Aaron Isaac

Aaron Isaac

Aaron Isaac ( _he. אהרון יצחק; lived 1730 - 1817) was a Jewish engraver and peddler from Germany who, under the reign of Gustav III, established the first legally permissible Jewish community inside of Sweden.

Background

It was the age of the Enlightenment, led by philosophers whose works revolutionized the social structure of Europe. Some liberally minded monarchs, like Gustav III, eased restrictions on Jewish settlement. "In 1781, opposed by the Swedish clergy, he pushed through the first law guaranteeing certain religious freedoms. This law gave foreigners the right to practise their religion but it forbade them to proselytize and to encourage Lutherans to leave their faith."Fact|date=June 2007 Gustav III, in a letter to his mother, the dowager queen Lovisa Ulrika, wrote, "...It is certain, that it would be highly beneficial to the country, if such a hardworking people as the Jews were to settle here..."Fact|date=June 2007

Jewish Settlement through the Eyes of Aaron Isaac

Aaron Isaac had made Swedish contacts during the Seven Years' War, who in turn put him in contact with Carl Sparre, the governor of Stockholm. In 1774, Isaac received permission and moved to Stockholm. In 1775, he, his brother Marcus Isaac, and their companion Abraham Pach were granted licenses to work as engravers of seals and stone-masons.

Although their right to settle in Sweden and practice their religion had been ensured, they had not been accepted into society and were isolated by a fear of being assaulted. Isaac later wrote in his memoirs that "...If I were to write the complete history of how they have persecuted me and my family this book would be too small to contain it. But I saw clearly that God was always on my side and prevailed against my enemies without my having to lift a hand against them."

Throughout his lifetime, by virtue of his contacts with Sparre, Isaac became the gateway through which Jewish immigration passed. He was careful about who would be permitted to immigrate because the reputation of the Jewish community in Stockholm rested upon the useful of Jewish assistance to the national economy. Immigration thus focused on relatives of Isaac and Jewish families from Germany that could bring their own capital and start their own businesses.

Legacy

Prior to Aaron Isaac and Gustav III, Jews in Sweden were either required to convert to Christianity or live an illegal and nomadic existence. By creating the conditions for Jewish families to remain Jewish and become part of the Swedish nation, they built the foundation for the modern day Jewish community of Sweden.

References

* The Jews of Sweden: Their History and Tradition, Judiska Museet Stockholm, ISBN 91-974363-3-X"This booklet contains an English translation of the first chapter from the book by David Glück, Aron Neuman and Jaqueline Star entitled Sveriges judar, deras historia, tro och traditioner (The Jews of Sweden, their history, faith and traditions). That book was published in 1997 by the Jewish Museum in Stockholm.

ee also

*Stockholm Synagogue (reference to the original synagogue in Stockholm, 1790-1870)
*Marstrand


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • EPSTEIN, JEHIEL MICHAL BEN AARON ISAAC HA-LEVI — (1829–1908), rabbi and halakhic authority. Epstein was born in Bobruisk, Belorussia. He studied in Volozhin under R. Isaac of Volozhin from 1842. At first unwilling to enter the rabbinate, he was persuaded to do so by the rabbi of his native town …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Aaron Isaak — (Aaron Isaac, Aron Isak; hebräische Namensform nach der Grabinschrift: ‏ר אהרן ב ר יצחק מבריצן‎; * 16. September 1730 in Treuenbrietzen, Brandenburg; † 21. Oktober 1816 in Stockholm, Schweden) war Gründer der Jüdischen Gemeinde in Stockholm und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Isaac Aaron — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Aaron. Isaac Aaron est un interprète juif de l empereur Manuel Comnène. Il n est connu que par son infidélité envers son maître, dont il dénaturait les volontés en les expliquant aux ambassades et aux princes d… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Isaac Albéniz — Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz i Pascual (pronounced|iˈsak alˈβeniθ) (May 29, 1860 ndash; May 18, 1909) was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music.Born in Camprodon, Catalonia (Spain), Albéniz was a… …   Wikipedia

  • ISAAC (Isak), AARON — (Aron; 1730–1816), founder of the Jewish community in Sweden. Born in Treuenbrietzen, a small city in the Duchy of Mecklenburg, Isaac started his career as a peddler at the age of 18. Yielding to an artistic impulse, he taught himself seal… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Aaron (personnage biblique) — Aaron (Bible) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Aaron. Aaron, selon la Bible, était le frère de Moïse, de la tribu de Lévi et premier grand prêtre (Cohen Gadol, habilité aux sacrifices) des Hébreux. Fils de Yokébed et Amram, tous deux issus de la …   Wikipédia en Français

  • ISAAC BENJAMIN WOLF BEN ELIEZER LIPMAN — (d. before 1698), German rabbi. Isaac s father, ELIEZER, was called Goettingen, a name taken from the city of that name in Germany. Isaac studied under Isaac b. Abraham, av bet din of Vilna and Posen. He served as rabbi of Landsberg an der Warthe …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • AARON BEN JOSEPH HA-LEVI — (HaRAH, initials of his name Ha Rav Aharon ha Levi; c. 1235–1300), Spanish rabbi and halakhist. Aaron was a descendant of zerahiah b. isaac ha Levi. His principal teachers were his brother Phinehas   and Moses b. Naḥman (Naḥmanides ). He had many …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Isaac Brokaw — (March 9, 1746 ndash; September 16, 1826) was a clockmaker from New Jersey. Brokaw was born in Raritan in Somerset County, but would leave for Elizabethtown where he would work as an apprentice under Aaron Miller, a renowned clock maker. He would …   Wikipedia

  • AARON (Arnd) BEN ISAAC BENJAMIN WOLF — (c. 1670–1721), rabbi in Germany; nephew and son in law of the court Jew jost liebmann , who appointed him head of the yeshivah he founded in Berlin. In 1697 Aaron became deputy rabbi and in 1709 rabbi of Berlin. Berlin Jewry was then rent by… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”