Josef von Wertheimer

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Josef von Wertheimer (1886)
Grave of Josef von Wertheimer in the Vienna Central Cemetery
Henriette von Wertheimer, salonière and wife of Josef von Wertheimer

Josef Ritter von Wertheimer (also Joseph , born March 15, 1800 in Augsburg ; died March 16, 1887 in Vienna ) was an Austrian philanthropist, author and champion of the emancipation of Jews in Austria.

Live and act

Wertheimer was the second president of the Vienna Jewish Community . He came from an old and very respected family. His father Salomon Josef was a friend of the enlightener Joseph von Sonnenfels , his mother Mirjam (Marianne), widowed Itzig, who was related by marriage to the Viennese Salonnières Fanny von Arnstein and Cäcilie von Eskeles, the wife of the banker Bernhard von Eskeles . As early as 1825, Wertheimer had already dealt with methods of bringing up small children from England and had written several papers on them. On May 4, 1830, together with the Catholic priest Johann Lindner in Vienna, on the occasion of the celebration of the birthday of Emperor Franz I , he founded the first institution for children of not yet school age:

What prompted Josef Wertheimer to take this step? Regardless of the fact that he was influenced by Samuel Wilderspin, the director of the 'Central Toddler School' in London, he found that twice as many small children died, have accidents, were crippled or sick in the poor areas in Vienna than in the wealthy Districts. The Jewish merchant compared the lists of the dead from 1824 and 1826. a. his call for institutions to be created for the children of the poor in which they are protected from neglect of the spirit and in which physical well-being and morality are promoted.

In addition, in 1843, also in Vienna, he founded the first Israelite children's institution. In 1860 Wertheimer was named a Knight of the Franz Joseph Order because of his philanthropic activities and his services to the Austrian economy . In 1868 he was one of the co-founders of the first Austrian private educational institution for kindergarten teachers, Vienna- Leopoldstadt , Schiffamtsgasse 15, which was very popular, "including schoolgirls from Bavaria, Württemberg and Russia."

1864–1867 he was president of the Viennese religious community ; he was also one of the founders of the Vienna rescue company. He was active as a writer (dramas, historical and educational writings), published a "History of the Jews in Austria" (2 volumes, 1842) and the work "The Position of the Jews in Austria" (1852). He campaigned for the emancipation of the Jews and fought for free career choice and equal rights.

In 1872, Wertheimer founded the Israelitische Allianz in Vienna, based on the model of the Alliance Israélite Universelle , a Jewish cultural and aid organization that campaigned for persecuted Jews, especially in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the then influence and catchment area of Austria-Hungary .

His grave of honor is in the old Israelite part of the Vienna Central Cemetery , Gate 1, Group 6, Row 1, No. 3. His wife Henriette von Wertheimer (née Ullmann) also rests in this grave. Together with her husband, she ran a well-known Viennese salon, in which Eduard von Bauernfeld , Franz Grillparzer , Ludwig August Frankl and Ernst von Feuchtersleben , among others , frequented.

Works

  • Wilderspin, S .: About the early education of children and the English schools for small children, or remarks about the importance of educating the small children of the poor from one and a half to seven years old ... Translated by J. Wertheimer. Vienna 1826 digitized
  • The Jews in Austria. From the standpoint of history, law, and the state's advantage. In three books. Mayer & Wigand, Leipzig 1842; Digitized volume 1

literature

Web links

Commons : Josef von Wertheimer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SB Weiss:  Wertheimer, Josef (Joseph) Ritter von. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 16, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1957–2013, pp. 145 f. (Direct links on p. 145 , p. 146 ).
  2. ↑ Gerson Wolf: Joseph Wertheimer . Vienna 1868, pp. 24–26.
  3. ↑ Berger 2004, p. 3
  4. ↑ Michaela Feurstein, Gerhard Milchram: Jewish Vienna: city walks. Böhlau, Vienna / Cologne / Weimar 2001, ISBN 3-205-99094-3 , p. 111.
  5. ↑ Kindergarten 1900, p. 17
  6. ^ Josef Wertheimer - Vienna History Wiki. Retrieved April 11, 2020 .
  7. ^ Gotthard Deutsch , Armand Kaminka :  Israelitische Allianz zu Wien. In: Isidore Singer (Ed.): Jewish Encyclopedia . Volume 6, Funk and Wagnalls, New York 1901-1906, p.  673 .
personal data
SURNAME Wertheimer, Josef von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian philanthropist, humorist, author and champion of the emancipation of Jews in Austria
DATE OF BIRTH March 15, 1800
PLACE OF BIRTH augsburg
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1887
Place of death Vienna