Jews and Christians in Minden During the Old Reich

Bernd-Wilhelm Linnemeier. JÖ¼disches Leben im Alten Reich: Stadt und FÖ¼rstentum Minden in der FrÖ¼hen Neuzeit. Bielefeld: Verlag fÖ¼r Regionalgeschichte, 2002. 831 pp. EUR 49.00, paper, ISBN 978-3-89534-360-5. Reviewed by Daniel Fraenkel Published on H-German (June, 2005) In the past few years, regional and local stud‐ few places in northwest Germany that can show a ies have added an essential dimension to our un‐ continued Jewish presence since the 1540s. In the derstanding of the pre-Holocaust history of the foreword to his hefty volume, the author defines Jewish minority in Germany and its tangled rela‐ his two-fold concern as, on the one hand, to do tionship to the Christian majority. On the one justice to the self-understanding of an ethnic mi‐ hand, these studies, with their localized geograph‐ nority whose connections and interests went well ical focus, mirror the diversity of the Jewish expe‐ beyond the territorial confines of a small princi‐ rience under the fragmented political reality of pality in the middle Weser region; on the other the German Reich. On the other hand, the con‐ hand, not to lose sight of the detailed historical crete local basis serves as an antidote to the specificity of his theme as it manifested itself in sweeping generalizations and uncritical assump‐ the everyday life of those concerned. He charac‐ tions that have often plagued the historiographi‐ terizes his methodological approach as "Mikroan‐ cal treatment of the subject in the past. alytischer Zugriff bei gleichzeitiger Verankerung Linnemeier's meticulously researched study sowohl des fest umrissenen Unter‐ of the Jewish population in Minden, from the Late suchungsraumes als auch der zu untersuchenden Middle Ages to the beginning of the nineteenth Gruppe in ueberregionalen ZusammenhÃ¤ngen" century, is a valuable addition to a number of re‐ ("Microanalytic approach with the simultaneous cent studies that have examined the history of in‐ anchoring of both the demarcated area and the dividual Jewish communities in northwest Ger‐ researched group in their larger contexts," p. 28). many in the early modern period.[1] The tiny While Linnemeier's intensive engagement with principality of Minden, the historical borders of the primary sources and his painstaking recon‐ which are more or less coterminous with the struction of the local milieu are among the present-day Minden-Luebbecke district of the strengths of his book, the overall contextualiza‐ State of North Rhine-Westphalia, is one of those tion--especially from the perspective of Jewish his‐ tory--is on the whole less impressive.[2] The H-Net Reviews themes addressed range from the statistical-quan‐ eighteen adult Jews were reported for the town of titative development of the Jewish population and Minden. its economic activities to Jewish-Christian rela‐ In his detailed analysis of the origins and tions and the medieval institution of the Geleit family relationships of the new immigrants, Lin‐ (right of safe conduct or protection), which pro‐ nemeier devotes special attention to the Minden vided the legal basis for every Jewish settlement branch of the well-known German-Jewish Gans in the territory of the German Reich until and into family. Seligmann Gans of Minden was a brother the nineteenth century. of the famous Jewish historian and astronomer The book takes up the story from the frst doc‐ David Gans, who dedicated his major oeuvre umentary evidence for the renewed presence of Zemach David, to his beloved brother in Minden. Jews in Minden in 1540, following their wholesale Although there is no direct documentary evidence expulsion in the Late Middle Ages, to the end of for this, Linnemeier avers that David Gans, by the Old Reich in 1806. The relevant period, ex‐ dint of his connections to the imperial court in tending over more than 250 years, is unevenly di‐ Prague, was instrumental in 1589 in obtaining the vided by the caesura of the Thirty Years' War and privilege of free passage, through the entire Reich, the Peace of Westphalia, by which the previously for the citizens of Minden. This was an invaluable autonomous ecclesiastical principality of Minden service of the Jewish community to the town of passed in 1649 to Elector Frederick William of Minden, although the Jews themselves do not Brandenburg in lieu of Swedish Pomerania. In the seem to have drawn any tangible fnancial advan‐ first phase of development, from the second third tages from this deed (p. 99). of the sixteenth century to the outbreak of the The discussion of the daily points of contact Thirtys' Year War, northwest Germany experi‐ between Jews and Christians is on the whole re‐ enced an economic and cultural boom, which of‐ vealing, if somewhat unsystematic. In 1613, the fered promising economic prospects for the settle‐ Christian wet-nurse in Susmann Gans's house ment of isolated Jews with their specialized mon‐ misused her position to abduct the small child en‐ ey-lending activities. By the turn of the century, in trusted to her care. When the illegal employment 1599, the Jewish population in the entire territory of a Christian nurse by a Jew came to light, be‐ had grown to 27 Jewish families with about 135 cause of the ensuing complications, Susmann persons in all--a sizable fgure by the standards of Gans was jailed for several days and forced to pay northwest Germany at the time. Only four of the a handsome fne of 30 talers. A few years later, Jewish families lived in the principal town of Min‐ the city council itself granted permission to anoth‐ den, whereas ten families were reported for the er Jew to employ a Christian wet-nurse (p. 308) rural township of Hausberge (p. 68). The in‐ Similarly, we hear of a scuffle between drunken creased immigration of the Jews, although hotly Jews and Christians in a roadside inn or of a Jew contested by Minden's Vierzigerausschuss (the who issued a "letter of dismissal" to his Christian representative body of the guilds) was fostered by mistress through a notary because he himself the relatively liberal attitude of the princely could not write German (p. 310). There were also rulers. During the Thirty Years' War (1633-34) sporadic incidents of violence, such as stone- town authorities more or less lost control over the throwing against windows in Jewish houses. In right to issue protection letters. As a result of this these cases the city authorities would impose se‐ loss, it became possible for a relatively large num‐ vere sentences against the offenders, such as an ber of Jews to set foot in the town. In the years incident in 1623 of banishment from the town for 1641-43, at the high point of demographic growth, three years (p. 317). Nor were the Jews themselves 2 H-Net Reviews totally defenseless. Reading the inventory of a style apt to be ponderous. A short recapitulation Jewish house drawn up by the Minden authorities or summary at the end of each chapter, as well as in December 1613, one is struck by the presence a comprehensive listing of primary and archival of many weapons, including four pistols and two sources at the end of the book, are sadly lacking. daggers (p. 300). Disconcerting also are the unnecessarily long cita‐ The beginning of the sovereignty of Branden‐ tions, given verbatim in the original, unmodern‐ burg-Prussia after the Thirty Years' War did not ized German spelling of the sixteenth and seven‐ bring with it any improvement or alleviation of teenth centuries. These failings notwithstanding, the situation of the Jews in Minden. Far from be‐ Linnemeier's volume, thanks to its solid scholar‐ ing characterized by religious tolerance and en‐ ship and its wide-ranging documentary basis, is lightened benevolence--here Linnemeier takes is‐ an important and welcome contribution to the re‐ sue with the interpretation of Selma Stern--the gional history of the Jews in northeast Westphalia. policy of the Prussian kings toward their Jewish Notes subjects was at best motivated by greed. For the [1]. See Rotraud Ries, JÃ¼disches Leben in next 150 years or so the Jews in Minden were on Niedersachsen im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert (Han‐ the whole condemned to a marginalized, backwa‐ nover: Hahn, 1994); Klaus Pohlmann, Juden in ter existence dominated by oppression, economic Lippe in Mittelalter und FrÃ¼her Neuzeit: Zwis‐ extortion and the inability of all but the eldest chen Pogrom und Vertreibung, 1350-1614 (Det‐ children to stay in the country of their birth. In mold: Gesellschaft fÃ¼r christlich-jÃ¼dische the course of time, Minden assumed the role of a Zusammenarbeit, 1995); JÃ¶rg Deventer, Das Ab‐ Zwischenstation for Jews wishing to reach the seits als sicherer Ort? Juedische Minderheit und flourishing coastal towns of northwest Germany: christliche Gesellschaft im Alten Reich am Beispiel Emden, Hamburg, Altona. Linnemeier views the der FÃ¼rstabtei Corvey (1550-1807) (Paderborn: expulsion of the Jews from the countryside in the SchÃ¶ningh, 1996); and Peter Guttkuhn, Die years 1714-16 as especially calamitous. The deci‐ Geschichte der Juden in Moisling und LÃ¼beck. sion to force the Jews out of the countryside was Von den AnfÃ¤ngen 1656 bis zur Emanzipation motivated by the Prussian Crown's desire to maxi‐ 1852 (LÃ¼beck: Schmidt-RÃ¶mhild,1999). mize its profits from the collection of the excise [2]. The inexplicable absence of such standard tax in the towns. The move had lasting adverse ef‐ works as Jacob Katz's Tradition and Crisis: Jewish fects on the composition and economic viability of Society at the End of the Middle Ages (New York: the Jewish population that were only partially re‐ Free Press of Glencoe, 1961) or Jonathan I.

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