Notes on the Diplomatic History of the Jewish Question Part 2

Unfortunately for a long time this concession remained a dead letter, owing not only to the ill-will of the German Governments themselves, but to an apparently harmless verbal amendment which was introduced into the clause by the Redaction Committee at the last moment. In the final _alinea_ it was stipulated that "the rights already conferred on the Jews in the several Federated States shall be maintained." The object of this was to secure to the Jews of Germany the liberties granted to them by Napoleon during the French occupation. This design was frustrated by the Redaction Committee, at whose instance the word "_by_" was subst.i.tuted for "_in_," the result being that the rights secured to the Jews were not those of the French occupation, but only those which had been grudgingly, and in very small measure, granted to them by the Federated States themselves in the dark days before the Napoleonic irruption.

Thus the provision of the Treaty of Vienna relating to the Jews of Germany remained a dead letter, partly because of the amendment introduced into it at the last moment, and partly because the authorities had no intention of carrying it out. The Jews complained, and both Prussia and Austria, under the influence of Hardenberg and Metternich, protested.[17] Nathan Rothschild in London brought the case of the recalcitrant Frankfurt authorities to the notice of the Duke of Wellington, who persuaded Castlereagh in 1816 to make representations with a view to their protection.[18] All these efforts, however, proved futile, and Nathan Rothschild could only avenge himself by the public announcement that his firm would refuse to accept bills drawn in any German city where the Jews were denied their treaty rights.[19]

DOc.u.mENTS.

_The following is a list of the doc.u.ments relating to the Jewish Question at the Vienna Congress given in Kluber: "Akten des Wiener Kongresses."_

1. Unterthanige Vorstellung und Bittschrift der Israelitischen Gemeinde zu Frankfurt-am-Main an den hohen Kongress zu Wien mit Beilage ubergeben daselbst am 10ten Oktober 1814.

2. Schreiben des Deputierten der Israelitischen Gemeinde zu Frankfurt/M an den Koniglichen-Preussischen ersten Herrn Bevollmachtigten Fursten von Hardenberg wegen Erhaltung der von dem Grossherzog von Frankfurt jener Gemeinde bewilligten Rechtzustandes. Datiert Wien, 12ten Mai, 1815.

3. Antwort seiner Durchlaucht des Fursten von Hardenberg auf vorstehendes Schreiben. Datiert Wien, 18ten Mai, 1815.

4. Erla.s.s des Kaiserlich-Oesterreichischen ersten Bevollmachtigten und Kongress-Prasidenten Herrn Fursten von Metternich an die Deputierten der Israelitischen Gemeinde der Stadt Frankfurt-am-Main als Antwort auf die von diesen an den Kongress eingereichte Bittschrift. Datiert Wien, 9ten Juni, 1815.

5. Anmerkung des Herausgebers (Klubers) zu vorstehenden Erla.s.s an die Deputierten der Israelitischen Gemeinde zu Frankfurt-am-Main.

6. Note des Kaiserlich-Oesterreichischen Herrn Bevollmachtigten und Kongress Prasidenten Fursten von Metternich, wodurch derselbe dem Bevollmachtigten der freien Stadt Frankfurt Herrn Syndicus Danz die von dem allerhochsten verbundeten Machten, neuerdings erfolgte Bestatigung der Selbstandigkeit und Freiheit der Stadt Frankfurt anzeigt. Datiert Wien, 9ten Juni, 1815 mit einer Beilage.

7. Accessions Urkunde der freien Stadt Frankfurt.

(See also doc.u.ments relating to the abolition of the Feudal land-tenure System on the left bank of the Rhine, effected during the domination of the French revolutionary Government, vol. vi., pp. 396-426.)

8. Erla.s.s des Kaiserlich-Oesterreichischen ersten Bevollmachtigten und Kongress Prasidenten Fursten von Metternich an den Bevollmachtigten Israelitischen Gemeinden Deutschland Doktor und Advokaten Carl August Buchholz aus Lubeck betreffend die Verbesserung des Rechtzustandes der Juden, vol. 9, p. 334.

The Article of the Final Act relating to the Jews is Article XVI of Annexe IX, "Acte sur la Const.i.tution Federative de l'Allemagne." It runs as follows:--

XVI.--La difference des Confessions Chretiennes dans les Pays et Territoires de la Confederation Allemande, n'en entrainera aucune dans la jouissance des droits civils et politiques.

La Diete prendra en consideration les moyens d'operer de la maniere la plus uniforme, l'amelioration de l'etat civil de ceux qui professent la Religion Juive en Allemagne, et s'occupera particulierement des mesures, par lesquelles on pourra leur a.s.surer et leur garantir dans les etats de la Confederation, la jouissance des Droits Civils, a condition qu'ils se soumettent a toutes les obligations des autres Citoyens. En attendant les Droits accordes deja aux Membres de cette Religion par tel ou tel etat en particulier, leur sont conserves.

(British and Foreign State Papers, vol. ii. pp. 132-3.)

(_c_) THE CONGRESS OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE (1818).

At the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle, the question was once more brought before the Great Powers. This time the initiative was taken by a well-known English conversionist, the Rev. Lewis Way, of Stanstead, Suss.e.x. There was, however, no trace of conversionism in his efforts on this occasion, and there can be no question that the Jewish Community owe him a great debt of grat.i.tude. He proceeded to Aix some weeks before the Congress met, and presented to the Tsar Alexander a short scheme of Jewish emanc.i.p.ation. The Tsar encouraged him to amplify it, and this he did in two elaborate memoirs, one describing the situation of the Jews, and the other embodying a scheme under which they might be invested with civil rights. To this he added a short memorandum drawn up at his request by Dohm, the veteran champion of the Jews, who came to Aix for that special purpose. By command of the Tsar, these doc.u.ments were presented to the Congress at its sitting on November 21, 1818, and were made the subject of a special Protocol, in which sympathy was expressed for "the praiseworthy object of his proposals." The plenipotentiaries further declared that the solution of the Jewish Question was a matter which should "equally occupy the statesman and the friend of humanity."[20] It is interesting to note that in his scheme Way declares himself to be a believer in Jewish Nationalism, and it is for this reason that he does not ask for more than civil rights for the Jews, as he regards their exile in Europe as an intermediate stage of their history. In this he was probably influenced by the prevalent anti-French atmosphere, inasmuch as the French Jews, in their compact with Napoleon, made by the Sanhedrin in 1806, had solemnly repudiated Jewish Nationalism, and had thus rendered themselves eligible for political, as well as civil, rights.[21]

DOc.u.mENT.

For the texts of the doc.u.ments referred to above see "Memoires sur l'etat des Israelites, dedies et presentes a leur Majestes Imperiales et Royales, Reunies au Congres d'Aix-la-Chapelle" [by the Rev. Lewis Way, A.M.], Paris, 1819.

The Protocol of the Congress at which these "Memoires" were considered runs as follows:--

PROTOCOLE.

_Seance du 21 Novembre, 1818._ _Entre les cinq Cabinets._

Messieurs les SS. de Russie ont communique l'imprime ci-joint, relatif a une reforme dans la legislation civile et politique en ce qui concerne la nation juive. La conference, sans entrer absolument dans toutes les vues de l'auteur de cette piece, a rendu justice a la tendance generale et au but louable de ses propositions. MM. les SS. d'Autriche et de Prusse se sont declares prets a donner, sur l'etat de la question dans les deux monarchies, tous les eclairciss.e.m.e.nts qui pourraient servir a la solution d'un probleme qui doit egalement occuper l'homme d'etat et l'ami de l'humanite.

Signe: METTERNICH.

RICHELIEU.

CASTLEREAGH.

WELLINGTON.

HARDENBERG.

BERNSTORFF.

NESSELRODE.

CAPODISTRIAS.

(_d_) THE CONFERENCE OF LONDON (1830).

The growing symptoms of an impending break-up of the Ottoman Empire visibly extended the practical applications of the doctrine of religious liberty in the field of international politics. In emanc.i.p.ating the Christian feudatories of the Porte, account had to be taken of the large Moslem and Jewish minorities inhabiting those States. It was impossible to emanc.i.p.ate the Christians and at the same time to place non-Christians under disabilities, especially where they had governments of their own faith to whom they might appeal and who might resort to reprisals. Hence, the parity of all religions in the Levant had to be recognised.

The point first arose in the settlement of the Greek question in 1830.

In this question it was not only the Moslems who had to be considered.

France renounced in favour of the new Kingdom her Protectorate over the Catholics, which she derived from her capitulations with Turkey. Hence, besides the Moslems, guarantees had to be exacted for the religious liberty of Catholics in Greece. These guarantees were the subject of the third Protocol of the Conference of London, February 3, 1830. At the same time it was stipulated that there should be perfect equality for the subjects of the new State, whatever might be their religion. Neither Moslems nor Jews were expressly mentioned, but it is in virtue of this Protocol that the Jews of Greece enjoy their present status as Greek Nationals. The Jews of Greece were thus the first Jews of the Levant to be fully emanc.i.p.ated.

DOc.u.mENT.

PROTOCOL _No. 3 of the Conference held at the Foreign Office, London, on 3 February, 1830_.

Present: The Plenipotentiaries of Great Britain, France and Russia.