Bidspirit auction | (GERMANY). Erneuertes und geschärftes Edict,

(GERMANY). Erneuertes und geschärftes Edict, wegen der überhandnehmenden fremden Bettel-Juden [“Renewed and Sharpened Edict, due to the Increasing Number of Foreign Begging Jews.”] Edict.  pp. 4. Unbound. Folio. Minden, Johann Augustin Enax, 1780. Edict issued by Frederick the Great seeking to manage an influx of Jewish beggars.  This rare issue was printed for the Prussian Principality of Minden, a region which later became part of the Prussian Province of Westphalia.  This version features regulations numbers 8 to 11 of the Prussian Edict, focusing on the treatment of traveling Jewish beggars.  Every foreign Jew passing through a Prussian Province was required to declare his origin, intended travel route and planned accommodations. Any protected Jew in the province who harbored beggars, even if they were relatives, faced a fine of 10 Thaler and risked losing his protected status upon repeat offenses. Jewish communities were prohibited from offering accommodation and meals to Jewish beggars, even temporarily. Those Jewish beggars under the protection of Jewish communities at the time of the edict’s issuance had to be expelled within four weeks. Failure to comply with these provisions resulted in punishment. First offense incurred two weeks of imprisonment (“bread & water”), second offense extended to six months, and a third offense resulted in lifelong incarceration.  Frederick the Great predominantly favored affluent Jewish entrepreneurs, granting them privileges and special rights while exhibiting intolerance toward the Christian church, Judaism, and religious orthodoxy, aligning his views with his friend Voltaire. Frederick sought to restrict the economic activities of the “common” Jew, increase taxes and endeavored to exclude the lowest and poorest social classes from his realm, as demonstrated by this edict. See Brenner & Meyer, German-Jewish History in Modern Times (1996) Vol. 2, p. 147.