|
From 1817 through 1871,
Bernhard Cahn kept diaries recording daily life and thoughts of a
German-Jewish citizen. He was a veteran of the Napoleonic War, and in
his community of Kastel, Hesse, he served as teacher, schochet (ritual
slaughterer), and religious leader for more than fifty years.
In addition to everyday
life, Cahn describes activities such as the arrival of the steam engine
and steamboats that would soon ply the Main River, the visits of
dignitaries, traveling to visit family members, and secular and
religious festivals. Cahn described interactions with the mayor and
other officials, Christian officials who attended major Jewish
community functions. He wrote much about America and the Civil War,
about President Lincoln's assassination, as well as his views on
Presidents Jefferson and Grant. Anti-Semitic events in Europe, the
building of the Suez Canal, and migration of Germans to America are all
described.
The diaries were written
in Judeo-German; a form of writing using Hebrew letters to express
German words and sounds. His great-great granddaughter, Arline Sachs,
meticulously translated all 4,000 pages and presents excerpts from
these diaries to give a picture of the life of a German-Jewish citizen
in the 19th century.
6" x 9" 225 pp. hardcover $29.00
|
|