Herr Doktor as a Chairman. New Jewish Elites in the Governing Bodies of Religious Communities (A Case Study of Cieszyn Silesia before 1918)

Abstract

The nineteenth century in Europe marked a period of transition from the feudal system towards a mass society based on the principles of personal freedom and individual responsibility. During this time, new social groups and new elites emerged, among them the intelligentsia, particularly members of liberal professions – lawyers, doctors, journalists, artists, and scientists – who began to appear as an integrated and socially respected group. This development was also evident among the Jews living in the Habsburg Monarchy, where restrictions imposed on this social group were gradually lifted (finally in 1867), and their traditional approach to education made them the best-educated ethnic-social group in many regions. Individuals with academic degrees, primarily advocates and physicians, held prominent positions within Jewish groups, serving on the governing bodies of Jewish religious communities. The article examines these processes through the case of Cieszyn Silesia, a relatively small yet one of the most economically and socially advanced regions of the Habsburg Monarchy. The advancement of local Jewish intelligentsia, particularly physicians and lawyers, illustrates Pierre Bourdieu’s thesis that capital (economic, cultural, social) accumulated by individual families as the product of their past work can be passed on to the next generation, thereby offering them improved chances for life and future careers.