1782 Edict of Tolerance

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The 1782 Edict of Tolerance (German: Toleranzpatent) was a declaration issued on January 2, 1782 by Joseph II, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, outlining a policy of greater religious tolerance towards the Jews under his rule and repealing the earlier Jewish Regulation of May 5, 1764. The edict was initially promulgated from Vienna and Lower Austria and subsequently applied in other provinces of the empire as well.

The stated goal of the edict was to "make the Jewish nation useful and serviceable to the State," which was to be achieved through education and abolition of economic restrictions. The final version was less liberal than the original drafts. Jews were encouraged to engage in large-scale business, to set up factories, and to learn trades (although becoming a master craftsman remained prohibited); to establish schools and attend universities. Upper-class Jews were encouraged to integrate socially. Any insult or violence done to a Jew would be punished.

The document confirmed existing restrictions against any increase in the number of tolerated Jews, forbade the printing of books in Hebrew, forced Jews to register with the local government of their place of residence and apply for a special "tolerance", and also declared the phasing out of Hebrew as a valid language for any legal document or instrument within the two years following the edict. The concluding article exhorted the Jews to be thankful and not to misuse their privileges, particularly not to offend Christianity in public, an offense which would result in expulsion.