THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Austria
rnouy of Maria Theresa, had a claim on her gratitude because of his disinterested services. The malignant fanaticism of the clergy continued. Typical for their position is the case of the congregation of Aussee, when its synagogue was destroyed and three members were exiled on the charge of the local priest, who asserted that they had assaulted him, when he (contrary to the law) had entered their synagogue on Yom Kippur and preached Christianity to them (1722). In Brilnn, whence Jews had been expelled through the efforts of Capistvano in 1454, one Solomon Deutsch in 1706 held services in
an
inn.
"When
this
became known the
repetition of
such an act was prohibited under a fine of 100 reichsthaler. On the application of Deutsch permission was, however, given to read prayers, but not to use
a scroll of the Law ("cum res sapiat synagogam," "Tagesbote aus Mahren," Nov. 7, 1901). The taxes were very heavy. Charles demanded of the Jews of Vienna 148,000 florins to defray the expenses of his coronation (1711). In 1717 they had to lend 1,237,000 florins, toward which Samson Wertheimer contributed 500,000 florins. On the other hand, these court Jews used their influence in the interest of their coreligionists elsewhere when the latter were
was due. to Samuel Oppenheimer's inwork " Neu Entdecktes Judenthum, by J. A. Eisenmenger, was prohibited. They also tried, though in vain, to obtain a repeal of the cruel sentence against the Jews of Aussee mentioned above. The treatment of the Jews was still guided by the principle that they were a nuisance which required constant watching, lest it became perniThus Charles issued an order that of every cious. Jewish family only one member should be considered "pro incola," which meant that only one should be permitted to many (Sept. 23, 1726). Jews were expelled from Breslau in 1738 upon the demand of in trouble.
It
fluence that the
the merchants.
who was very bigoted, During the war especially hostile to the Jews. with Frederick the Great, the rumor spread, as had been the case during the war with the Swedes and with the Turks, that the Jews had betrayed the Maria Theresa (1740-80),
was
country to the enemy.
The empress imposed upon
a contribution of 50,000 florins, and in 1744 issued an edict that all the Jews in the kingdom of Bohemia, including the provinces of
them
Under Maria
Moravia and Only
should be exgreat efforts by various philanthropists and foreign Theresa, ambassadors did she consent to suspend the edict for ten years for an annual payment of 3,000,000 florins (Aug. 5, 1748). Later on the matDuring the seven years' war ter was abandoned. with Prussia the empress permitted the statement to be published that the suspicion against the Jews was unfounded. In 1756 the district rabbi of Moravia, Moses Lemberger, upon the demand of the empress pronounced an excommunication against all traitors. In spite of her aversion to the Jews, the empress took a deep interest in all matters pertaining to the administration of Jewish congregations. Her statute for the Jewry of Moravia, " General-Polizey-Processund Kommerzialordnung fur die Judenschaft im Marggrafthum Mahren " (1754), is a classic type of pelled.
Silesia,
after
330
paternal legislation in the administration of Jewish affairs. The duties of the district rabbi, the mode of his election, and even the course of Talmudic She examined studies were regulated in detail. personally the bill of the delegates to the election of the Jewish representatives (1751), and demanded that a Jesuit should be a member of the commission which should examine all Hebrew books. Her special confidence was enjoyed by the Jesuit Franz Haselbauer (1677-1756), who in 1726 brought the charge against a Jewish calendar, printed in Amsterdam, that it contained blasphemies against the Catholic religion (" Zeit. f iir die Gesch. der Juden in Deutschland," ii. 388). In 1760 she issued an order that all unbearded Jews should wear a yellow badge on their left arm. Of the restrictions placed on the Jews a specimen may be given from a petition of the community of Prague. They complain that they are not permitted to buy victuals on the market before a certain hour vegetables not before 9, and cattle not before 11 o'clock; to buy fish is sometimes altogether prohibited; Jewish druggists are not permitted to buy herbs at the same time with Christians (" Allg. Zeit. The taxation was des Jud." 1887, pp. 676 et seq.). For instance, it was decreed in 1744 that exorbitant. the Jews should pay a special tax of 40,000 florins for the right to import their citrons for the Feast of Booths (see Etrog). Upon the petition of the Jews Only occathis tax was reduced to 4,000 florins. sionally was the empress humane in her treatment Thus, on Feb. 15, 1769, she ordered of the Jews. that no Jewish child should be baptized against the will of its parents and in a special case she decided against the Church (Wolf, " Judentaufen in OesterAn evident reich," pp. 55 et seq., Vienna, 1863). intention to improve the material condition of the Jews is found in her orders (1) that the Jews may sell new garments made by themselves, against which the gild of tailors had protested (April 10, 1772) (2) that Jews may engage in jewelers' work, although they must not keep an apprentice (April and (3) that they may keep tanneries 24, 1772)
—
under certain restrictions (Sept. 20, 1775). Culture The mental activity among the Jews dur:
ing this period
is still
almost exclusively restricted
Talmudic literature. Higher literary aims were pursued by David Oppenheim, nephew of the court Jew Samuel Oppenheimer, who was rabbi of Nikolsburg 1690-1705, and of Prague 1705-36. His rich and well-selected library could not, however, be brought into Austria on account of the severe censorship, then in the hands of the Jesuits. The movement of Shabbethai Zebi agitated the Jews of Austria to no small degree and some of the mystics who followed the pseudo-Messiah were Austrians, like Loebele Prossnitz or they found a fertile soil in Austria in men like Nehemiah H AYYIM an d Joseph Frank. The controversy between Jacob Emden and Jonathan Eybeschutz also caused a great commotion in Austria, where the latter had spent a great part of his early life and where, also, Emden had lived for some time in the house of his fatherin-law, Mordecaiha-Kohen,rabbi in Ungarisch Brod. Members of the Auerbach family who had lived in Vienna and in Nikolsburg were called to important to
