"A Cry of Complaint of the Israelites [= the Jews] in Kurhesse" and
"Some Words about the Unfortunate Situation of the Israelites
since the Constitution" (1831) – two publications which express the
feelings of the Jews in Kurhesse in 1830-31.
more
The domestic policies of Kurhesse
[Kurhesse is the northern part of Hesse with
Kassel as its capital. Kurhessen existed from
1814-1866] had stood for a long time
under the sign of Cancer (the crab), that
is, of regression -- as its subjects used to
jeer. For that reason the French
Revolution of July in the year 1830 found
an especially strong echo here so that the
Elector found himself obliged to convene
a constitutional convention. However, the
majority of its members were not yet
ready to obey the committee in charge,
which had proposed as Article 29 of the
new Constitution: "The diversity of
creeds [i.e., of religious beliefs] shall
have no influence on the civil rights [of
the citizens]." The plenary session
decided instead on an Article 29 which
made full civil rights dependent on "the
profession of the Christian faith." As a
result the Catholics in Kurhesse were
indeed granted the same rights that the
previously privileged Protestants had
held – but the Jews were not.
