poems, and songs. Although it did not attack religion, it did satirize the tsadikim for their fanatic behavior and blind attention to outlandish rituals and customs. Among the satirical Haskalah song writers who recognize the power of melody in dealing with Chasidism were the popular folk bards, Wolf Ehrenkrants-Zbarzher, Berl Broder, Michl Gordon, and Avrom Goldfaden, who proceeded to expose what they considered to be the worst evil of the Jewish environment. These satirists utilized Chasidic song patterns as they scoffed at the tsadikim, who feared the bright sun of secular knowledge, and at their blind followers, who extolled the powers of their miracle-working rebeyim. Te satirical song thus became one of the most effective weapons employed by the Haskalah movement in its struggle with Chasidism." (Ruth Rubin, Voices of a People, 1974, 1979, 2000, p. 240).