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eisenmann, louis
Bibliography: A.E. Benjamin, C. Davidson, P. Eisenman,
and L. Fernandez-Galiano, Der Denkmalstreit – das Denkmal?: Die
Debatte um das “Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas:” eine
Dokumentation (1999).
[Stephen C. Feinstein (2nd ed.)]
EISENMANN, LOUIS (1869–1937), French historian. Eisenmann,
born in Haguenau, Alsace, moved with his family to
France after the German annexation in 1871. In 1905 he became
a professor of history at the University of Dijon, and in 1931
professor of Central European history at the Sorbonne. Eisenmann’s
special field of interest, in which he made important
contributions, was Slavonic cultural history. Besides teaching,
writing, and editing in this field, he served as general secretary
of the Institute for Slavic Studies at the University of Paris. He
was also an active director of the Center for the Study of Foreign
Policy. Eisenmann’s major writings deal with the Austro-
Hungarian Empire. He wrote Le compromis austro-hongrois de
1867 (1904), La Hongrie contemporaine (1921), La Tchécoslovaquie
(1921), and Un grand européen, Edouard Benes (1934). He
contributed sections to Paul Milyukov’s classic work on Russian
history, Histoire de la Russie (1932–33). Eisenmann played
a prominent role as editor of two French historical journals,
Le monde slave and La revue historique.
[William Korey]
°EISENMENGER, JOHANN ANDREAS (1654–1704), author
of a work which had a formative influence on modern
antisemitic polemics. Eisenmenger, born in Mannheim, studied
Hebrew while at Heidelberg University. During a visit to
Amsterdam in 1680–81 he was shocked when three Christians
adopted Judaism, and also by the criticism of Christianity expressed
by David *Lida, rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in
Amsterdam. Eisenmenger therefore set out to examine Jewish
writings to find material that would deter Christians from
turning to Judaism. For 19 years he studied talmudic and midrashic
literature with Jews, pretending that he wished to become
a proselyte. In 1686 he was appointed lecturer at Heidelberg
University, and, in conjunction with Johann *Leusden,
published in 1694, at Frankfurt, an unvocalized edition of the
Bible to which David *Gruenhut wrote an introduction describing
Eisenmenger as a man of great learning. However, in
1699 the Frankfurt Jews learned that Eisenmenger was about
to publish a work denouncing Judaism, titled Entdecktes Judenthum
(“Judaism Unmasked”). As it was in German and
not in Latin, they feared that it would inflame popular feelings
against the Jews (especially as anti-Jewish riots occurred
in Franconia, and in particular in *Bamberg in 1699). The
Frankfurt Jews turned to Samson *Wertheimer in Vienna,
and he and Samuel *Oppenheimer persuaded the emperor to
forbid the publication of the book, which had been printed
in 2,500 copies. A Protestant professor from Giessen, a Jesuit
from Mainz, and six rabbis from Frankfurt were asked to study
Eisenmenger’s book and comment on it. In the meantime, the
king of Prussia asked the emperor to allow the publication
of the book and the elector of the Palatinate also intervened
in Eisenmenger’s favor. However the pleas of the Jews for its
suppression were supported by the archbishop of Mainz, since
Eisenmenger had also offended Catholic susceptibilities, as
well as by the elector of Hanover. Eisenmenger, who had invested
all his money in the printing, died suddenly in 1704.
His heirs again induced the king of Prussia to intervene with
the emperor to allow the book to be issued, but without success.
The king of Prussia, therefore, permitted them to publish
a second edition of 3,000 copies in Berlin in 1711. On the
title page the place of publication is given as Koenigsberg, a
city outside the emperor’s jurisdiction. The city council of
Frankfurt, the elector of the Palatinate, and the king of Prussia,
meanwhile, made continual efforts to obtain permission
for publication of the first edition; this was granted only in
1741. Eisenmenger’s heirs claimed damages from the Jews of
Frankfurt; their claim was finally quashed in 1773. In this book
of two volumes, with over 2,000 pages, Eisenmenger had assembled
passages to suit his argument from 182 books written
in Hebrew, 13 in Yiddish, and eight written by apostates
who had converted to Christianity. They were mostly extracts
from talmudic literature, beginning with the Mishnah and
concluding with commentaries, codes, and notes of the rishonim
and aḥaronim. He cited them in the original language,
providing a translation alongside. The translations are erroneous
in places and often intentionally distorted. Eisenmenger’s
charges against the Jews include the *blood libel and poisoning
of wells. Possibly Eisenmenger did believe in what he wrote,
although his negotiations with the Jews, and the fact that he
was prepared not to publish his book against a certain price,
cast some doubt on this assumption. An English edition was
published in 1732–33. Among a number of other German and
Austrian antisemites, A. *Rohling quoted Eisenmenger, often
inaccurately, in his venomous Talmudjude (1871), as Franz
*Delitzsh decisively proved. Entdecktes Judenthum was republished
in 1893.
Bibliography: Graetz-Rabbinovitz, 8 (1899), 320–6; D.
Kahana, Rosh Petanim (1883); Dubnow, Weltgesch, 7 (1928), 321–3;
G. Wolf, in: MGWJ, 18 (1869), 378–84; M. Wiener, in: MWJ, 6 (1879),
48–63; L. Loewenstein, ibid., 18 (1891), 209–40; S. Stern, Der Preussische
Staat und die Juden, 2 (1962); Akten, nos. 178, 179, 181, 183, 185,
186, 216; H.L. Ehrlich, in: K. Thieme (ed.), Judenfeindschaft (1963),
209ff.
[Zvi Avneri]
EISENSTADT (Ger. also: Weniger Maertersdorf; Hung.
Kismarton; Heb. לזרב ריע ; ש״א), ׁ capital of *Burgenland, E.
Austria. Its community was the leading one of the “Seven
Communities” of Burgenland, and from the end of the 17th
century to the middle of the 19th century one of the most important
communities in Europe. Jews are mentioned in the
city records in 1373, and the bishop of Eisenstadt was permitted
to settle Jews there in 1388. Others came to the city after
the expulsions from Austria (1421), Styria (1496), and Sopron
(1526). By 1569 the community numbered 81 persons, living in
eight small houses. A Jewish quarter and community institutions
are mentioned for the years 1547 to 1571. Each Jew had to
268 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6