Dutch Jewry during the Emancipation Period (1787 - 1815)

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Dutch Jews enjoyed complete freedom of religion, but economic discrimination left the majority of them penniless. Moreover, a bitter conflict broke out between the enlightened and the orthodox Jews, leading to a fierce controversy and the foundation of a separate congegration. In spite of the emancipation decree of 2 September 1796, discrimination continued and only slowly declined in the course of the next century. This book offers a new and original analysis of both the political, economical, religious and literary aspects of this fascinating and tumultuous era.