Nathan the Wise by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (This Week in Jewish History)

In August of 1778, the non-Jewish writer Gotthold Ephraim Lessing wrote to his brother of a new literary project designed to further tolerance of Jews in German society. The result was Nathan the Wise, a sensation that was initially banned by the Church and heavily criticized by antisemites of the day.

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There's a 1922 silent movie adaptation of the play from the Weimar Republic - originally believed to be lost, but a copy was later found in Moscow and restored. Of course, the play was banned again by the Nazis, but today is standard reading in German schools.

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