Die Hep-Hep-Verfolgungen des Jahres 1819

Von:Jacob Katz

Zusammenfassung:Examining archival records and newspaper and personal reports, reconstructs the causes and development of the "Hep-Hep" riots in Germany in August-September 1819. Argues that the riots were not an expression of general social and political unrest but were specifically directed against Jewish emancipation, which was then under debate. The first riot, in Würzburg, was triggered by a dispute between the antisemite Theodor A. Scheuring and Sebald Brendel, a proponent of emancipation, in an atmosphere of general resentment of increased Jewish competition and visibility. The two other major riots, in Frankfurt and Hamburg, had similar backgrounds. Gives details of the riots in these three cities and the efforts of the authorities to contain them. Many Jews fled to the countryside. In Hamburg, young Jews fought back. The riots caused the authorities, for the sake of public order, to suppress antisemitic agitation but at the same time to appease the antisemites by delaying emancipation. Appendices (pp. 89-121) contain documents. A postscript by Stefan Rohrbacher (pp. 122-136) reviews the history of pogroms in Germany and discusses previous historical explanations of the "Hep-Hep" riots and Katz's divergent analysis in the present work. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism)