Emancipation was the recognition that Jews had equal rights with other citizens of a country. It first reached the Jewish communities of Western Europe between 1760 and 1860.

Before emancipation, the political, economic, social and cultural rights of Jews were very limited. In principle, they were considered foreigners, even those born in the country in question. They lived tolerated by the authorities, since they were not given the right to reside where they wanted, since within the same country, often influenced by public opinion, there were local governments that did not allow Jews to live in their cities, as happened in Holland, where Jews could not live in Utrecht, Gouda and Deventer. Apart from restricting their residence, the authorities also charged them a special tax to have the protection of the king. In general, Jews were only allowed to work in financial matters and in trade, where they were the only agents who had contacts with the outside world for commercial exchange.

Socially, Jews lived in closed communities, where legal matters such as marriages, divorces, inheritances and disputes between individuals were handled internally and sanctioned according to the precepts of Jewish law. Family life, education and religious services also took place internally. Jews lived in isolation and contact with non-Jews was minimal, a result of convictions and restrictions both their own and those of their neighbors.

Emancipation did not happen suddenly but gradually. There were several factors that helped it happen. The first was the presence of Jews at court. They were wealthy Jews who managed to get important positions. Many took advantage of their position to help their communities, as in the case of Moses Mendelsshon and the Jews of Dresden. The presence of Jews at court also served to pass laws that helped their emancipation.

Another factor of change was in the organization of the Jewish communities. Until about 1650, the communities enjoyed a certain autonomy, since the authorities only sought to ensure that the Jews behaved well and that the corresponding taxes were collected. But new rules arose that implied greater government interference in their affairs, such as the provision that accounting be kept in German and could be reviewed, the appointment of community authorities and the granting of permits for weddings, in order to limit their growth.

The affectation of the autonomy of the Jewish community caused new problems for the authorities, and their only solution was to give the Jews citizenship rights. Rationalist ideas, the separation of church and state and the fact that Jews began to adopt cultural habits from the external environment were also factors that led to their emancipation.

Although Christians continued to avoid contact with Jews, they soon began to change their attitude, driven by the impact that the Jews had on the economy. Some justified this by saying that it was the way to convert them to Christianity. But eventually religious tolerance and acceptance of different systems and institutions paved the way for the emancipation of the Jews of Europe. But this did not happen overnight; it took more than 100 years.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Out of the Ghetto, by Jacob Katz.