History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 5 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
But the matter did not terminate there. Frederick I, the newly-crowned
king of Prussia, took a lively interest in the book. The attention of
this prince was keenly directed to the Jews from various causes. At the
beginning of the eighteenth century more than a thousand Jews dwelt
in his domains. The community of Berlin had grown in thirty years,
since their admission, from twelve to some seventy families. Frederick
I, who was fond of show and pomp, had no particular partiality for
Jews, but he valued them for the income derived from them. The court
jeweler, Jost Liebmann, was highly esteemed at court, because he
supplied pearls and trinkets on credit, and thus held an exceptionally
favorable position. It was said that Liebmann's wife had taken the
fancy of the prince; she later obtained the liberty of entering the
king's apartment unannounced. Through her the Jews received permission
to have a cemetery in Königsberg; but Jewish money was more highly
prized by this king than Jewish favorites. Frederick, who while elector
had thought of banishing the Jews, tolerated them for the safety tax
which they had to pay--100 ducats yearly--but they were subjected
to severe restrictions, amongst others they could not own houses and
lands. Yet they were allowed to have synagogues, first a private one
granted as a favor to the court jeweler Jost Liebmann and the family
of David Riess, an immigrant from Austria, and then, owing to frequent
disputes about rights and privileges, a public synagogue as well.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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