The Denver Jewish news., 1920-11-10

life OF the Jews. their social customs.
their business relations, their system
of education their folklore, supersti-
tion and everything else which VIZ
comprise under the general title Of
| history of civilization has to be
studied Another important man was
David Kaufman 1S52-1 1S99) who was
lost too early TO our scientific ac-
tivity. Kaufman in an immens.
number of essays and in some indie
pendent works showed how, by mono
graphs, history has to be enriched,
and he also in numerous instances
showed how some statements of Graetz
have to be corrected. The great nun
ber of others who devoted themselves
to special history of local nature. to
biographies, to the elucidation of In
dividual works is too large to be
enumated but I might quote for the
sake of variety, David Simonsen. !
torn 1858, fortunately still among us,
who has given us information on the
Jews of Scandinavia, Samuel Kohn
,1S4O-1919O who drew information os
Jewish history from sources written
in the Magyar language. inaccessible
to most Jewish scholars. Heinrich
Gross 1S35-101O) who covered the
field of Talmudc literature in France
during the Middle Ages, not to speak
of such profound scholars as Alex
ander Kohut GSi2-1S94) and VIII
helm Bacher (1S5O-1914) who devoted
their wonderful energy and brilliant
minds to rabbinic philology and espe-
cially TO such remote literature as that
which is written in the Persian Ian
guage.
Among those who continued the
work of Graetz. his successor in Of
flee. Marcus Brann, will occupy n
prominent place. 1t is somewhat diff
ficult to present the merits of his
lifc's work to public which is not
interested in technical details. 1t will
however be understood when we point
to the Importance of illustrating gen
eralities in Jewish histors by individ-
ual instances. We all know that the |
Jews up to the middle of the 10Th |
century and in some countries even
later, were subjected to numerous
legal disabilities. This perhaps will
he sufficient for the information OF
the average person. The student re
uuires clearer illustration of the
situation. Brann has given us among
his numerous works various local his
tories, as the history of the province
of ,Silesia. We learned how in the
18th century wave of hostility swept |
all over Germany. The Jew had be-
come an incOnvenient competitor IN
business to the growing class OF mer-
chants in the large cities. They tried
to. force him out of the most import
ant and gainful occupations. On TINS
account he had to be expelled from I
the large cities, which were the CEN
ters of commerce We find such 10 he
the situation in individual instances
all over Silesia. Then We see how
this barbarity failed to work. The
same merchants who would not have
the German Jews in Breslau welcom-
ed the Polish Jews because they were
either buyers of manufactured goods
or importers of valuable raw material
like hide. wool. tallow. wax, etc. of
which Germany stood in need. So. Mt
least during the fairs or under certain
restrictions all the year round in
dividual Jews were admitted. We
learn further how in those days even
the rich merchant and banker was
great Talmudist and could always
find time to combine the rnbbinical
office with the needs of his business.
Indeed it was the highest distinction
to which man of Independent means
would aspire, to be an honorary rabh.
lesides being business man. such
Il man we find in Breslau as Land
rqbbiner in the 18th century. His
name was Bendit Gumpertz. He was
n member of wealthy and socially
prominent family that came originally
from the Rhine province near the bor-
der of Holland. 1t is interesting to
note in little book of rabbinic de-
cisions which this man left behind
how a banker in Breslau in those days
was seriously discussing the question
whether coffee prepared ON Friday
might be heated on Saturday on
stove which was lit to heat the room.
1t is needless to say thar he declares
II prohibited. This BenGit GumpertZ
had n grandson named Reuben sam
ucl GumpertZ, who was one OF the
elders of the congregation in Berlin
and one of the leaders of anti-rah-
binic reform. Another branch OF the
s,;l.. .rnro nr latelY three