History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
wished, at first from conscientious motives, to blacken the character
of the Jews.
Some Jews had got wind of the printing of Eisenmenger's work at
Frankfort, and were not a little alarmed at the danger threatening
them. The old prejudices of the masses and the ecclesiastics against
Jews, stronger amongst Protestants than Catholics, still existed too
strongly for a firebrand publication to appear in German without doing
mischief wherever it came. The Jews of Frankfort therefore placed
themselves in communication with the court-Jews at Vienna in order to
meet the danger. Emperor Leopold I, who, at the instigation of the
empress and her father-confessor, had expelled the Jews from Vienna,
being in need of money in consequence of the Turkish wars, fifteen
years later allowed some rich Jews to settle in the capital. Samuel
Oppenheim, of Heidelberg, a banker, one of the noblest of Jews, whose
heart and hand were open to all sufferers, had probably brought about
this concession. As before, several Jewish families, alleged to be
his servants, came with him to Vienna. Samuel Oppenheim zealously
endeavored to prevent the circulation of Eisenmenger's book against
the Jews. He had the same year experienced what a Christian rabble
instigated by hatred of Jews could do. A riotous assault was made upon
his house, which was broken into, and everything there, including the
money-chest, was plundered (July 17, 1700). Hence from personal motives
and on public grounds Samuel Oppenheim exerted himself to prevent
the 2,000 copies of Eisenmenger's work from seeing the light of day.
He and other Jews could justly maintain that the publication of this
book in German, unattractive though its style was, would lead to the
massacre of the Jews. An edict was therefore issued by the emperor
forbidding its dissemination. Eisenmenger was doubly disappointed; he
could not wreak his hatred on the Jews, and he had lost the whole of
his property, which he had spent on the printing, and was obliged to
incur debts. All the copies, except a few which he had abstracted, were
in Frankfort under lock and key. He entered into negotiations with
Jews, and proposed to destroy his work for 90,000 marks. As the Jews
offered scarcely half that sum, the confiscation remained in force, and
Eisenmenger, deceived in all his hopes, died of vexation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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