Description
Early modern rulers (or ruling bodies) who chose to readmit Jews in places where they had long been banned were faced with theological dilemmas and practical problems. Although it is true that the principle of freedom of conscience was gaining increasing acceptance, its adherents were rarely clear about whether it could be applied to non-Christians. And while the economic interests of rulers favored the settlement of Jews in their lands, the opposition of guilds and clergy could not be ignored. In these circumstances, a rather striking policy of evasion was adopted - in France, in the Netherlands, and in England. The legal status of the Jews remained formally unclear, while in practice Jews were allowed to establish themselves with unprecedented rights. To illustrate this legal tactic, I will present the Amsterdam Regulations of 1616 concerning the Jews - a rather meager document which constituted the legal basis for Jewish settlement in that city for nearly two centuries.
This presentation is for the following text(s):
- The Regulations for the Jews of Amsterdam (1616)
Streaming Media
Event Website
http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/emw/emw2008/
Start Date
18-8-2008 3:00 PM
Location
Yeshiva University, New York
Included in
European History Commons, History of Religion Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Legal Commons, Legal History Commons, Social History Commons
Evasion as a Legal Tactic: The 1616 Amsterdam Regulations Concerning the Jews
Yeshiva University, New York
Early modern rulers (or ruling bodies) who chose to readmit Jews in places where they had long been banned were faced with theological dilemmas and practical problems. Although it is true that the principle of freedom of conscience was gaining increasing acceptance, its adherents were rarely clear about whether it could be applied to non-Christians. And while the economic interests of rulers favored the settlement of Jews in their lands, the opposition of guilds and clergy could not be ignored. In these circumstances, a rather striking policy of evasion was adopted - in France, in the Netherlands, and in England. The legal status of the Jews remained formally unclear, while in practice Jews were allowed to establish themselves with unprecedented rights. To illustrate this legal tactic, I will present the Amsterdam Regulations of 1616 concerning the Jews - a rather meager document which constituted the legal basis for Jewish settlement in that city for nearly two centuries.
This presentation is for the following text(s):
- The Regulations for the Jews of Amsterdam (1616)
https://research.library.fordham.edu/emw/emw2008/emw2008/9
Comments
The EMW 2008 presentations, along with the keynote address, are also available on iTunesU.