The Jews of Stühlingen

8-14

Ralph

December 25, 2016

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 In 1731 the scope of Jewish trade was further reined in:

The wool weavers complain that Salomon Weyl, Sandels Marumben’s son, is illegally importing woollen cloth from Nördlingen. The Jews respond that according to their letter of protection, they are allowed to trade in any merchandise except steel, iron, and salt. Decision: the Jews are obliged to buy the cloth from the local wool weavers [R2297].

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 Financial records reveal yet another insight into the economic reality of Stühlingen’s Jews. Marum, Jeckhoff’s son, whom we have identified earlier as a super businessman, died around 1686. His widow Mergam tried to carry on the business, but by 1700 she was freed from having to pay protection because of abject poverty [R4454]. There are two possible explanations: (i) Marum’s business model was based on a high degree of leverage and therefore dependent on regular cash flow. (ii) In 1663 Marum countersigned a 680 fl. loan for his father-in-law Marx Hönlin, called Süesskind, in Oettingen [R3946]. Hönlin defaulted, and Marum was left with the huge debt [R4023].

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 Overall, the Jews of Stühlingen were quite successful merchants. As a group, they probably would not have rated highly with the Better Business Bureau; but they seemed to have provided an integrated business and credit system that helped the rural market to function. As evidence shows, their credits acted almost as substitute currency, one even used by the authorities [R1509].