Dutch Jewry during the Emancipation Period

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Dutch Jews enjoyed complete freedom of religion, but economic discrimination left the majority of them penniless. Moreover, a bitter conflict broke out between the enlightened and the orthodox Jews, leading to a fierce controversy and the foundation of a separate congegration. In spite of the emancipation decree of 2 September 1796, discrimination continued and only slowly declined in the course of the next century. This book offers a new and original analysis of both the political, economical, religious and literary aspects of this fascinating and tumultuous era.