Leseprobe

11 The Salzburg Family Entry in the commercial register for Salzburg & Eisenreich, Dresden 1865. Prussia when the edict was passed. Forfeited by Prussia after its defeat by Napoleon, the territory was only returned under terms agreed at the Con- gress of Vienna of 1815, according to which Posen became a semi-autonomous grand duchy. Within the grand duchy, the punitive General Ordinance Concerning Jews, passed in 1797, continued in force. The ordinance not only denied Jews rights of citizenship, freedom of movement, and the free- dom to enter the trade or profession of their choice, but subjected every aspect of their lives to state control, including their private affairs. It was not until 1833 that a Temporary Law for Jews in the Grand Duchy of Posen was passed. This was a key step towards Jewish emancipation, permitting the naturalization of financially stable, German-speaking Jews and entitling them to citizenship rights. Adolph Salzburg’s father, Israel Simon Salzburg, who met the financial and linguistic requirements, became a Prussian citizen on 3 June 1835.2 In 1848, when the Duchy of Posen became fully integrated into the Kingdom of Prussia and renamed the Province of Posen, Jews resident in the territory finally achieved equality with Jews in the rest of Prussia, but it was not until 1869, under the North German Confederation, that the Jewish population was granted—nominally at least—full equality with the majority Christian population. Given the lack of professional and economic pros- pects in his home town, Abraham Salzburg’s de- parture for Berlin was a move full of promise. His parents may have intended that his brother Sig- mund, born in 1836, take over the family firm as the eldest son—in fact he may even have already done so. This would have been another reason for sending Abraham, the second son, to the Prussian capital, to acquire the business skills which would ensure his future independence. The young man probably hoped not only to make a good living, but also to climb the social ladder and raise the standing of his children after him. In the event, his