TextVersion · 2nd Floor · Jews in Hamburg		PanoramaVersion
Enlightment and emancipation As a result of severe conflict between the senate, the citizens and the clergy regarding the toleration of Jews in Hamburg, an imperial commission issued a regulation in 1710, which ruled the right to live, taxation, the gainful employment and the practice of religion of the Jews. These regulations were not sufficient though, to ensure the life and the work of the growing jewish community and the ongoing protests against them by the traders, who feared their competition and the restriction of the clergy. There were more anti-jewish uproars by the population in 1730. The senate, on the other hand, had to recognize the Jews as citizens of the town with restricted economical and religious rights. In spite of all the resistance against the Jews, Hamburg and Altona were centres of enlightment in the 18th century. There was a minority of champions for this, based on reason and criticism, maturity, humanity and tolerance founded reformation. Around 1760, several Jews, friends of the educator Moses Mendelssohn, joined this circle. From 1800 Jews were allowed to become members of the Patriotic Society of 1765. The lively discussions about the emancipation of the Jews since 1790 was only transformed into specific measure through the French administration during the occupation of Hamburg from 1806 until 1813. The Jews received the entire middle class and political equal rights and the freedom of trade came into effect. Many Jews participated on the other hand in the specific measures of the allies against Napoleon and paid in the year of the war in 1813 almost a quarter of all the contributions demanded to the French. The hope of Jews for recognition of their achievements and sacrifices during the war of liberation was dissapointed in the following years. The french laws were no longer effective and as ever, traders and the craftmans guild as well as the Luthers Clergy put up a resistance against the emancipation of the Jews. In other German Federal states the reactionary development also encouraged hostile remarks against Jews. Coming from the south of Germany, the so called: „Hepp Hepp-troubles“ reached Hamburg in 1819. Further anti - jewish turmults followed in 1830 and 1835. Since 1830 the demand for equal rights for the Jews was spread further. In March of the revolutionary year 1848, a public meeting under the guidance of Gabriel Riesser and Isaac Wolffson in Hamburg demanded political equal rights for all tax payers, as well as –regardless of the political and middle class rights – religious confession. In 1848 Riesser was voted into the German Constitutional Nationalist Assembly. The fixed separation of religious confession of the middle class rights was taken over by Hamburg law in 1849. In 1859 the first voted citizens met; among the 192 delegates, were ten Jews. In the new constitution from 1860 full religious freedom and freedom of conscience was guaranteed and religious confession was separated from middle class rights. A law from 1864 ended the legislative emancipation of the Jews temporarily, from now on the jewish communities counted only as a religious community, where the membership was voluntary. Jews in Hamburg - The arrival of the first Jews in Hamburg - Enlightment and emancipation - Jews in the german empire - Jews and the Weimar Republic - Persecution and the holocaust under the national socialist leadership - Jewish Schools - Jews and business in Hamburg - Living conditions and Jewish residential areas - The Synagogue
TextVersion	HomePage	PanoramaVersion