Ueber die bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden.

Ueber die bürgerliche Verbesserung der Juden. Erster [Zweyter-] Theil. (On the Improvement of the Jews as Citizens, First and Second Part)

Second edition. Two parts, octavo. [16], 210; [2], 376pp; first part with two nearly identical title pages: the first noting "Zusätze des Verfassers" (additions by the author), rather than "Erster Theil / Neue verbesserte Auflage (first part / new revised edition); second part with full separate title. Contemporary boards (rubbed, moderately worn at extremities), printed paper title label, blindstamped volume notation, and remnants of old printed (library?) label at spine. First title page of the first part partially detached; very occasional mild (mostly marginal) soiling, else text fresh and crisp throughout. Second revised edition of the first part, bound with the first edition of the second part. Pages 165-210 of the first part comprise a "Mémoire sur l'etat des Juifs en Alsace" (A Note on the State of the Jews in Alsace), written in French. The lawyer, diplomat, historian, and political writer Christian Wilhelm von Dohm (1751-1820) was appointed professor of economics and statistics at the University of Leipzig in 1776, and archivist for the Prussian civil service in 1780. Between the years 1808 and 1810 he served as ambassador of the Kingdom of Westphalia in Dresden. He his best known for the present groundbreaking essay, first published in 1781, in which he made the case that the Jews should be granted full equality of rights as citizens of the state. He argued that attempts by ecclesiatical authorities to convert the Jews to Christianity were largely unsuccessful and that restrictions on the Jews in the fields of commerce, property, and rights have caused more harm than good. He believed that the developed commercial talents of the Jews would be economically beneficial to any realm in which they lived, and that their numerical addition to the citizenry would be of benefit in times of war and crisis. "Dohm reviews the history of the Jewish people in exile in order to point out the constant deterioration of their situation as a consequence of oppression and attacks. To eradicate the evil and abolish its consequences, Dohm suggests a series of measures for improving the situation of the Jews and hence their character. His opinion had wide reverberations and provoked stormy debates." (Enc. Jud., 1st ed.). Looking forward, Dohm notes in his introduction: "I would be happy if only after half a century my writing would contribute to the alleviation of the misery of an unhappy people and the formation of new citizens who will benefit all countries." In the second part Dohm elaborates on his original writings and publishes opinions and critiques of his work, including that of Ritter Michaelis; Moses Mendelssohn's response to Michaelis' review; Michaelis on Manasseh Ben Israel; thoughts of the preacher Schwager; and various excerpts from letters regarding Dohm's publication. The work was written at the suggestion of the Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, who had met Dohm in Berlin where the latter was working as an archivist for the Prussian state service. Through their emissary, Seraf Bar, the Alsatian Jews had appealed to Mendelssohn for aid, but he thought that such a work would produce a better effect if written by a Christian. Annotations: emphasis notations (lines and crosses) in pencil at the margins throughout both parts. References: EJ (1st. ed.), 152ff; Fürst 1, p. 210. Artikel-Nr. 53676

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