"On the Uselessness and Harm of Jews in the Kingdom of Bohemia and Moravia" - Prague 1782 - Early antisemitic ...

"On the Uselessness and Harm of Jews in the Kingdom of Bohemia and Moravia" - Prague 1782 - Early antisemitic publication

"About the Uselessness and Harmfulness of Jews in the Kingdom of Bohemia and Moravia" by Ignaz Klingler with the notation "With the approval of the censor" unknown publisher. Prague 1782 - First edition. Sharp and harsh antisemitic publication against the Jews of Moravia with the aim of expelling them. German. Rare.

An especially sharp antisemitic publication against the Jews of Prague, who are seen as a threat to the Kingdom of Bohemia. Throughout the book, the author argues that the Jews are a disaster for the Kingdom of Bohemia, both in character as deceitful Jews and economically. The severe antisemitic allegations appear one after another in a sequence, and it is clear that the author was steeped in hatred towards Jews. Sometimes there is no logical connection between the paragraphs, and the author moves from one accusation to another without coherence in writing. The author claims that Jews have no loyalty or attachment to the land they live in and therefore they do not serve in the army. For the sake of money the Jews will always leave the country they are in for another country. Therefore, they cannot be integrated into any effort to strengthen the homeland. They also do not participate as a workforce in digging canals and clearing paths. The author criticizes Jewish products, claiming that the clothes they produce are not suitable for wearing. While Christians work from morning till night, Jews go out for leisurely walks. In Jewish households, it is the Christians who work as servants.

The author adds "historical" antisemitic arguments, portraying the Jews' presence in the Kingdom of Moravia as a detriment to the kingdom from ancient times. The old accusation from the Middle Ages of "well poisoning" committed by Jews also appears here. The author writes that in 1053, Jews decided to exterminate Christians in Prague. For this purpose, they obtained special powder brought from Germany, and as a result of the well poisoning, many Christians died. Furthermore, he concocts a tale that in 1161, Jews released toxins that killed over 3000 Christians using poisonous substances.

Moreover, the author accuses Jews of stealing valuable items from Christian churches. There are also religiously motivated antisemitic allegations; the author claims that the Talmud states that Jews have an obligation to dominate other peoples and oppress them. Jews intentionally provide low-quality merchandise that causes Christians to die from the suffocating flour they sell. After wars in Bohemia, Jews arrive and steal what the enemy leaves behind during wartime. Jews cause an imbalance between local and imported goods in Prague. Jews disclose state secrets for their own personal interests, steal goods in Prague, and sell them in Leipzig. There are many other severe antisemitic allegations aimed at leading the reader to the conclusion that the Kingdom of Bohemia needs to expel its Jews.

Books of this kind have sparked spontaneous pogroms against the Jewish people whenever a crisis occurred in which the Jews were suspected of committing wrongdoing against Christians. On the title page is an engraving of a Jew in the form of Satan with horns, hooves, and a tail, depicting him as the book that tells the story of his wickedness towards Christians.

79 p. 16 cm. Old cardboard cover. Minor stains on some pages. Good - very good condition