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Deviance A

Deviance A Week 6 - Jews

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  1. Richard L. Kagan and Abigail Dyer, Inquisitorial Inquiries: Brief Lives of Secret Jews and Other Heretics (John Hopkins University, 2011)

    Kagan and Dyer's book examines the transcripts of Inquisitorial trials. They describe the secrecy and typical events of an Inquisitorial trial and some of the procedure involved, for example, the use of anonymous character testimonies against the accused and the anonimity of the inquisitors. They often attempted to scare the accused into a confession, whether it was truthful or not, by using the evidence they had against the accused and answering them question to try and catch them out. The transcript of this trial is what Kagan and Dyer call an 'INquisitorial Autobiography'. This is essential the answers that the accused give to the judges that form an idea of their life story. While Kagan and Dyer admit that the autobiography is not likely to be entirely truthful as it was given under duress, It still gives an idea of what the Inquisition considered to be acceptable behaviour and to how people reacted to the Inquisition.

     
  2. S.G. Burnett, ‘Distorted Mirrors: Antonius Margaritha, Johann Buxtorf and Christian Ethnographies of the Jews’, Sixteenth Century Journal, 25 (1994), 275-87

    This piece describes the writings of two ethnographers, Margaritha and Buxtorf, who documented the lives and activities of Jews within Germany around the time of the Reformation. Both were seeking to demonise Jews from a theological, social and political perspective, and were actively attempting to undermine Christian/Jewish relations. This article about their work does provide some information about the position and perception of German Jews at this time:
    • Jews had a reasonable relationship with authority during this period, something which both ethnographers have a serious problem with, in that they feel the authorities were not doing enough to undermine the influence of the Jews.
    • Jews had a protected legal status, and were allowed to become moneylenders.
    • They had a better relationship with authorities under princes than they did under emperors.
    • Their presence within German society appeared to be widely accepted or tolerated in legal terms, with no deliberate sanctions mentioned.
    • However, there was a significant presence of stereotype, exacerbated by the work of the ethnographers, who produced anti-Jewish pamphlets in German, which ridiculed a number of aspects of Jewish life, including the Capporah ritual.
    • These pamphlets also attacked the Jewish faith, and Margaritha particularly tried to increase opposition to Judaism by printing translations of prayers which he believed to be blasphemy.
    • There was also a high amount of suspicion towards converts from Judaism within the ethnographers’ works, despite the fact that their intention was supposedly to make Jews see their own errors and convert to Christianity.
    Whist the work of ethnographers cannot be taken as popular opinion, it seems that there was a divide between the actions of authority in protecting Jews, and the continued stereotyping and prejudice that happened on a day to day basis in Germany.

     
  3. Disciplining Jews: The Papal Inquisition of Modena, 1598-1630
    Katherine Aron-Beller

    History of Jews in Modena

    Archives in Modena of the Inquisition contain details of at least 476 Jews, and some 4829 Christians from 1598-1785.
    In Italy, no Jews had been forced to convert.
    In the Inquisition Records, between 1598 and 1630 only 9% cases were brought against Jews.

     

    They arrived in 1025 and by 1336 they were granted privileges which meant they could maintain their religious institutions and lend money with interest rates. Bolstered by Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution elsewhere. Following the Papal annexation of Ferrara, more Jews came to Modena. In 1638, when a ghetto was created there were 750 Jews, out of a total population of 30,000. Jews could hire Christian servants and wet nurses.

    The Inquisition:
    Duke of Modena did not welcome the Inquisition.
    Charges levelled at the Jews: Devilry, encouraging Christians to embrace Judaism, dissuading Jews from baptism, aiding and comforting heretics, defacing Christian images, and the performance of rituals abusing Christians, the church, and the sacraments. (Most of these could also be levelled at Christians.)
    Canon law forbid Christians from attending Jewish weddings, festive meals, circumcisions, religious discussions, or ceremonies. Jews were also not allowed to receive Christian religious objects as pawn. Any Christian who denounced a Jew would receive a ¼ of the subsequent fine that was imposed. The Inquisition wanted to keep them apart.
    Subtle differences in inquisitorial trial procedure. Christians were denounced by people who knew them, Jews could be denounced by anyone. Usually the Christians who had little contact with the Jews rather than those who did business with them.

    Effect of the Inquisition on Jewish Life:

    Jews believed that their legal rights would be observed (eg. one Jew refused to appear in the Inquisitorial Court on a Saturday as it was the Sabbath.) Jews usually began their testimonies by denying the charges against them – those who were tortured generally withstood it. They could generally afford the fines and thus managed to endure with little bodily harm.

     
  4. OBSTINATE HEBREWS: REPRESENTATIONS OF JEWS IN FRANCE, 1715-1815; Schechter, Ronald (Berkeley, 2003)

    An overview of the relations between the French state, people, and its Jewish community. There were few Jews in France as they were expelled, and so they only came under French control when France conquered various territories such as Alsace-Lorraine. The Jews were taxed more than average, and lived under the fear of expulsion. They were only tolerated because of the positive economic benefits they brought. They were given a fair bit of autonomy, but were the subject of common hatred.
    • 18 – 1394, Charles VI expelled the Jews, the order was never rescinded
    o Jews came back, not often through immigration but through French conquests of territories containing Jews: p 19: 40k Jews in France by 1789, at least half of which were in Alsace
    • 19 – Jews were taxed for being Jews and for ‘protection’ If they were too poor, they were expelled. They were important, as both traders, producers, and moneylenders, and so were tolerated.
    • 19-20 – many restrictions on the Jews, from where they can live, to being able to join guilds
    • 20 - Due to harsh taxes and job restrictions, many Jews became impoverished: 1732 ad, 50/1675 Jewish families subsisted without moneylending or begging.
    • 21 – Jews lived under the fear of expulsion if they were seen as possibly not being useful.
    • Jews had relative communal autonomy
    o By the start of the eighteenth century, there were five Rabbi judges in Alsace, although they could be overruled
    • Insulting and molesting Jews was common, shown by the many decrees forbidding this. Worse cases such as murder, were quite rare.
    • 22 – in 1636 the French king expelled the Jews from Nancy, at the request of the municipality

     

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