Introduction
The texts presented here are excerpts from the pinkas (the communal logbook) of the Jewish community in Frankfurt on the Oder from between 1766 and 1782. The record book (covering the years between the late 1750s and 1793) is one of at least two that were kept during this time. It primarily contains entries on communal elections, hiring of communal rabbis, communal finances, tax collection, esp. the meat tax, marriage licenses, and the appointment of guardians. Despite the relative wealth of a small number of community members, mostly merchants who profited from the important role of Frankfurt/Oder and its fair for the trade between Western and Eastern Europe, the community suffered from increasing taxes imposed by the Prussian government in the second half of the eighteenth century. The situation was further aggravated by the decline of the local fair and the city’s role in international trade toward the end of the eighteenth century.
The texts are concerned with the raising of additional money to cover community expenses, primarily taxes, via loans from Jews and non-Jews alike. They show the mechanisms of raising loans from members of the community as well as from relatives of local communal leaders. These practices shed light on the usage of bills of exchange for these loans and the connections between commercial and communal networks. Moreover, these texts allow us to examine the relationship between economic position and social power within the Jewish community in Frankfurt/Oder, especially under the limited degree of communal autonomy of Prussian Jewish communities. Although the lay leaders of the community held considerable power based on their economic position and their ability to provide or arrange communal loans, it remains questionable how much this power was worth considering their considerable financial obligations as well as the limited legal autonomy of the community. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, it became increasingly difficult for the community and its lay leaders to raise capital.
Bibliography
Meier, Brigitte. “Die jüdische Gemeinde in Frankfurt an der Oder auf dem Weg in die Moderne 1750-1850. Eine sozialhistorische Mikrostudie.” Jahrbuch für Brandenburgische Landesgeschichte 46 (1995): 111-128.
Meisl, Josef, ed., Pinkas Kehilat Berlin, 483-614 (1723-1854) (Jerusalem: R. Mas, 1962).
Schenk, Tobias. Wegbereiter der Emanzipation? Studien zur Judenpolitik des “Aufgeklärten Absolutismus” in Preußen (1763-1812). Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2010.
Schnabel, Isabel, and Hyun Song Shin. “Liquidity and Contagion: The Crisis of 1763.” Journal of the European Economic Association 2, no. 6 (2004): 929-968. [Though not directly related to the topic, the article does a great job in showing the flow of credit between Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Prussia via bills of exchange.]
Source 1 Translation
Minute book of the Jewish Community in Frankfurt on the Oder
Pinkas Kehilat Frankfurt de-Oder
1750s to 1793
Translation:
Logbook (Pinkas) of the Jewish Community in Frankfurt on the Oder
(Maimonides Library, Tel Aviv, MS 19)
[fol. 13v]
July 27, 1766
The kahal borrowed 400 Reichsthaler on a bill of exchange from the katsin [leader] R.
Wolf Openheim and paid R. Yosef Segal 1,000 Reichsthaler Louis d’or,1 i.e. Courant2
on a bill of exchange from the kahal in Berlin from the sale of the seats.3
Friday, 24. Tevet [5]527 [December 26, 1766]
1000 one thousand Reichsthaler Courant
75 [?]
24 interest for 4 ½ month with
the fourth installment from the purchased seat from the katsin R. Israel, gobai
[collector], which was transferred by R. Zelig, shamash [beadle], and for which we have
a receipt from R. Israel bar Sh.
[fol. 15r]
Be[‘ezrat] Ha[‘Shem] [With God’s help]
Today, Tuesday 27. Tishri [5]528 [October 20, 1767] we, the undersigned, assembled
and found that our community has great need to take out a loan of two thousand two
hundred Reichsthaler for the needs of our community, i.e. to pay the excise [Akzise]4
[also without giving?], and for the bolting cloth [Beuteltuch] manufactory,5 and for the
remainder of needs of the community; the necessary assets and [fines?] for our
community from ha[hakham] ha[gadol] ha-k[atsin] p[arnas] ve ha-r[av] r[avi] Yakov
Katz in Hamburg for four years with […]6 on one hundred in his hand. The interest on the 22 hundred thaler Louis d’or will be collected by ha-k[atsin] m[anhig] ha-[?] Mori
Katz, who delivers [?] the money to ha[hakham] ha[gadol] ha-r[av] r[abi] Israel bar
Sh. and he should calculate the 22 hundred Reichsthaler as usual. We, the undersigned,
have thus signed for the good of the community a Sola bill of exchange7 in solidum8
for the above mentioned R. Yakov and have [received it in cash?]. When R. Yakov demands
his assets back, then this sum shall be raised from the members of the community, half
according to individuals and half according to assets; but at first, that is at the Martini
fair9 that begins in the month of Cheshvan [5]528 [1767]; there will be an asifat medina;
10 then external impartial arbitrators shall agree in which ways the above mentioned tax
[netina], i.e. the excise [Akzise] [without giving?] and bolting cloth manufactory shall be
raised and thus it will be decided according to the decision of these external impartial
arbitrators; and as it comes with interest, which we have to pay in the above mentioned
way; and if the impartial arbitrators will agree to raise the above mentioned tax in a
different way and to increase [the part raised] according to assets and to reduce the half
[raised] according to individuals as mentioned above, such it will be.
ha-k[atsin] Pinhas Cohen
ha-k[atsin] Yisskar K”h [Kirchheim] m[a’amar] r[anenu] ts[adikim]
ha-k[atsin] Leib Buko
Aaron bar Sh. ha-k[atsin] Zeligman Koblenz ha-k[atsin] Mori Cohen
ha-k[atsin] Feibish Cohen ha-k[atsin] Naftali Herz Yisrael bar Sh.
Wolf Openheim ha-k[atsin] Naftali Herz Hal“s [Halberstadt]
ha-k[atsin] Shlomo bar N.
Avril bar Y. ha-Kadosh ha-k[atsin] David [Kunitz?] Mordekhai Cohen
Yosef Shapiror
Herz bar Y. z“l Moshe bar A. Baruch bar [?] z“l
ha-k[atsin] David bar Leib Kunitz Tsvi Hirsh H“sh [Halberstadt?]
ha-k[atsin] Feibish Frenk Abraham bar R. Segal
ha-k[atsin] Yosef b[en] ha-r[av] r[abi] Zeev Wolf yi[shmerehu] ts[uro] v[iyheyehu]
[May God protect and preserve him!]
[Reme?] bar [?] Aaron bar P. ha-k[atsin] Naftai Herz Reiss
ha-k[atsin] Aaron bar N. Yosef bar P. Eli[as] Buko
Yitsak Buko
Kaufman r[av]-ha[?] Frenk
Yonatan [?]
Hirsh bar H. z”l
Abraham ben k[avod] ha[rav] Naftali Herz yi[shmerehu] ts[uro] v[iyheyehu] from the
house of [?]
Benjamin Benish Katz
ha-k[atsin] Izaak Reis
Whereas it was mentioned on the previous page that we borrowed 22 hundred
Reichsthaler Louis d’or on a bill of exchange from the katsin p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] R.
Yakov Schlesinger from Hamburg for four years because of the taxes and expenses of
our community as mentioned on the previous page, but the afore mentioned R. Yakov
did not want to accept the bill of exchange in Louis d’or, therefore we borrowed instead
of 22 hundred Reichsthaler Louis d’or five thousand mark banco11 on a bill of exchange
from the afore mentioned katsin for four years; and it shall [be given?] to R. Yisrael,
gobai [collector], here, which he shall allocate to his account; F[rank]f[urt] on the
O[der] Monday, 10. Heshvan [5]528 [November 2, 1767]
ha-k[atsin] Leib Buko ha-k[atsin] Pinhas Cohen ha-k[atsin] Mori Cohen
Aaron bar Sh.
Feibish Cohen
Concerning the above mentioned five thousand mark banco, which the previous kahal
borrowed for the needs of the community from the p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] ha-k[atsin]
k[avod] ha[rav] Yakov Katz in Hamburg, we paid back two thousand seven hundred
mark banco two years ago, and for the remaining two thousand three hundred mark
banco, which we still have to pay to the afore mentioned k[atsin] p[arnas] ve-m[anhig]
k[avod] ha[rav] Yakov Katz in H[am]b[urg], we have issued a new bill of exchange for
two years, and since this one is due now, it has been renewed, and the costs for this one
will be collected half according to assets and half according to individuals; the afore
mentioned bill of exchange has been issued on November 1, 1771; today 5. Tevet [5]532
[December 12, 1771]
[fol. 20r]
In the meeting of the 1812 of our community y[ishmerehu] ts[uro] v[iyheyehu] [May
God protect and preserve it!] concerning the issuance of the bill of exchange of thousand
Reichsthaler Louis d’or – 1,000 rt – for the accountant Wisenburg in order to pay the
k[atsin] R. Yakov Schlesinger in Hamburg 2,200 Reichsthaler banco we, the signers,
have all signed the bill of exchange except for the nahal hesh[bon] [account keeper] the
k[atsin] R. Avraham and another R. Pinhas bar Yosef Segal, and they refused to sign the
afore mentioned bill of exchange, therefore the afore mentioned account keeper and the
other violated against the takanah [regulation] as it is explained in the main logbook
[pinkas gadol], takanah 10; therefore the above mentioned account keeper and the
other will be regarded as rebellious and will not be allowed to any future appointment,
but because this happened the first time, we, the signers, have [decided?] that when the
afore mentioned account keeper and the other one will each pay a fine of five
Reichsthaler, half of it to our Lord the King yar[um] h[odo] [His Majesty] and half of it
for the zedakah [charity] box; the above mentioned account keeper and the other will
have compensated [for their transgression] with this fine, but if they will refuse
something again another time the afore mentioned takanah will remain in effect according to the afore mentioned takanah.
F[rank]f[urt] on the Oder, on the eve of Monday 12. Menahem [Av] [5]535 [August 7,
1775]
Aaron bar Sh. ha-k[atsin] Mori Katz Herz Hal[ber]sch[tadt]
Avril bar Y. ha-Kadosh z”l ha-k[atsin] Eli[as] bar L[eib] Buko ha-k[atsin] Yusfah Buko
Avraham bar M. Segal Avraham bar Y. Cohen Naftali Herz Reis
[fol. 22v]
[…]
In the meeting of the 32 we have borrowed three hundred Reichsthaler Friedrich d’or13
from the katsin R. Herz Ber for the needs of our community, which we still owed to the
accountant Weisenberg and paid it off with it; officially permitted by the signees
F[rank]f[urt] Thursday, 6. Adar rishon [5]537 [February 13, 1777]
Herz H[alber]sh[tadt] Herz Ber Eli[as] bar Leib Buko
[…]
[fol. 23r]
In the meeting of the 18, we, the signers, borrowed for the needs of our community from
the orphans of the deceased R. Feibish Katz sz”l on the order of the above mentioned
guardian p[arnas] and ha-katsin k[avod] ha-r[av] Herz Ber two hundred and fifty
Reichsthaler in Friedrichs d’or à 5 Reichsthaler,14 which we will pay off at the beginning
of the Reminiscere [fair], which we have owned to Mr. Weiss for a while and which we
will now pay to the above mentioned. And we, the signers, gave a bill of exchange in
solidum to the afore mentioned p[arnas] and k[atsin] R. Herz.
F[rank]f[urt] on the Oder, Monday [night] 13. Iyyar [5]537 [May 19, 1777]
ha-k[atsin] Mori Katz from F[rank]f[urt] on the Oder Herz Halbershtadt Herz Ber
Hirsch bar H. z”l
Eli[as] Buko
Sanvil bar L. z”l
ha-k[atsin] Yusfa Buko
Mordekhai Cohen
Yeshayi[ah] Segal
Leman Cohen
Yisrael b[en] ha-rav m[orenu] ve[rabenu] ha-[rav] r[rabi] Aaron Frenkel
Izaak Reis
Menahem bar Y. Cohen
The above mentioned assets have been paid to R. Benish, son of the deceased k[avod]
m[orenu] ha[rav] Feibisch Cohen z”l by the alufi[m] gobaim [heads of the collectors]
The torn bill of exchange, on which R. Benish also has confirmed the correct receipt on
the back of the bill of exchange, is kept in the files of the community under February 20,
1781, no. 144.
Mori Cohen Herz Hal[ber]sh[tadt] Herz Ber Sanvil b[en] ha-r[av] r[abi] Leib z“l
[fol. 46v]
The alufi[m] p[arnasim] ve-m[anhigim] of the community together with the 18 men
met on Thursday 13. Nissan [5]542 [March 28, 1782] and it was brought forward since
the katsin p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] mo[renu] ha[rav] Mori Cohen terminated his loan of
3,200 Reichsthaler, which he gave to the kahal, and similarly the katsin p[arnas]
ve-m[anhig] k[avod] ha[rav] Herz Ber terminated his loan of 300 Reichsthaler, the
kahal wanted to borrow this amount from the accountant Weisenberg, but the 18 men
decided that the k[atsin] k[avod] ha[rav] Eli[as] bar L[eib] Buki and the k[atsin]
g[abai] ha-[ir?] k[avod] ha[rav] Yeshayia Segal, who say they believe that they can
receive these assets for 4 ½ percent [interest] instead of having to give 5 percent to the
accountant Weisenberg; after good consideration, R. Yisrael Frenkel claimed that he will
be able to supply the sum of 4,000 Reichsthaler for 4 ½ percent on the house [the
synagogue as security]. It was decided that one should borrow the amount of 4,000
thaler, to pay from this a sum 2,450 Reichsthaler liabilities on the house [synagogue],
and to satisfy the k[atsin] p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] mo[renu] ha[rav] Mori Cohen with the
remaining sum and from the box [accounts] of the kahal; At the same time, the 18 men
authorize the kahal to carry these things out, and to sign accordingly when the time
comes.
Mori Cohen Herz Ber
ha-k[atsin] David bar Leib Kunitz Yeshayia Segal
ha-k[atsin] Eli[as] bar Leib Buki z”l Pinhas ha-Levi Horovits
ha-k[atsin] Abraham ha-Levi Horovits
Leman Cohen Haim bar H.
Yisrael b[en] ha-rav m[orenu] ha-r[av] r[abi] Aaron Frenkel sz“l
Yosa Leib ben k[avod] ha[rav] b[en] ha-r[av] r[abi] [?], scribe
Abraham bar D. Cohen
Isar Pollak
[fol. 47r]
It was brought forward, since R. Eli[as] bar L[eib] Buki and also R. Yeshayi[a] Segal
obliged themselves to obtain funds on 4 ½ percent interest, they were given time until
today; but when we sent R. Leib, shamash, today to R. Eli[as] in the name of the
community; from him he received his answer that after the arrival of today’s mounted
mail from Berlin he has not yet received a satisfying answer to the two letters that he
wrote to Berlin regarding these assets. But he still expects another letter around noon
per enclosure and we should return around noon; R. Leib, shamash, asked him again at
noon, and his answer was that he has not received an answer. The suggestion of R.
Yeshayia Segal was to mortgage the synagogue, but it has been rejected unanimously by all the above mentioned attending individuals since it would be against the honor of the
community to mortgage the synagogue.
R. Yisrael Frenkel Segal suggested to obtain [money] from the Assistenzrat advocate
Dames; today, however, this advocate told the parnasi[m] m[orenu] ve[rabenu]
ha-r[av] r[avi] Mori and R. Herz Ber that he first needs to inquire with the university;
now according to everybody’s opinion the assembly of exceptional individuals realizes
that all suggestions are fruitless
[fol. 47v]
And since the p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] mo[renu] ha[rav] Mori Cohen and p*[arnas]*
ve-m[anhig] k[avod] ha[rav] Herz Ber rightfully demand their payment, because they
need it; therefore we decided to take out a loan of 1,900 Reichsthaler from the
accountant Wisenbrig, on the conditions of six years, with a half a year period of
cancelation on a bill of exchange; and we have no doubts that all members of the
community, even if they are not at the meeting, will sign; made Wednesday, ch[ol]
ha-m[oed] Pessach [5]542 [April 3, 1782]
Mori Cohen Herz Halberstadt Herz Ber Naftali Herz Cohen
Zanwil bar Leib z”l Pinhas Cohen ha-k[atsin] David bar L[eib] Kunitz
[?] bar P. Abraham bar M. Frenkel
Yosef bar P. Leib bar M[arcus] Cohen Isar Pollak
Herz F”d Yisrael Frenkel Aron Cohen
Liman bar Sh. Aron bar Yosef
Yuda Leib ben b[en] ha-r[av] r[abi] Izaak Wolf Openheim
Haim bar H. ha-k[atsin] Mordekhai bar Y. Karfl(?)
Abraham Cohen Eli bar D[avid] Buko
Avril bar Y. ha-kadosh z”l
[fol. 48v]
Today, Thursday ch[ol] ha-m[oed] Pessach [5]542 [April 4, 1782] after all members of
the community have decided to take out a loan of the amount of 1,900 Reichsthaler,
namely 1,500 Reichsthaler in F[riedrich] d[‘or] and 400 Reichsthaler Courant, from the
accountant Wisenbrig, we immediately transferred it to the alufi[m] gobai[m]
ha[kakham] ha[gadol] k[avod] ha[rav] Abraham Cohen and ha[hakham] ha[gadol]
k[avod] ha[rav] Yeshayia Segal and ha[hakham] ha[gadol] k[avod] ha[rav] Leib bar
M[arcus] Cohen and have instructed them at the same time to pay the bill of exchange
from R. Herz Rintel in Hamburg, which was in the hands of the p[arnas] ve-m[anhig]
mo[renu] ha[rav] Mori Cohen over the amount of 3,200 mark banco according to the
currency rate a vista [short term]letters;15 at the same time to pay a bill of exchange of
300 Reichsthaler in Friedrich d’or to the p[arnas] ve-m[anhig] R. Herz Ber; and to
submit both of the above mentioned bills of exchange torn to the files of the kahal,
which also has been done today and which the alufi[m] will acknowledge
Mori Cohen Herz Ber
Footnotes:
Footnotes
-
Louis d’or is the term for a variety of French gold coins that were first introduced in 1640 by Louis XIII. ↩
-
The turn Courant or Kurant refers to currency money, i.e. money in full circulation, which market value is the value of the precious metal it contains. ↩
-
In June of 1766, the Jewish community of Frankfurt/Oder auctioned off eight seats in the men’s and eight seats in the women’s section of the synagogue among members of the community to raise money for a communal loan. The transactions are recorded in the logbook of the community. ↩
-
The Akzise (excise tax) was usually a tax on food items and refers here most likely to the so-called pardon, a consumption tax assessed mainly on kosher meat. It is unclear was the following addition “without giving” refers to. ↩
-
These payments toward the maintenance of a bolting cloth manufactory was a repeated measure used by the Prussian government to engage Jews and Jewish communities in the development of desirable manufactories. Prussian communities were regularly forced to finance and sometimes also to run manufactories. ↩
-
The interest rate is missing here. ↩
-
A Sola bill of exchange refers to a bill of which only one copy (Sola) was issued. This means the bill was probably not widely circulated as multiple copies (prima, secunda) were usually issued when there was a fear that a bill of exchange would not reach its payer. In the case of multiple copies, the first was often sent directly to the payer, while the second copy was circulated. Sometimes two copies were sent to the payer through different channels to ensure its arrival. ↩
-
In solidum means that all signing members of the community are jointly liable for the bill of exchange. ↩
-
In Frankfurt/Oder fairs took place annually in March (Reminiscere Messe), July (Margarethen Messe) and November (Martini Messe). ↩
-
Reference to the regular gatherings of representatives of the Jewish communities in Prussia. ↩
-
Mark banco was a coin of account (unlike currency money it was not circulated), which was used for credit operations and wholesale trade. It was used especially in Hamburg to keep account books at the Hamburg bank and generally was more stable than currency money. ↩
-
Although the logbook of the community does not contain detailed information on these 18 elected members of the community, this forum of 18 men (sometime enlarged to 32 members as in the following excerpt, fol. 22v) made major decisions regarding the Jewish community. It included members of different social groups within the community; members of the economic elite, however, held the majority. ↩
-
Friedrich d’or was a Prussian gold coin modeled after the French Louis d’or. It was used from 1741 on and was nominally worth five silver Prussian Reichsthaler. ↩
-
For a 5 percent interest rate. ↩
-
A vista refers to short term letters. ↩