Adolf Weißler

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Adolf Weißler (born October 16, 1855 in Leobschütz , Silesia, † June 25, 1919 in Halle (Saale) ) was a German lawyer , notary and attorney .

The grave of Adolf Weißler with a memorial stone for his wife Auguste on the Gertraudenfriedhof in Halle.

Live and act

Adolf Weißler was born in 1855 as the youngest child of the cloth merchants Salomon and Rosalie Weißler (née Hayn) in Leobschütz, now Głubczyce , in Silesia . The grandfather Nathan Weißler was a rabbi in Myslowitz (today Mysłowice ). After graduating from high school in Leobschütz, Weißler studied law at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin from 1873 to 1876 , against the wishes of his parents, who would have liked to see him as his successor in the rabbinate. After four years of legal traineeship and state examination , he settled in Königshütte (today Chorzów ) as a lawyer from 1882 , an activity that neither provided him with sufficient financial support nor satisfied him. According to his own account, he was denied access to the longed-for judicial office due to his Jewish origin. In 1887 he received a notary's office in Königshütte . In 1883 he married his cousin Auguste Hayn, with whom he had three sons, including the lawyer Friedrich Weißler .

Weissler turned away from Judaism at an early age because he could not identify with the strict rituals and the thought of a punishing God. Although he did not take the decisive step towards baptism himself , he had his three sons baptized as children without the knowledge of his family. He never went to a synagogue , kept none of the old customs and festivals, and found Judaism a burden that he could not shake off.

In 1893 the family moved to Halle an der Saale . Above all, access to the university library was important to Weissler for his literary work. Here he initially worked as a lawyer, from 1899 also as a notary. In addition, he published on topics of the legal field and dealt with the question of Zionism and the integration of fellow citizens of Jewish faith in Germany. In an article published in a legal journal (1900) and in a utopian novel The King of Judah , published under the pseudonym Benedictus Levita in 1912 , he took a critical standpoint towards Zionism and presented as an ideal a state that is characterized by freedom of belief and tolerance, especially between Muslims, Jews and Christians, but also between Orthodox and Liberal Jews. Both publications were received critically and, in spite of the fact that the novel was apparently designed to suit the taste of the broad mass of the population, were not widely used.

From the beginning, Weißler followed the First World War with "patriotic sympathy". In August 1914, following the family history, he kept a war diary. When the end of the war became apparent, Weissler's desperation grew. It intensified under the impression of the Versailles peace negotiations . With reference to this he noted on June 24, 1919: “One has accepted unconditionally. No, I can't stand this life. ”According to the death notice issued by the criminal police of the city of Halle, Weissler shot himself on June 25, 1919 on the Peißnitzspitze.

Publications on the subject of law

  • The Prussian notary's office within the scope of the General Court Regulations 1888.
  • The reshuffle of the legal profession under Frederick the Great. (In favor of the Aid Fund for German Lawyers). Königshütte 1891 ( digitized version ).
  • The notary's office of the Prussian monarchy. Publishing house CEM Pfeffer, Leipzig 1896 ( digitized version ).
  • Prussian state private law: collection of the sources of Prussian private law that remain in force alongside the civil code, several volumes. Verlag CEM Pfeffer, Leipzig, from 1897 ( digitized ).
  • The German inheritance proceedings. 1900.
  • Volunteer Jurisdiction Form Book. from 1900.
  • History of the Legal Profession. Verlag CEM Pfeffer, Leipzig, 1905 ( digitized version ).

literature

  • Wolf-George Harms: Adolf Weißler. Lawyer - Notary - Judicial Councilor (1855–1919). Bonn 2017.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Handwritten family history and war diary (family owned)
  2. ↑ Benedictus Levita: The King of Judah . Dieterichsche Verlagbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1912 ( digitized version ).
personal data
SURNAME Weißler, Adolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German lawyer, notary and attorney
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1855
PLACE OF BIRTH Leobschütz , Silesia
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 1919
Place of death Halle (Saale)