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Encyclopaedia Judaica
Jews in Austria 03: From the
revolution 1848 to 1918
Emancipation and wealthy Jews -
revolution 1848 and freedom of the press with anti-Semitic and Jewish
newspapers - Herzl - war refugees from Eastern Europe bring Jewish
culture back
from: Austria; In: Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971, vol. 3
presented by Michael Palomino
(2007)
<19th Century.
The position of the Jews in Austria deteriorated after the death of
Joseph II, though the (col. 893)
Toleranzpatent remained in
force.
[New laws for the schooling of the
Jews]
Francis I (1792-1835) introduced the Bolletten-tax (see *Taxation), and
ordered that measures should be taken against "Jewish superstitions"
and "vain rabbinical argumentation". Efforts to "enlighten" the Jews
during his reign included the activities of Herz *Homberg, whose
catechism "Benei Zion" was introduced into schools for the teaching of
religion. Until 1856, Jews were compelled to pass an examination in it
before they were permitted to marry.
A decree issued in 1820 required all rabbis to study philosophy, and to
use only the "language of the state" for public prayers; Jewish
children were required to attend Christian schools.
[Wealthy Jews: Jewish
industrialists in Austria - National Bank of Austria with Jewish
bankers - Jewish middle class]
The period between the issue of the Toleranzpatent and 1848 saw further
fundamental changes in Jewish life. A number of Jews were instrumental
in the expansion and modernization of industry, transportation,
commerce, and banking in the Hapsburg Empire. Lazar Auspitz, Michael
*Biedermann, and Simon von *Laemel developed the textile industry;
Solomon von *Rothschild built the first railway; the Rothschilds,
Arnstein-Eskeles, and *Koenigswarters were the outstanding bankers and
were on the board of the newly founded National Bank. Many Jews had a
university education and became prominent in journalism and German
literature. Prominent among them were Moritz *Saphir, Ludwig August
*Frankl, Moritz "Hartmann, and Leopold *Kompert.
The less wealthy classes of Jews also prospered, opening workshops, or
selling and peddling products of the developing industries. Their
heightened awareness of human dignity evoked by their economic and
cultural attainments and the relaxation of humiliating restrictions
emphasized the basic inequality of their status, even among the wealthy
and the nobility. It was even more bitterly resented on the background
of Jewish emancipation in France, the liberalizing edict passed in
Prussia in 1812, and the budding liberal, revolutionary, and
nationalist ideologies in Europe.
[[The rich Jews did not consider a balance of power with the
Christians, and this was always a reason for anti-Semitism, above all
after the collapse of the stock market of 1873]].
[Corrections of the law for a
possible integration of the Jews in the state]
During the Congress of Vienna (1814-15), Nathan von Arnstein with other
Jewish notables applied unsuccessfully to the emperor for the
conferment of civil rights on Austrian Jewry. Joseph von *Wertheimer's
anonymously published a work on the status of Austrian Jewry (1842)
advocated extensive reforms. In 1846 the humiliating *oath more Judaico [[Jewish customs oath,
Jewish oath]] was abolished.
[1848: Revolution - right to vote
for Jews - freedom of the press with Jewish and anti-Semitic newspapers
- movement "Forward to America!"]
The number of Jews actively participating in the 1848 revolution, such
as Adolf Fischhof, Joseph Goldmark, Ludwig August Frankl, Hermann
*Jellinek (later executed) - some of whom fell victims in the street
fighting, among them Karl Heinrich *Spitzer - in part reflected the
spread of assimilation among Jews who identified themselves with
general political trends, (col. 894)
and in part expressed the bitterness of those already assimilated. The
new election law passed in 1848 imposed no limitation on the franchise
and eligibility to elective offices. Five Jewish deputies, Fischhof and
Goldmark from Vienna, Abraham Halpern of Stanislavov, Dov Berush
*Meisels of Cracow, and Isaac Noah *Mannheimer of Brody, were elected
to the revolutionary parliament meeting at Kromeriz (Kremsier;
1848-49).
On the other hand, the revolution resulted in anti-Jewish riots in many
towns, and the newly-acquired freedom of the press produced venomous
anti-Semitic newspapers and pamphlets (see Q. *Endlich, S. *Ebersberg,
S. *Brunner). Isidor *Busch published his short-lived but important
periodical Oesterreichisches Central-Organ fuer Glaubensfreiheit,
Cultur, Geschichte und Literatur des Judenthums, in which Leopold
Kompert was the first to advocate emigration as a solution of the
Jewish problem in Austria (and initiated the Auf nach Amerika!
("Forward to America!") movement).
[1849: Jewish taxes abolished,
discrimination laws abolished, freedom of movement for all Jews]
After the revolution the specifically Jewish taxes were abolished by
parliament. The imposed constitution ("Octroyierte Verfassung") of 1849
abrogated discrimination on the basis of religion. The hated
Familiantengesetz became ineffective. Freedom of movement in the empire
was granted. As a result old communities were dissolved and new ones
emerged. Some Jews were admitted to state service.
[since 1852: Some new restrictions
against the Jews - Jewish press - Jewish journalist tradition begins]
On Dec. 31, 1851, the imposed constitution was revoked. Although
religious freedom was retained in principle, Jews were again required
to obtain marriage licenses from the authorities, even if the number of
marriages was no longer limited. The right of Jews to acquire real
estate was suspended. Other restrictions were introduced up to 1860. In
1857 the establishment of new communities was prohibited in Lower
Austria. Attempts were made to expel Jews from cities, based on the
rights afforded by medieval charters. In 1860 a new, more liberal,
legislation was promulgated, although in some parts of Austria Jews
still were unable to hold real estate.
In general, however, the position of the Jews was now improved. Jewish
financiers in partnership with members of the nobility founded new
industries and banks, outstanding among them the Creditanstalt. Jews
founded leading newspapers and many became journalists. In 1862 Adolf
*Jellinek founded his modernized bet
ha-midrash in Vienna.
[since 21 Dec. 1867: Full
emancipation of the Jews in Austria-Hungary]
The new constitution of Austria-Hungary of Dec. 21, 1867, again
abolished all discrimination on the basis of religion. The Vienna
community then rapidly grew, attracting Jews from all parts of the
monarchy. Jews increasingly entered professions hitherto barred to them
and assimilation also increased. Communal organization remained, based
on laws of 1789; in towns where there had not formerly been a Jewish
community, only a *congregation for worship" (*Kultusverein), could be
established.
A law issued in 1890 authorized the existence of one undivided
community in each locality, supervising all religious and charitable
Jewish institutions in the area, and entitled to collect dues; only
Austrian citizens were eligible for election to the communal board.
In 1893 a rabbinical seminary, the *Israelitisch-Theologische
Lehranstalt, was founded which also provided instruction for teachers
of religion, and received aid from the authorities.
the upper strata of Austrian Jewry identified themselves with German
culture and liberal trends. This was reflected in the views of Jewish
members in both houses of parliament such as Ignaz *Kuranda, Heinrich
Jacques, Rudolph *Auspitz, Moritz von *Koenigswarter, and Anselm von
*Rothschild. The German Schulverein (Association for German minority
schools) supported Jewish schools in non-German towns.
ANTI-SEMITISM.
[[Supplement: Collapse of the
stock markets in 1873 and no help for the Austrians provokes
anti-Semitism]]
Anti-Semitism in Austria was enforced by the international collapse of
the stock markets in 1873. The Austrian government and the Emperor of
Vienna helped the rich Jews and the Jewish banks, but did not help the
normal Austrian citizens and farmers. This provoked an anti-Semitic
movement against the government and against the Jews in general.
Schoenerer - one of the leaders - was model for Hitler. The movement of
course was generalizing all arguments against the Jews though many Jews
were also hit and poor by the collapse of the stock markets.
Anti-Semitism did not at all solve any problems, but the Emperor did
not either solve the problems...]]
Toward the latter part of the 19th (col. 895)
century, anti-Semitism rapidly developed in the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, the blood libel case of *Tisza-Eszlar being followed by rioting
and other false accusation. Anti-Semitism manifested two tendencies.
The Catholic-religious form later found expression through Karl *Lueger
and his *Christian-Social party; and in its pan-Germanic nationalistic
form it was expressed by Gerog von *Schoenerer and his party (see
*anti-Semitic political parties). The government, however, opposed
anti-Semitic propaganda.
[[Supplement: At the end Schoenerer was brought into prison because he
had attacked a Jewish newspaper office after the Jewish newspaper had
reported the death of the Emperor of Berlin too early and had to report
the death of the German Emperor two times and made much profit by this
manoevre. The German Austrian crowd was cheering Schoenerer going to
and coming from prison. But Schoenerer never realized that no problems
are solved with anti-Semitism, and the Emperor at Vienna was playing
with the nations in his empire. Schoenerer also was a fan of Bismarck
and at the end was burried in Germany in the same forest where Bismarck
has his grave...]]
[Jewish newspapers combating
anti-Semitism - Jewish congregations in Austria]
The manifestation of anti-Semitism brought a change in ideological
attitude on the part of the Jews, strengthening the national elements.
Efforts were made to combat anti-Semitism in Austro-Hungary by Joseph
Samuel *Bloch with the help of his weekly Oesterreichische Wochenschrift
(founded 1884) and the *Union Oesterreichischer Juden (founded 1885).
An association to combat anti-Semitism ("Verein zur Abwehr des
Antisemitismus"), consisting of members of the higher strata of
Austrian society, was founded in 1891 under the presidency of Eduard
Suess.
The historian Heinrich *Friedjung continued to urge complete Jewish
integration into the German nation. Some Jews ascribed the wave of
anti-Jewish hostility to the immigration at this period of masses of
"uncultured" Jews from Eastern Europe. In opposition to the
assimilationist Oesterreichisch-Israelitische Union [[Austrian
Israelite Union]] a Juedisch-politischer Verein [[Jewish Political
Association]] (later Juedisch-nationale Partei [[Jewish National
Party]]) advocated an independent Jewish policy. Jewish nationalist
ideology penetrated Austrian circles through the influence of Perez
*Smolenskin, Leon *Pinsker, and Nathan *Birnbaum. The first Jewish
national students' society, *Kadimah, was founded in Vienna in 1882.
ZIONISM.
[Jewish Herzl "Nationalism"]
Vienna was the city of Theodor "Herzl, and the Zionists combined to
strengthen the Jewish national standpoint and opposition to
assimilation.
[[Zionist Herzl says in his booklet "The Jewish State" that an Israel
could be found and all Arabs could be driven away like the natives in
the "USA". This would be a "modern solution" of the "Jewish question"]].
[1907-1911: Jewish Parlamentsklub]
After the passage of the General Franchise Law in 1907, four
representatives of the Jewish National Party were elected to
parliament. They founded a Jewish *"Parlamentsklub" [["Parliamentary
Club"]]. In the 1911 elections the Jewish national candidates were not
returned.
[1914-1918: Zionist influence on
the Jews - Jewish refugees from Galicia and Bukovina bring Jewish
culture back to Vienna]
The Zionist influence in Jewish public life increased during World War
I, and was significantly reinforced after Hirsch Perez *Chajes became
chief rabbi of Vienna in 1917. During the war, 36,000 Jewish refugees
arrived in Vienna from Galicia and Bukovina alone. The *Zentralstelle
fuer juedische Kriegsfluechtlinge [[Central office for Jewish war
refugees]] was formed to provide them with social assistance. Many
stayed on after the war and influenced the revival of Jewish culture
and life in hitherto stagnant communities.
[1918: Jews in the new formed
mini-Austria]
In 1918 there were 300,000 Jews in 33 communities in the Austrian
Republic, with 200,000 Jews living in Vienna in 1919. Distribution of
the communities was as follows: 10 in Burgenland, 1 in Carinthia, 16 in
Lower Austria, 1 in Salzburg, 1 in Styria, 1 in Tyrol, 2 in Upper
Austria, 1 in Vorarlberg.> (col. 896)
Sources
|
 Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 887-888 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 889-890 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 891-892 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 893-894 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 895-896 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 897-898 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 899-900 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 901-902 |
Encyclopaedia
Judaica 1971: Austria, vol. 3, col. 903-904 |
