Moses Ben Israel Naphtaly Porges1670

Gütl (Judith) Porges (b. 1764, d. 1824) married Jonas Liebeschitz ; they had two daughters : Eva and Rosel.

David Porges (b. 1770, d. 1845) Med. Dr. in Prague, married Rosalie Lieben (b. 1779, d. 16/07/1852)

Malke (Magdalene) Porges (b. 1773, d. 1824) married Isaak Drosa in Prague (b. 1766, d. 1833)

Karoline Porges (b. 1774, d. 24/05/1847) married Jacob Janowitz in Brennporitschen

Moses Porges, seit 1841 Edler von Portheim (b. 22/12/1781, d. 21/05/1870)
married Friedericke Hirsch (b. 1791, d. 05/07/1867)

Leopold Juda Porges, seit 1841 Edler von Portheim (b. 03/04/1785, d. 11/01/1869 Prague)
married on 18/06/1815 his niece Rosalie Drosa (b. 1791, d. 1870), daughter of Malke Porges (see above)
(photo)

Sources :
"Josefine Goldschmidt, geb. Edle von Portheim (1822-1869)" family tree (Leo Baeck Institute New York)
"Stammbaum der familien Porges und Porges von Portheim" (Library of Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati)
established by Alexander Fischel and presented to his brother in law Eduard Ritter von Portheim on 12/01/1906 for his 80th birthday.
Eva Sandrof, NJ, USA, 2001
Susan Wallace provided the extensive family tree of Eduard Porges von Portheim and the attached portraits. 2003

David Porges (b. 1770, d. 1845) Dr. Med. in Prague, married Rosalie Lieben (b. 1779, d. 16/07/1852)

Moses Porges, seit 1841 Edler von Portheim (b. 22/12/1781, d. 21/05/1870),
married Friedericke Hirsch (b. 1791, d. 05/07/1867)

Leopold Juda Porges, seit 1841 Edler von Portheim (b. 03/04/1785, d. 11/01/1869 Prag)
married 18/06/1815 Rosalie Drosa (b. 1791, d. 1870) daughter of Malke Porges (see above)

Born in Prague, he was a relative of Isaiah ha-Levi Horowitz, whom he followed to Erez Israel, settling in Jerusalem, where he became a scribe. When, after the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49, the contributions from Poland ceased, and the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem was overwhelmed with debt, Porges was sent as their emissary to Germany. During this mission he published, in Prague, Frankfurt and Amsterdam (1650), a small illustrated work "Darkhei Ziyyon" in judeo-german (see below) designed to arouse sympathy and obtain support for the Jewish community in Erez Israel.

"Darkhei Ziyyon" :
One of the best examples of this type of literature, the work is divided into 4 sections : the virtue of living in Erez Israel, prayer, study, memorial prayers.

The first section "Schaar biath haarez" is a kind of guide book for new immigrants to Israel, in which Moses draws upon his personal experiences and advises them on what to take for the journey, the easiest routes, how to conduct themselves on the way and the like. In this section he also gives practical details on prices and currency, describes the food available in Erez Israel, recounts in detail how much is needed for living, rent, and taxes, and lists customs of dress and conduct in everyday life.

In the second section "Schaar Hatephilia", he describes in detail the liturgical customs of Jerusalem,
in the third section "Schaar halimmud", the methods of study there, including various details about the holy places,
and in the fourth "Schaar hazkarath", customs then practised in Jerusalem, among them those of reciting memorial prayers for the departed and of obtaining contributions from generous individuals outside of Erez Israel, in whose honour lights were kindled in the synagogues on Sabbaths and festivals and for whom blessings were invoked.
The book was directed to the masses, and therefore was written in the language they knew best - Yiddish.
It succeeded admirably in its aim of presenting an attractive picture of Israel. "Darkhei Ziyyon" has only been published once and is very rare.

For a long time I wanted to write the history of my family and that of my wife, Anna Joséphine, née von der Porten. During the preparatory work, which goes back to several years, I realized the difficulty of the task. I am not a genealogist and I do not know Hebrew, which is absolutely essential to seek and check the origins of the history of my family. Moreover, it is almost impossible, even for someone who has a basic knowledge in Jewish sciences and Hebraic language, to describe accurately the history of a Jewish family before 1800 and even 1830. The Jewish communities, and particularly the smallest, did not hold registers of births and deaths, as it became the practice later, in particular with the marriage registers.
The tombstones, a major source for the history of Jewish families, are often deteriorated, illegible, or even destroyed. Many documents and registers are lost or not easily usable, because of careless handling. In spite of that I hope that what I put together and written will be as accurate as possible.

I could not have achieved this work - remained certainly very incomplete - without the assistance of Jewish experts who provided me with the information and documents relative to the ancient past.

I am particularly grateful, for all their help, to Rabbi Eduard Duckesz of Altona, to the director of the office of the Jewish community of Frankfurt a/M., to Mr. J Meyer, and professor Willy Goldberg of Bechhofen (Mfr.) and I want them to find here the expression of my gratitude. In addition to the material provided by the above specialists, I had access to and printed works. In particular that of Prof. Dr. Stephan Meyer (Vienna), of Dr. Wilhelm Pappenheim (Vienna), of Dr. Alexander Dietz (Frankfurt a/M.) and of Prof. David Kaufmann (Budapest). I also owe a great tribute to the publications of Rabbi Ed. Duckesz (Altona).

I had hoped that I could deepen my search, fill the remaining gaps and clarify a few doubtful points. The political events of the last months have rendered this hope vain. Rabbi Duckesz and Professor Goldberg are no longer in Germany, director J Meyer died suddenly. Despite those events, I have to complete this work and put together the material that was left incomplete. I fear, if I wait any longer, that the history of the family will never be written and that the material that I gathered remains unused.

The family members of my generation and of the following generations, more particularly nephews and nieces, will have much difficulty, if not the impossibility, to make a research about their ancestors who lived in Germany. It is specially for them that I wrote this history of the family. They want and have to know who their ancestors were. This history will show them that they can be proud of them, and that they are the great-grandchildren of noble and able men.

By putting together the material for the history my wife's family, whose grandfather Solomon Benedict Goldschmidt (1818-1906) has the same ancestors as Régine Goldschmidt, née Oppenheim, the grandmother of Max M. Warburg, Paul M. Warburg, Felix M. Warburg and Dr. Fritz Warburg, I had the idea to collect concerning the Warburg family as well. The family tree N° 16, which shows the same ancestors for my wife and Moritz M. Warburg, will allow the members of the Warburg family an easier reading of the family trees and the family history, for their own family history.

The stories of my family and that of my wife's family are presented in two separate volumes.
One single volume for the two families would have been too large and not handy enough.
Moreover, the readers, according to which family they belong, will only be interested by one of the volumes.

My wife Anna Josefine, née von der Porten, was born on October 31, 1881 in Hamburg
As family tree No.1 shows, my wife Anna Joséphine, born von der Porten comes from the families
von der Porten and de Lemos of Hamburg
and Goldschmidt of Frankfurt s/M and von Portheim of Prague.

Time has not come yet to write the life story my beloved wife. However, I cannot resist temptation, and I do nothing but fill my duty of thankfulness, in evoking here the following words that I wrote in my memories:

Carefully protected and educated by outstanding parents, my wife and her three brothers enjoyed a wonderful youth, like, even in those happier days, was given only to very few children.

The material well-being of my parents-in-law was lost by inflation. But the most invaluable heritage my wife received from her parents was her exceptional character, which enabled her to offer me a wonderful life, crowned with success until March 1933.

Words cannot express what I owe to my wonderful and intelligent wife, who has always remained a partner and a comrade full of abnegation, sacrificing herself and taking care of me. All the words are too weak. Besides, she would be upset if I sang her praises in detail in these pages. The President of the Delegation of Finances, Senator Dr. Walter Matthaei, wrote very right words in his congratulations letter for our silver wedding on September 17, 1931:

" Dear Mr. Lippmann, If you obliged the State, by your intelligence and your zeal, with durable thanks for your services rendered to the common good during these 25 years, your wife, by her faithful love, her care and her comprehension of your work, knew how to give you new forces for your exhausting activity."

In these difficult times for the German Jews, since the beginning of 1933 and particularly since 1937, my wife was a real support to me. Without her help, her balanced and pleasant nature, her optimism, always ready to comfort me, I could not have been active any longer. Without her, I would probably not have held until now.

XX was a place of gathering, not only for the family, but also for many guests who lived wonderful hours there. This is what Charlotte Warburg wrote in her memories and her private diary about Solomon Benedict Goldschmidt (1818-1906) and his wife Josefine von Portheim:

The youngest brother of my mother, Uncle Solomon Benedict Goldschmidt, lived in Mainz and was the young president of the firm " Goldschmidt Brothers ". In association with Leopold, his elder brother, he proved intelligence, zeal and dynamism to develop the prosperity of the firm.

His wife, Josefine von Portheim of Prague, was one of the finest and most noble women that I know. She lived only for her husband and her children. Of which she had seven, three girls and four boys.

My uncle liked the social life which spread in his house, in particular with frequent concerts. My uncle himself sang nicely, and we often heard in Frankfurt about the delicious evenings which took place in his house.

In these times, the family life of my uncle (with him at the head, a most successful tradesman, at his side the best wife and mother, surrounded by a crowd of debutantes, among which the eldest daughters, Clara and Pauline were specially beautiful and charming ) was a model image of a happy and merry family. But soon, dear Aunt Josefine fell sick. At the age of 46 only she was taken from her family. She was an angel of love and kindness. The children who were taken such a mother felt infinitely sorry; the house missed its crown and support. At the same time the firm of Mainz dissolved. Uncle Leopold, whose son, Benedict, had sown the discord, went away. Benedict settled in Brussels where he created a metal trade with Auguste Morel. Uncle Solomon kept the house of Mainz, that his sons Emile and Ernst joined. Clara, the elder daughter, married Dr. Gotthelf Meyer in Vienna; Pauline married Fred Brandeis, who created with Ernst Goldschmidt the firm " Brandeis - Goldschmidt ". The third daughter, Adele, married Dr. Maximilian von der Porten in Hamburg.

After the marriage of his daughters, and his sons partly abroad, my uncle changed at the same time his residence and his businesses and settled in Frankfurt. In a few years, he had completely withdrawn from business. Today (1901), suffering physically, he is only the shade of the society man that I remember. But , in spite of his 83 years, he is incredibly lucid and mentally fit. He still writes very nicely and makes even verses during his leisure. He likes art and painting very much. He shows his picture gallery - especially the old Masters- with great pride. When he still lived in Mainz, he once invited inspector Kohlbacher of the Gallery of the Town of Frankfurt and showed him his treasures. After the meal, when a glass of good wine had untied the tongue of his guest, and when my uncle spoke again about his paintings, Kohlbacher said: " Yes, Mr Goldschmidt, among all your daubs, you do have a few goods little paintings.

I was thrilled when my brother Marcus and I were allowed to accept the invitation of Uncle Solomon, along my dear parents. Clara, Pauline and Elise, as well as Marcus Goldschmidt met us merrily at the station of Mainz. There was no room in the car for Marcus and, to our recreation, he took place in the back on the servants seat, from where he could chat with us, despite his position of servant. Here, in Mainz, he could do that, because no one knew him. In Frankfurt, as the representative of the house Moritz B Goldschmidt, he would not never dared such behavior in public.

Soon the family and all the guests gathered around a huge table. In this meeting, my brother Marcus, Mr Warburg and myself, were apart, because, as orthodox, we let all the fine and rich food pass, and contented ourselves with special food from restaurant " Pfann ", that was not good, but kosher. Over the meal, my

explained to me in detail what was going to be represented. He drew especially my attention to the advanced ideas displayed in " The Night of Walpurgis " by Mendelssohn that we were also going to hear.

The following day, there was an imposing reception at Uncle Leopold's for the musicians and the artists, with a huge lunch/dinner, that was the quintessence of refinement and of elegance. After the meal, music was played. We heard Brinkmann, the violoncellist of Frankfurt, then Mrs. Gastel sang... and Uncle Solomon ".

Moritz M. Warburg, who was in Wiesbaden with his mother in the summer of 1860, accepted readily an invitation of Mr. S. B. Goldschmidt in Mainz to one of these beautiful musical events of the lower Rhine, that was precisely being celebrated at this time. He had a lot of fun in Mainz; not only at the classical concerts, but also in the parties at the very friendly homes of brothers Leopold and Solomon Goldschmidt, where a series of artists, writers and interesting people mixed with the friends and the members with the family. Among the latter, he was introduced to Marcus Goldschmidt of Frankfurt and his cousin Charlotte Oppenheim......".

The letters exchanged between Solomon Benedict Goldschmidt and his future wife, Josefine Edle von Portheim during their engagement, which lasted 5 months, from February to July 1846 reflects perfectly their characters and lifestyle.

The Family PORGES von PORTHEIM (Prague)	page 190
Appendix I - The Beginning of the Settlement of Jews in Hamburg - Altona	197
Appendix II - Reminiscences by: Moses Porges-Spiro (1781-1870) (from 1841: Edler [Sir] von Portheim) About life at the Frankistenhof in Offenbach	208
Appendix III - Selections from the Exchange of Letters between Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt (1818-1906) and Josefine, Lady von Portheim (1822-1869) While they were engaged, 1846	233

One of my wife's (Anna Josefine von der Porten) grandmothers, on her mother's side, was Lady Josefine Porges von Portheim (born March 10, 1822 in Prague, died March 4, 1869 in Mainz).
She was the daughter of the entrepreneur:
Sir Leopold Juda Porges von Portheim (born April 3, 1785 in Prague, died January 11, 1869 in Prague) and
Rosalie Drosa (born December 29, 1791, died March 15 1870 in Prague) (see Family Trees Nos. 1 & 17).
Concerning my wife's grandmother, who married Salomon Benedikt Goldschmidt (1818-1906) on July 5, 1846, see the text on page 92.
Despite many attempts, I could not find truly sufficient material for the history of the ancestors of Lady Josefine Porges von Portheim.
There exists a printed Family Tree of the Descendants of the Families: Porges and Porges von Portheim which was dedicated on January 12, 1906 by Alexander Fischel to "the universally honored head of the family, his dear brother-in-law: Knight Eduard von Portheim, for his eightieth birthday". This family tree also contains a short presentation of the ancestors of the grandfather of Lady Josefine von Portheim.
My presentation in Family Tree No. 17 is based on this short presentation. With this an error in the ascendancy family tree has been corrected. In the printed ascendancy family tree it is mistakenly assumed that Gabriel Porges Spiro (1738-1824) descended from the second marriage of his father with Frumit Koref (died 1801), whereas in fact, Gabriel Porges Spiro and all of his siblings derived from the first marriage of Lipmann Porges Spiro (died 1792) with Malke Bondi (died 1769).
The printed ascendancy family tree shows that most of the ancestors were Jewish academicians. I have been told that they were academicians as well as people who were very much respected.
The oldest ancestor mentioned in the ascendancy family tree:
Rabbi Jechiel Michel, bore the title "Gaon", an appellation which in former days was only given to excellent and prominent Jewish academicians.
The son of Gaon Rabbi Jechiel Michel:
Rabbi Wolf Spiro (died 1630 in Prague) was the assessor of the Rabbinate of Prague for 30 years.
He also made a name for himself as a cabalist [a secret Jewish association which probed the possibility of getting in touch with the souls of the deceased]. The Rabbi Wolf Spiro had two sons.
The elder son, Rabbi Simon Spiro (born 1600, died 1679) was the Rabbi in Frankfurt o/m, Lemberg [Poland], Brecz (in Lithuania), Lublin [Poland], Krakau [Poland] and Vienna, and in his final 40 years, the chief Rabbi and Rabbi for the State of Bohemia [today the Czech part of Czechoslovakia]. [The Polish and Czech cities mentioned were in those days part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.] He died in Prague in 1679.
The younger son, Rabbi David Spiro (died 1635) an ancestor of Josefine von Portheim, was the Rabbi of Vienna.
Two of his children are known.
A son, Rabbi Michael Spiro remained in Vienna. His memory was perpetuated by his gift of several valuable curtains for the Old-New School of Prague.
Another son, Rabbi Juda Spiro (died 1703 in Prague) was brought up by his uncle, the above mentioned Rabbi Simon Spiro in Prague. He married Maria Porges (died 1699 in Prague), the daughter of the chairman of the congregation in Prague, Salomon Porges, and the granddaughter of the chairman of the congregation and Rabbi of the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, Hirsch Porges. The latter emigrated to Jerusalem as is reported in the diary of Rabbi Abraham, a son of Moses Porges Spiro.
From the marriage of Rabbi Juda Spiro and Maria Porges issued:
Rabbi Hirsch Spiro (died 1739 in Prague). He was the actuary of the funeral brotherhood of Prague. His son:
Rabbi Löb Spiro assimilated his family name to that of his grandmother "Porges" and called himself "Porges-Spiro).
The ascendancy family tree shows two of his sons:
Moses Porges-Spiro, whose son is the above mentioned Rabbi Abraham Porges-Spiro, and Lipmann Porges-Spiro (died 1792 in Prague), who is the ancestor of my wife.
As mentioned above, Lipmann Porges-Spiro was married twice. His second marriage with Frumit, the daughter of Jone Koref (died 1801) was without issue. From the marriage with Malke Bondi (died 1769) issued:
Gabriel Porges-Spiro (born March 1738, died July 1824 in Prague). On August 28, 1759 he was married to
Esther Kassowitz (died 1824), the daughter of the Chief Rabbi Löb Kassowitz of Prague.
In the autobiographic story of her son, Moses Porges-Spiro (see Appendix II, page 1), it is reported that Gabriel Porges bore the title "Morenu", which is given to Jewish academicians, and that he had great knowledge of Judaism, but he was also well versed in the knowledge of Christianity, which was not normally known very much by Jewish academicians. His son Moses describes him as "virtuous and righteous, genial and kind". He never used corporal punishment with his children. It was said that his wife Esther Kassowitz was a kindhearted woman. Since the father cared little about the business - the production of Rossoli Liqueur and Brandy - but rather held lectures and lived exclusively for his studies, the mother had to conduct all business. The profit, as is shown elsewhere, was very little, so that Gabriel Porges, at his visit to the Frankfurt Court in Offenbach could only present a bale of batiste (see Appendix II, page 220).
Besides my wife's great-grandfather, Leopold Juda Porges (born April 3, 1785, died January 11, 1869 in Prague), five other children issued from the marriage of Gabriel Porges and Esther Kassowitz, namely three sons and two daughters.
Of the sons, David Porges-Spiro became a physician in Prague. He was decorated with the Austrian Service Cross.
His brother, Moses Porges (1781-1870) at the same time as my wife's great-grandfather, Leopold Juda Porges, was elevated into the ranks of Austrian nobility in the year 1841 with the title: "Edler von Portheim" [Edler = nobleman]. Later they were honored with the Order of Franz-Joseph. As mentioned earlier he has left behind reminiscences of his adventures at the court of the leader of the Frankists in Offenbach [on Main, now (1992) a part of Frankfurt]. I am copying these reminiscences, as they present an excellent picture of the world at that time, during which the ancestor of my wife, the younger brother of Moses Juda Porges, Leopold Juda Porges, grew up (see Appendix II, page 219).
Leopold Juda Porges, just like Moses, received a rich knowledge of Jewish and general subjects from his father. In his reminiscences, Moses Porges refers to Leopold Juda Porges as his "younger brother", who, like himself, also came to the court of the Frankists in Offenbach in 1798 and who fled together with Moses from that court, when they realized that the Frankist leaders were frauds.
By their own genius and great diligence Moses Juda Porges and Leopold Juda Porges were able to build in Prague-Smichow a most significant factory under the name of "Porges Brothers". Their firm earned them a great fortune and above all a very good reputation. They had recognized that it was in the interest of Austria to manufacture cotton cloth [Kattun] within the country. This type of cloth was worn as a head cover by all women in rural areas and female domestic help. Up to that time it was made in England and imported into Austria. The Kattun Factory, which they built, became one of the most significant industrial undertakings of the Empire.
In the year 1841, Emperor Franz I recognized the services of the two brothers for the common good by elevating them to hereditary nobility with the name "Knight von Portheim". Later Emperor Franz Joseph I decorated the two brothers with the Order of Franz Joseph. The high respect which my wife's great-grandfather, Sir Leopold Juda von Portheim enjoyed is shown by a short remark in the autobiography by the well known art historian, Professor Anton Springer, Of my Life [Aus meinem Leben], published in Berlin by G. Grote, 1892. On page 234, he wrote:
When a law was suddenly proposed that would again make it illegal for Jews to purchase any real estate, several Jewish merchants and manufacturers united in a newspaper campaign to fight against this prohibition. The soul of this coalition was Mr. von Portheim, one of the noblest and most capable of men of Prague....
Leopold Juda Porges married Rosalie Drosa (born December 29, 1791 in Prague, died March 15, 1870 in Prague) on the 18th of June. As Family Tree No. 17 shows, she was a relative of her husband. On her mother's side she had the same ancestors, Porges-Spiro and Kassowitz, as her husband.
From this marriage issued nine children. The grandmother of my wife, Lady Josefine von Portheim (1822-1869) is the fifth child. Her brother, Sir Eduard von Portheim (born January 12, 1826) is the father of our "Aunt Lola", Leontine Goldschmidt née von Portheim (see page 21).
Lady Josefine von Portheim was, as I have described on page 92, an especially charming and intelligent woman. The abundant means which she brought as a dowry to her husband Salomon Benedikt Goldschmidt, made it easier for him, who was very wealthy in his own right, to expand his large iron dealership even more, and to lead a way of life which was far more opulent than that with which other people had to be contented.
From the marriage contract of my mother-in-law, [Adele Goldschmidt] and my father-in-law [Maximilian von der Porten] of June 13, 1878, one can see that my mother-in-law had inherited from her mother, who had already died by then, 200,000 Marks. As my mother-in-law had six siblings, the estate of her mother, Lady Josefine von Portheim, must have been about 11/2 million Marks.
Sir Leopold von Portheim had nine children so that his estate would have been at least nine times as great [131/2 million Marks].
Selection from the exchange of letters between Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt (1818-1906) and Josefine, Lady von Portheim (1822-1869)While they were engaged, 1846[She lived in Prague which was at that time Austrian and which is now the capital of Czechoslovakia and he lived in Mainz.]
During the five months of their engagement - from February till July, 1846 - Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt had to travel a lot on business, as he was the owner of an iron dealership. His bride asked if all that traveling was really necessary and if it were not too exhausting. She was amazed how quickly journeys could be completed to Berlin, Holland and Belgium, to Switzerland, Vienna and Budapest and to the various cities of South Germany. On April 6, 1846 her bridegroom answered her:
You certainly are right when you find it remarkable that we are changing our travel plans so often this Spring. We have been taking these trips to Switzerland repeatedly for seven years, mostly twice a year. Usually I go myself, because the Swiss business is an important branch of our business. Now, however, it became expedient that one of us had to go to Vienna to close a contract with the Hungarian Central Rail Road for 4000 metric tons of rails.
And in a letter of April 20, 1846:

You are wrong if you think that I had not been to Karlsruhe. Now a days one travels by steamboat and railroad so fast that it really almost costs less time to travel than it takes to describe that trip. At 6:00 A.M. on April 8, I left Mainz, had lunch with my brother-in-law Joseph Noether in Mannheim, in the afternoon I made several calls in Heidelberg, stayed overnight in Karlsruhe, looked after all my business there on the ninth, had lunch with my niece, returned that very evening to Mannheim where my brother-in-law expected me, received a great many congratulations at the Jewish Resource, stayed overnight at Noether's, and at 9:30 A.M. on the tenth was already back in my office, thus, within hardly 21/2 days I had 66 hours travel time, did a lot of business without even getting tried in the least. It was not even necessary to interrupt my correspondence with my beloved treasure [lieben Schatz], since I was able to, as you know, write on the boat.

During the first months of their engagement, Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt bought a "magnificent estate in the gorgeous Rheingau" [a district on the Rhine] for his summer residence.
In a letter dated April 12, he reports on his first visit to the estate:

I can tell you that I had a very happy day yesterday. That is because I was on our new estate "Sommerberg" [Summer Mountain], to give some instructions. I spent the whole day there. This gave me the opportunity to have a good look at it for the first time. A lot will have to be done there yet, as the former owner had been a slacker. He also did not have the money to keep his properties in good repair. The residence building is not yet quite completed and landscaping is missing altogether, however, all the elements are there to make it into a magnificent summer country home. The distance is only 21/2 hours from Mainz. We made it in 1 1/3 house; 11/2 hours from Bieberich and 3/4 from the popular spa, "Schlangenbad" [Snakebath]. It is in the middle of the magnificent, rich Rheingau, a hill which offers a wonderful view, surrounded by wine-growing mountains and beautiful forests. In short, I loved it very much, maybe the pleasant spring weather may have helped a lot. The only drawback concerning this acquisition is that because of it I shall visit Frankfurt even less often, that will short-change especially my dear mother.

In his letter dated May 10, 1846, Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt informs his bride of the purchase of the first old painting, the beginning of what became later a notable gallery of paintings (see pages 19 & 91).

Now, you must yet be informed of news of the highest importance. In the last few days I surprised myself with a magnificent old Netherlands painting, which is to hang in my little music room above the piano. I am flattering myself that it will also be to the liking of my dear little treasure. I am afraid that I am gradually developing a taste for these expensive fancies. The fancies have been in existence for some time but I cannot justify spending a lot of money for them, and objects of art are mighty expensive. With patience and endurance we will, I think, surely acquire a jolly good collection peu à peu.

And from a letter of May 20, 1846, where he tries to dispel the misgivings of his bride:

What you say about my fancy for paintings is quite correct. I admit that I have great difficulties restricting my buying when I see something beautiful, yet I am resisting, because we insignificant young people, who have as yet accomplished so little in this world, do not have the right to expend so much for our pleasures. On the other-hand, the truth remains that it improves one's taste when one gets together with dealers and art lovers, even in one deals away a few Lois d'or at times, of course everything within limits and for an objective and as our means can afford it. I believe we shall agree with one another on that point, too.

The bride, too, had a passion, certainly far less costly. She loved needlework, a passion she passed onto my mother-in-law (see page 23). This passion is brought out in a letter to her by her future brother-in-law, Leopold Goldschmidt, who wrote her on March 16, 1846, when she had fallen ill, during the time of her engagement.

Then (if you do not mind my saying so) I shall take the liberty to admonish you for a fault of yours: you knit, sew and crochet far too much and that, too, can hurt your health because of sitting down so long and the strain on your eyes. Do me the favor, my dear good sister, not to strain yourself too much with such work.

The following letter seems, to me, masterful. After the first separation from his bride, who remained in Prague, the bridegroom wrote from Mainz on the 12th of March, 1846:

And now I want to describe to you, truthfully, how happy your first little letter has made me, so that the image of my inner joy shall be radiantly reflected in your faithful eyes. However, I cannot do that, as feelings cannot be described, yet they can be compared. So, I want to tell you, I was as happy with it at I wish you to be with my little letter. In the past I had complained how cumbersome written correspondence is. That complaint was unjustifiable. Written words actually have some advantages, of course they cannot completely substitute for the great joy of the live exchange of words. The personal conversation with their exhilarating slips of the tongue belong to the presence alone. When it is over and we later try to recall, we are left with a sad longing, an emptiness that cannot be replenished by anything. A letter, however, encompasses the past; I see how you had occupied your mind with me, you thought of me. THe letter tells me what you and others thought and did. The presence: I have the page in my hands. I can read it and kiss it as often as I want. And the future: Objectively: How richly is fortune painted which offers the expressions of love and mutual understanding of two souls who are attuned to one another! And subjective: After many years from now, we shall look up the old correspondence, we may smile at the impassioned dreams of our youth and yet we shall be happy that it was that way and no different and we shall be warmed by the old, holy fire. Its quick flare-up may go up in smoke, but it may never be extinguished completely. We must protect it and nurse it, so that it will illuminate and warm our later days - and there the passion shows through! A further advantage is this: Fantasy has lots of room to roam during the reading as well as during the writing. So, I am sure that you will realize that we will have to write to each other long and often, and you will excuse my frequent and long letters because of my good intentions. A homo-opathic cure [a word invented by the writer, freely translated: a cure to make a person forget the troubles of the world] which has remained in your house, would be the very thing for me. You must try to keep curing me with similar materials, namely, very long letters. We then shall see who will be able to endure the longest, the little woman doctor or her patient.

The wishes of the bridegroom, that he, too, should receive long letters from his bride, remained unfulfilled. While he used "old fashioned" [approx. 4 times 81/2 X 11] writing paper in the format to be folded in four, he filled three pages with tiny lettering almost completely, leaving very little margin on the sides and top, almost every day. There fourth page remained empty and was used for the address, after folding the sheet. The young bride used "modern" writing paper in the "octave form" [half the size]. She used much larger lettering and also left a good margin on the sides, top and bottom. She wrote, however, on all four pages, as she did not fold and seal it, but used, what in those days was not generally used, envelopes.
On March 29, 1846, the bridegroom complained about the brevity of the bride's letters, parried the complaint by his bride, who had demanded that he too should fill all four pages and pointed out that she was measuring pages with unequal scales.

How dare you call my letters short? Any impartial person would probably believe them to be a philosophical dissertation because of their form and length rather than an epistle of love. I have studied every single love letter written from King Solomon with his 1000 wives to the newest edition of Alberti's book on the Art to Make Compliments and nowhere could I find where people have written on more paper than I have been doing. And as far as empty space is concerned, I have noticed, to my great consternation that you are equally as ignorant as you are ungrateful. As far back as the 16th century, Hubertus Jordan the Grandmarshal of the Court of the Grand Elector of the Palatinate, wrote in his instructions on manners:
When you write a mannered letter
Leave three quarter inch or better
At the top, the bottom and each side.
By this rule you must abide!
Now some people do exist who believe that old Hubertus tried to say that hopeful bridegrooms should also only write on three quarters of the space, and that any excess could have consequences which could be as undesirable as those resulting from overindulging in inebriating beverages. I shall continue to contend that only the margins of love letters were meant and I shall continue to keep a margin of 9 lines, French measure. Also I have read in old chronicles and have also convinced myself by a still existing letter by my great-great-great-grandfather to the love of his heart in Bavarian-Castle Cunville, that it was a strict rule in the olden days to also leave a 3/4 inch margin at the end of each line. This, however, is no longer customary. As far as your other reproach is concerned, namely the I put the address on one page, I must honestly admit that your remonstrations amaze me. I would like to know how the letter might reach you unless I put an address on it. If you would disclose the secret to me, how that might be possible, I shall immediately take out a patent on it and I'll have it made: In the first place a lot of paper could be saved that way, and secondly, that is of the main importance, not a soul, no postal worker, nor letter carrier, nor any other serving creature could ever know to whom I am writing letters.

In the bride's answer (letter of March 31, 1846) her lettering is even wider and her margins even greater than usual:

Salomon the Wise!
My to be honored highly bridegroom!
I have received your writing and I have admired with true joy and enthusiasm your learnednessity (sic) and your thorough studies of the literature of the love letter-ology, an accomplishment, which I did not even expect you to master. Encouraged by your example which is worthy of imitating, I too have consulted all those famous authors and to my embarrassment I have concluded that you are absolutely correct, except for a few exceptions and revisions. I must, therefore, ask you humbly to forgive me, if, due to my lack of knowledge or limited intelligence, I had written you my letters not in accordance with the rules and etiquette as laid down by the Grand marshal of the Court of the Grand Elector of the Palatinate, Hubertus Jordan. Yet, as far as it concerns the much praised Alberti's book on The Art to make Compliments, I must honestly confess that I do not like him at all. And the compliments which you have paid me in your last few letters, and which you probably have taken from that book, are a trifle Rococo [a time, 17th & 18th centuries, which was very artificial, where men wore perfume, make-up and wigs, and form seemed more important than substance]. Don't you think so, too?

And this time, exceptionally to leave the fourth page free, so that she, like her bridegroom, could use it for the address, she wrote at the bottom of the third:

Now, I want to tell you a few words confidentially: Oh no! The annoying Hubertus reminds me of my duty and I almost was so stupid to write on the fourth page; and then, where could I have written the address? -- Adieu,
Your Josefine.

The bridegroom was less than satisfied with her short answer and on April 4, 1846 he wrote:

The modesty with which you recognize in your sweet letter my weak merit, has touched me deeply. But then, is it really modesty or do you obfuscate, you wicked rogue, under the pretence of praising my virtue; a despicable malice. I am tending to believe the latter, how else could you have utilized the abundance of learnedness with which I so recently delighted you, only to let it serve you as a weapon turned against me. The only excuse you have is that you could not possibly have studied thoroughly the six enormous volumes by the intrepid Hubertus Jordan in such a short time. I must send you some clarifications. When this author recommends a margin on all sides as well as a blank page for the address, of which you immediately take advantage by arranging that your lines are indebted to their miserable existence to five measly words and of that you dispatch me with your reply of three tiny pages, you should have known at least that in the days of the author, letter of octave size were unknown and that one always used the respectable folio size [which was approximately 4 times the octave size]. As proof, let me cite to you the ancient proverb: "That is a fool in folio," which is to say: "that is a fool, as certified in writing". Will you remember that in the future and use larger pages?
In those good old times, incidentally, envelopes had not yet been invented, since then a gracious Frenchman has invented them, in the year 1763, by accident. Otherwise, next to the rule would have been written explicitly that should one think of something wise or should have an interesting thought close to his hart, one could confidently also utilize the fourth page and use the above mentioned instrument. Page number 1438 cites explicitly:
[Mach den Liebsten niemals neu-
gierig; Du möchtest sonst bereu-
en, tut er was anderes denken
oder sich gar drüben kränken.]
Don't keep news from the one you love
Or remorse will plague you because of
The wrong impression he will get
And that, my dear, will cause upset.
My latest compliments were of a somewhat coarse nature. Also, I may have been a little naughty. On my knees I am begging for forgiveness. But it would not be right if you do not read my letters to completion for that reason, but even pass over a whole page. Hubertus says concerning this, on page 1618: [He most likely did not chose the number 1618 arbutraruktm as 1618 was the year that the 30 Years War broke out in Prague, where Josefine lived and received this letter.]
[Liebste soll'n sich alles sagen
Und sich nicht wegen Worte plagen
Wichtig ist das Wort ja nicht,
Das der Liebste zu Dir spricht,
Sondern der Gedank' allein
Der durchdringt wie Sonnenschein.]
Lovers must tell everything,
Not worry how each word will ring.
Important's not each chosen word
Which any lover said or heard;
But our thoughts, yes yours and mine
Shall, like the sun, be warm and shine.
May I take the liberty to draw your attention to that H.I. Alberti's book, How to Make Compliments has had a new edition and can be bought in all book stores for 15 Kreuzer [a very small sum]. I would strongly advise you to purchase this unique work.

On one of his frequent trips by steamboat on the Rhine, when he passed Lorelei, the bridegroom wrote to his bride, among other things in his long letter of May 27th, 1846:

Just now we were passing the rock of Lorelei. Old Lorelei herself is looking through the window and is asking me how I could pass her lovely neighborhood so coldly and not pay any attention to it. I am answering her, "Calm thyself, thou old seducer! (After all we are old acquaintances and use the familiar form.) I shall soon return; but not alone, as thou hast seen me up to now, but with my dearest treasure. Then thou canst show thyself with all thy kith and kin. Make thyself as pretty as thou canst. It will be worth the effort!" But the old witch had quickly disappeared. She probably realizes that her seductive art is wasted on me. --Brrr! Another painting! And thus it keeps going.

I shall present his letter of April 30th, 1846 in its entirety:

Mine, as of the day before yesterday, I personally took it yesterday morning at 6:00 A.M. to Kastell, to the railroad, so that it will be in Frankfurt in time to be mailed; and on the same day, I was pleasantly surprised to receive your sweet little letter of the 26th, for, while its predecessors needed six full days to go from Prague to here, this one only needed three. As quickly as that, no letter ever ran. I am seriously beginning to believe that mysterious powers and witchcraft are at work. But really, I had the strangest feeling that one raised by the old Libussa has cast her net over me. On top of all that, just while I am writing this, the ill-famed Walpurgisnight {in Germanic mythology, a celebration similar to our Halloween} is roaring at full force outside. It is cold and stormy, but I have lit a warm fire in the oven and while I did that I said three times:
All good spirits
Love God, the Lord
Love their Master
Love their Lord.
There upon I clearly noticed how a puff of wind blew into the flames and saw the old witch Frede fly out of the chimney. In the meantime my fire kept on burning cheerfully and a quarter hour later I did not feel cold any more. But when I come to think of it, perhaps right now a little Bohemian witch is riding on her broom stick to the Black Mountain [the highest peak in the Harz Mountains where annually all witches meet on Walpurgisnight, according to pre-Christian Germanic legend] in crazy leaps, bounding over sticks and stones, up and down the mountains, and galloping right across fields while singing some weird song, so I really become fearful and scared, and yet I'd love to take part; therefore I have tried all the broom sticks in the entire house, but I never got moving. I was already getting desperate when a great idea occurred to me, that a different stick might be more helpful. And, what do you know?, the stick holding the pen nib is doing just great. That carries me lightly and cheerfully to my beloved. Yes, my dear little witch, keep galloping, a little to the right, a little to the left. I won't let you get out of my sight. You will never be able to escape from me. Hey! How great that is!
On the Black Mountain to do weird tricks
Ride witches on top of broom sticks....
Up, up and up, there: what lovely little fires! All dance, all sing, all cheer, all laugh! --Aha! You want to escape from me? That little Prussian officer over there by the blackthorn is catching your eye? But stop, that won't do. I am still there. Yes, my child, that's the way it goes. Since you have bewitched me, so that I cannot do without you, then you must not complain if you cannot get rid of me and that I follow your every step, even today on the holy Walpurgisnight, where it is normal that all good and evil spirits have their full freedom.
But, tell me, how could you have fooled me so and how could I, myself, have been so blind? Now that the blinders fell from my eyes, you may confess all free and openly. In our enlightened century one no longer burns witches -- too often, however, the other way around! -- Most fortunately I have a little magic word which can quickly ban and discover the spook. It is: "Li". At the right time, at the right place, I shall say it. Then I shall have you completely in my power. You will no longer be able to escape from me. By divine and human bonds you will be tied to me. Then when the Walpurgisnight arrives again, then...
Ride on, ride on! Don't leave me
My stick and pen go show your might!
Courage! No weakness shall greave me,
My reward is now in sight!
The keen fantasy ride has tired me out for tonight and, I suppose, you, too, would want to rest a little. Therefore, good night! Sleep well and in your dreams think of your
Salomon.

The large entrepreneur becomes almost lyrical when he receives a rose sent by his bride.
On June 9th, 1846 he thanks her:

From your lovely two letters, I see with much joy that you, my dear treasure, are well and chipper. I especially enjoyed the little rose, for which I thank you with all my heart. I shall keep it as a memento. I examined the little rose very carefully: It has no thorns. May I regard this as an emblem of the gracious donor, as a symbol of our future life? Will that, too, be like the scent of a rose without any thorns? You have removed them, taking the risk to prick your own little fingers and make them bleed. Is that not so? I should like to regard this as a very good omen for the future and I could kiss your little head fervently for having had the great idea of sending me that rose, even though you describe your head as a little screwy. Perhaps that kiss would set it straight, again.

On May 16th, 1846 Salomon Benedict Goldschmidt described his feelings in connection with the setting of the wedding date:

When I look at the long time between our engagement date and that of our wedding, it reminds me of a high mountain which I have to cross to reach the goal of my journey. The difficult half of the journey is behind me; I have reached the top. I am looking back into the friendly little valley of my youth. There are many a wild, overgrown area, may a thorny rose and also many a peaceful place to rest. When the top of the mountain is behind me, than that valley will disappear and, sealed off, it will lie behind me. But, I bid it a friendly farewell. For in front of me: What a delightful view, the glorious, bountiful, green with hope, land! And when I at last have reached it then I shall no longer be alone; my good angel will be at my side. Therefore, courageously forward!

In connection with his marriage, the merchant who had been living in Mainz for some time, decided to give up his citizenship of Frankfurt and become a Hessian and citizen of Mainz. On April 20th he wrote to his bride:

Now, I have to inform you of something of great importance, namely that I became a citizen of Mainz last Saturday. It took just 12 days from the time of the petition to the acceptance. Up till now, no one has become a citizen that fast. Isn't that a great honor?

The best wishes sent by the bride showed the ardent love which the bride and groom felt for their parents (letter of April 26th, 1846).

For your so quickly achieved citizenship, my hearty congratulations! May all your just wishes be granted and be so fortunate so quickly! You are truly right, dear Salomon, when you once said that we could not thank God enough that He favored us above so many, many others by giving us such parents. May He keep them in good health for many, many form years, and may He grant that they experience great joy because of both of us. This has been my daily, morning and evening, prayer and it shall be both of our prayers at all times.

Great love for her parents is also expressed in one of the first love letters from the bride, who wrote to her "vain" bridegroom, who repeatedly wanted to hear from her that she did not "feel indifferent" towards him:

You demand to know whether or not I feel indifferent towards you. You vain man! You are reproaching me that I called that question "vanity". You are right. It is a lot more than that, Oh, lots more! There is no word in the German language to express that, what you are, sufficiently descriptively. Should I want to clothe my thoughts and feelings with words.
You should have sensed that I would not for any somebody, to whom I should feel indifferent, leave everything that I love best in this world up to now, yes, the only thing, my greatest treasure which I possess, my parents. I could never follow an "indifferent" far away, where customs, country and people will be strange.

source : Arnold von der Porten 2002