The Denver Jewish news., 1920-02-11
The Phaeacians Starving
and Begging
: GLIMPSE OF THE HISTORY OF
THE JEWS OF VIENNA.
by GOT'rHARD DEUTSCH
(lBy J., j, T., RI

NultZ lnllSlt. sNtHIlleE IL
with the mythical island of the Phae-
acians of whose abundance and joy
Homer sings: Mich umwohnt nit
glalenZendem Aug das Volk der
rkaiaken-Immer lists Sonntag, es
dreht INNER am Herd scn der Spiess,"
and Grillparzer, the Niennese poe.
called it "Capua der Geister' because
like the old Italian city it lived too
well to have any inclination for things
spiritual.
Matters have changed. and Schiller
or n GrillparZer of our days might
take his cue from jeremiah. singing:
'Is this the city that men called the
perfection of beauty, THE joy of tile
whole earth?" Vienna is begging. The
rabbnate of the city sends an appeal
to all rabbis of the United States for
help in rebuilding the beautiful temple
that was destroyed by fire, Aug. II,
1917. Who would have believed it six
years ago 'uhat the congregation with
so many cnnobled bank presidents,
with Rothschilds. Guttmanns. Koenigs-
warters. etc, would hold out hand
EYE view of the history of this jew
ish congregation. numbering over 300
0OO-perhaps 100000.
Vienna as Jewish center Is both
old and new 1t may have had Jews
in the days when 1t, was = Roman fort.
and it certainly had Jewish congre-
CATION in the twelfth century. In the
first half of the thirteenth century
its rabbi Isaac Ben Moses, or Zarun.
was one of the recognized authortlics
of his day, but in 1910 the Jews We're
expelled forever from the city and
the province of Lower Austria of
which Vienna is the capital, and joy
reigncd supreme when the young EN-
1910, spoke to committee of Vienna
Jews of the Jewish "Gemeindr.'
This fact in itself shows that the
forever" of the expulsion like the
forever of the Bible (Ex. Il. o. in
the rabbinic Interpretation tKiddush-
in. 1922 was vi limited duration.
1t lasted indeed not more than IL years
and probably less. In 1858 we find
already the famous financier. Samuel
Oppenheimer t1630-1703). established
in Vienna. Religious fanaticism had
expelled the Jews and religious fana
ticism brought them back.
la, ,,,a IL, zee, ,,s.,, of tba
the Bigotry which had been nurtured
by the war of thirty years and to
which the wife of Emperor Leopold
l., Spanish princess, had contribut
cd There was. of course. the usual
business Jealousy of tine burghers
which about fifty years previously had
Banishcd the Jews into n ghetto out
side of the city gates, but the main
reason was religious fanaticism which.
having succeeded in suppress.ng the
Professionals, turned against the Jews
Samuel Oppenheimer WIS most re-
markable character. He was the main
against the Turks who, in 1853, laid
siege to Vienna and cnmr near max
ing of it a second ConstantinOple. As
army contractor he not only furnished
provisions, horses, ammunition but also
ready cash to the always depleted
treasury. The court needed him al
ways at hand and so he came to
Vienna as II .'court-Jew" which means
n member of the imperial household
which. as is still the case in England
is not subject TO the local laws. a
Jew always has family. as already
the Talmud (iiddushin 21a) states
and no one could demand that Samuel
0ppenheimer should be separated from
clerical force, and no one could pre-
scribe to him where he should take it.
He therefore could .enrpioy Jewish
clerks, and the latter also were en-
tilted to have their families with
them Finally Jewish household
needs n shohct. children need teach
cr, and as the police Is willing to
give a broad Interpretation to the term
"Bcdientcr' when it is paid for it.
there were also watchers for the
dead. jnnitors for the NIikwah, sal
tcrs of the meat, supervisors of the
MezuZah and other religious workers
needed. Some of these people had
successfully engaged in business on
their own account. and gained enough
influence to obtain the privilege of
residence (caIled Schultz ~ Tolernnz)
personally, and some not always the
best class. g. Z. those who served as
detectives to watch the Jews coming
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