Frankfurt, Germany, had one of the most prominent Jewish communities called Juden-Gasse (Jews Lane) in the 19th century. Daniel decides to visit in hopes of learning more about the history and religion of Judaism. In chapter 32, Daniel wanders around the Jewish ghetto and attends his first synagogue service, where he encounters a friend of his grandfather. Daniel describes the area saying, “he remembered well enough its picturesque old houses; what his eyes chiefly dwelt on now were the human types there .. busily connecting them with the past phases of their race” (363). Daniel’s whole reason for going to Juden-Gasse was to see the Jewish people through his new perspective. Since he has gotten closer to Mirah and Mordecai, Daniel has become increasingly curious about Jewish culture. After visiting Frankfurt, Daniel has a newfound respect for Judaism and sees past some of his old stereotypes he held about Jewish people. He no longer views them as ‘exotic’ and as ‘others’ he sees them as individuals and how they have many similarities to Christians.
The Jewish ghetto Juden-Gasse was one of the oldest ghettoes in Germany and traced back to the 12th century. During the 19th century, the city of Frankfurt was the home of new Jewish movements such as Reform Judaism and Neo-Orthodoxy. Germany wanted Jews to assimilate more into German culture and started speaking German instead of Hebrew in services which was a key aspect of the Reform movement. In response to this, the Neo-Orthodox movement started in Frankfurt in the later part of the 19th century and wanted to resist assimilation into the German culture.
When Daniel is in Frankfurt, he asks one of the book shop attendants the exact time service begins, and he explains “not the fine new building of the Reformed but the old Rabbinical school of the orthodox”(366). Daniel wants to attend an orthodox service in Hebrew because he wants to experience the traditional and non-assimilated version of a Jewish service. Similar to Mordecai, Daniel wants Jews to keep their culture and identity and resist complete assimilation into the country they live in.
Works Cited
Creifelds, TH. “Frankfurt Judengasse 1868.” Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frankfurt_Judengasse_1868.jpg.
“Jüdische Orte in Frankfurt Am Main.” Jewish Sites in Frankfurt Am Main, en.juedisches-frankfurt.de/.