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Levie, Bernfeld, Tirtsah. Poverty and Welfare among the Portuguese Jews in Early Modern Amsterdam, Liverpool University Press,
2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/libflru/detail.action?docID=5485139.
Created from libflru on 2022-01-07 23:38:48.
poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in
early modern amsterdam
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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THE LITTMAN LIBRARY OF
JEWISH CIVILIZATION
Dedicated to the memory of
Louis Thomas Sidney Littman
who founded the Littman Library for the love of God
and as an act of charity in memory of his father
Joseph Aaron Littman
and to the memory of
Robert Joseph Littman
who continued what his father Louis had begun
‘Get wisdom, get understanding:
Forsake her not and she shall preserve thee’
prov. 4:5
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na The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization is a registered UK charity
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ttiL Registered charity no.1000784
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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POVERTY AND WELFARE
AMONG THE PORTUGUESE
JEWS IN EARLY MODERN
AMSTERDAM
◆
t i r t s a h l e v i e b e r n f e l d
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iL n The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
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ttiL in association with Liverpool University Press
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
in association with Liverpool University Press
4 Cambridge Street, Liverpooll69 7zu, uk
www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/littman
Managing Editor: Connie Webber
Distributed in North America by
Oxford University Press Inc., 198 Madison Avenue,
New York, ny10016, usa
© Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld2012
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, without the prior permission in writing of
The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
Catalogue records for this book are available from the
British Library and the Library of Congress
ISBN 978–1–904113–57–7
Publishing co-ordinator: Janet Moth
Copy-editing: Gillian Somerscales and Philippa Claiden
Proof-reading: Laurien Berkeley
Index of Persons: Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld
Index of Subjects: Christine Headley and Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld
Designed and typeset by Pete Russell, Faringdon, Oxon.
Production: John Saunders
Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by
TJ International Ltd., Padstow, Cornwall
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central <a
onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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Tothememoryofmyparents
(cid:2)
Max Levie
1920–1979
(cid:2)
Reina Lea Levie-van Messel
1918–2001
(cid:2)
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central
<a onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central
<a onclick=window.open('http://ebookcentral.proquest.com','_blank') href='http://ebookcentral.proquest.com' target='_blank' style='cursor: pointer;'>http://ebookcentral.proquest.com</a>
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My experience ofwritingthisbookwasnotsolelythatofanintellectual
exercise—ofsolitaryconfinementinmystudy,booksandclassicalmusicmy
onlycompanions,punctuatedbycountlessvisitstoarchivesandlibraries.It
alsomeantmeetingpeopleandmakingfriends,athomeandabroad,besides
beingsurroundedbyanever-expandingextendedfamily.
The book is the final product of a suggestion made by my teacher,
ProfessorYosefKaplanoftheHebrewUniversityofJerusalem,ofatopicfor
adoctoraldissertation.Itwashewhodirectedmetowardsthepoorofthe
Portuguese Jewish community in the early modern period as a subject in
need of exploration, and I was indeed fortunate to have access to his vast
knowledgeofthefield.
I should also like to express a special word of gratitude to Professor
Jonathan Israel, who was indefatigable in finding me a publisher, and who
introducedmetotheLittmanLibraryofJewishCivilization.
.d MyinterestinJewishhistoryhastakenmefarafield.Settingoutfromthe
e
vrese University of Amsterdam, and encouraged by Professor Maarten Brands,
r sth I recall in particular the stimulating atmosphere of Brandeis and Harvard
g
ir llA universities,whereIhadtheprivilegeofattendingthelecturesofProfessor
.eh Benjamin Ravid and of the late Professors Benjamin Halpern and Yosef
T
,no HaimYerushalmi.Ontheothersideoftheglobe,Ialsobenefitedgreatlyfrom
ita
ziliviC theteachingofthelateProfessorHaimBeinartattheHebrewUniversityof
h Jerusalem. Wherever we meet, in New York, Boston, London, Amsterdam,
siw
e orJerusalem,ProfessorDanielSwetschinski,scholarandfriend,hasalways
J fo y shown an interest in my work. His ideas have been a source of inspiration
ra
rbiL tome.
n
am Back at home in Amsterdam, I discussed my work with three special
ttiL .2 friends,allhistorians,duringconvivialeveningsatmyhouse.Ishouldliketo
1
02 thank Dr Lotte van de Pol, Dr Rudolf Dekker, and Professor Marco van
©
th Leeuwen for their continued support and friendship. I owe Professor van
g
iryp Leeuwen a special debt of gratitude for offering me hospitality at the Inter-
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nationalInstituteofSocialHistoryinAmsterdam,whereIcouldtakerefuge
from the hustle and bustle of daily life at home and spend time writing,
Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central
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viii acknowledgements
thinking, and exchanging views. Hans Blom, Professor Emeritus of Dutch
History at the University of Amsterdam, helped me through an impasse in
myresearchandsetmebackontrack,forwhichIamverygrateful.
ManylonghourswerespentattheAmsterdamCityArchives,whichbe-
came,atacertainstageinmylife,mysecondhome.Ishouldliketothankall
thestaffthere,especiallyDrsOdetteVlessing,andalsothemanyotherswho
were always willing to retrieve mountains of archival sources. At the Biblio-
teca Rosenthaliana I remember the invaluable help of former curators Dr
Frits Hoogewoud and Dr Adri Offenberg. At the Ets Haim Library it was
DrAbrahamRosenbergwhoansweredmyquestionsandprovidedmewith
material.
Theoriginaltextofmydoctoralthesis,ofwhichthisbookisanextended
version,waswritteninDutchandtranslatedintoEnglishbythelateArnold
PomeransandhiswifeErica.Itwasarealprivilegetoworkwiththem.The
present version comprises their text with additions that I wrote in English.
Drs Francine Menco-Püttmann, a long-standing family friend, offered in-
valuable assistance in toiling through the notes and bibliography. The sum
total was supervised and edited by the staff of the Littman Library of
JewishCivilization,especiallybyConnieWebber,LudoCraddock,JanetMoth,
PhilippaClaiden,GillianSomerscales,andGeorgeTulloch.Theircraftsman-
ship, cordiality, and continual support made the burden of writing a book a
littlelighter.
.d ThelistofallmyfriendsintheNetherlands,inotherpartsofEurope,in
e
vrese theUnitedStates,inCanada,and,lastbutnotleast,inIsrael,whohavebeen
r sth atalltimessoveryinspiring,reassuring,andsupportive,istoolongtoname
g
ir llA themallhere:Ithankthemallwarmly.
.eh My late parents, Reina Lea Levie-van Messel and Max Levie, survivors of
T
,no manyordealsduringtheSecondWorldWar,instilledinmeasenseofhope
ita
ziliviC h apnrodvpideerdsemveerawnictehthaahtahpeplpysamndewtoacrompeewnvitihrotnhmejeonytsaannddsaosrtrroownsgoffoluifned.aTthioeny
siwe fromwhichtomoveahead.ItistotheirmemorythatIdedicatethisbook.
J fo yra Ithasalwaysbeenastruggletocombineworkwithrunningafamily;often
rb work had to come last, and the progress of my research was delayed. But
iL
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a familylifehasgivenmesomuchinreturn:mychildrenMichaelandEvaare
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ttiL now adults, and all our lives are enriched by Michael and Mila’s son, my
.2
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0 grandchildBenjaminJona.Icannotbutbethankfulforthewarmthandjoy
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th withwhichourlifeisconstantlyfilled.
g
iryp Above all, I want to thank my partner in life Juri Jacob Bernfeld, whose
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loveandcarehavebeenaconstantblessing.
Amsterdam,2012 tlb
Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central
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CONTENTS
ListofTables xii
ListofFigures xiv
NoteonTransliterationandOrthography xv
NoteonMonetaryUnits xvii
1 SettingtheScene 1
Terminology:TheDefinitionofPoverty 4
WhatPreciselyAreWeTryingtoEstablish? 5
Sources 8
2 MigrationofthePoor 13
.d Introduction 13
e
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se EvolvingPolicyonAdmissionandReliefofthePoor 16
r sth
gir llA WhereDidthePoorComeFrom? 20
.eh TheJourneytoAmsterdamfromtheIberianPeninsula 22
T
,no TheRoute:FromPortugal,fromSpain,andfromFrancetoAmsterdam 24
itaziliviC FundingtheJourney 28
h TheJourneytoAmsterdamfromOtherRegions 31
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e Italy 31
J fo y NorthAfrica 33
rarb South-easternEuropeandtheLevant 34
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n TheNewWorld 37
a
mttiL HamburgandAntwerp 38
.21 EmigrationfromAmsterdam 39
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TheMigrationBalance 58
Levie-Bernfeld, T. (2012). Poverty and welfare among the portuguese jews in early modern amsterdam. ProQuest Ebook Central
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