Nine years after the death of the Maharal, and a year after the last volume of Rabbi Heller’s Tosfos Yom Tov commentary on the Mishna was initially published in Prague, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) was sparked with the Defenestration (literally throwing out of a window) of Prague. Protestant nobles rebelled against the Catholic Hapsburg Emperor Ferdinand, and threw two of the Hapsburg governors and a secretary out of the window of the royal castle in Prague.
Although the Catholic gentlemen who were thrown out the window fell a distance of 70 feet, they miraculously survived. The Catholics claimed, that this proved that G-d interceded for them and they were the true Christians, while the Protestants claimed that the men escaped death because they fell into a large pile of manure. The Bohemians then deposed Ferdinand and replaced him with a Protestant ruler, Frederick V,
The Jewish community at the time was caught in the midst of this strife. No matter which side they would demonstrate their allegiance to, the other party would consider them traitors. In addition to the Jews suffering chronic stress by being in the center of these wars, they were also obligated to come up with money in the form of high taxes imposed on them to support the many soldiers and battles,
One of the major figures of the Thirty Years’ War was an Austrian general by the name of Albrecht Wezel Waldstein (also pronounced Wallenstein). who offered his services and an army of more than 100,000 men to Emperor Ferdinand II. For his loyalty to the emperor, the latter made him governor of Bohemia.
This governor was quick to condemn people to death and the Jews were no exception. In fact he threatened to hang two Jews of the community, the Shamash of the Maisel synagogue Chanoch ben Moshe Altschuler and Joseph ben Yekutiel Thein a son-in -law of Prague’s butcher, Shmerl on December 25, 1622.
The story of their salvation is recorded in a special Hebrew Megillah, (Megilas Purei Hakelaim) The Megilah of the Purim of Curtains. It was composed by the Shamash, Chanoch Altschuler in gratitude to Hashem for saving their lives. A descendant of his, Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Kisch who served as a rabbi in the Maisel shul in Prague, writes 265 years after the latter’s salvation, that his ancestor was fulfilling the Mitzvah as delineated by Orach Chaim Siman 218:4
“Someone who sees the place where a miracle was wrought for an individual does not make a blessing. But if the miracle were wrought for him, he blesses: “she’asah li ness bamakom hazeh” – “who wrought a miracle for me at this place.” And all of his descendants also bless: “she’asah nes l’avi bamakom hazeh” – “who wrought a miracle for my father at this place.”
Chanoch wrote that he was recording the story of the miracle that he experienced in order that he and his descendants could celebrate it by reading his Megillah and partaking of a Purim feast every year on 22 Teves.
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One day in the Jewish month of Teves of 5383 (1622), it was discovered that beautiful silk gold damask curtains were missing from the Prague Palace of Prince Karl Lichtenstein. The Prince had been out of town in Vienna at the time the robbery seemed to have taken place. Representatives of the Prince searched the kingdom for the curtains but could not find them. It was believed that the Jews were possibly the culprits. A decree was promulgated warning that if Jews were the ones responsible for their being missing, they had better return them or they would face dire consequences.
An announcement was made in all the synagogues of Prague on Thursday the seventeenth of Teves that anyone having the stolen goods in his possession must turn them over to the Shamash of the synagogue.
At least one manuscript of the Megillah contains in addition to the story, the exact words announced in shul:
Bveis Din shel Maaloh, Ubevais Din shel matah — In the court above and the court below –al daas HaMakom, veal daas Hakahal With the approval of the Omnipresent (Hashem) and the approval of the congregation, we are decreeing a serious cherem on every man, woman, boy or girl that has any knowledge or any hint of knowledge regarding either the robbery or the loss of the curtains with regard to what the Shamash announced,…the perpetrator must come and tell Ploni ben Ploni and if he doesn’t… his sin will not be forgiven … Umacha Hashem es Shmo Mitachas Hashamayim Vehivdil Hashem Lera’ah Mikol Shivtei Yisrel… and Hashem will erase his name from beneath the sky and separate him for evil from all the tribes of Israel….
Soon after the entire community left the Maislova shul, in walked Joseph Thein son of Yekutiel, a son -in law of Shmerel the butcher carrying with him the precious stolen curtains. He related that he had purchased them from two soldiers who must have been the thieves who stole the curtains from the castle.
These soldiers were probably Spanish troops who towards the end of 1622 invaded the area. The soldiers took advantage of the exile of Frederick’V to Holland after his loss of Bohemia and the Palatinate following Frederick V’s terrible defeat at the Battle of White Mountain outside of Prague.
The bylaws of the Maislova Shul at that time included a special statute forbidding the naming of receivers of stolen goods if the receiver would give them up voluntarily. Joseph Thein who had the curtains in his possession knew that the Shamash would not reveal his identity because of this bylaw..
The Megillah then describes that at an important meeting of the leaders of the synagogue, it was decided that the Parnas of the Jewish community, Reb Yaakov Teomim would be the one to return the curtains to the Palace of the Prince. And this took place on Sunday the twentieth of Teves.
Rabbi Teomim was pleased to report that he was received warmly and with a smiling demeanor by the person he delivered the curtains to and he was sent away in peace and good tidings. Unfortunately, it seems that as soon as Reb Yaakov left the palace, the person he gave the curtains to immediately reported him to the governor Waldstein, informing Waldstein about the Jews’ return of the curtains.
Waldstein was known at the time to be quick to condemn people to death. Quite a number of people had been sentenced to hang as a result of his orders. Waldstein sent a messenger relaying to the Jewish community he wanted its leaders to approach him immediately. The community’s leader Reb Yaakov Teomim came to see Waldstein who warned Teomim, that he expected that Teomim reappear the following day together with the culprit who had purchased the stolen curtains .
At an emergency meeting held by the leaders of the synagogue it was decided that Rabbi Teomim should return to Waldstein alone and explain to him they were not aware of the identity of the person who purchased the stolen curtains, that only the Shamash of the synagogue was aware of who it was. The Shamash had been sworn to secrecy and was forbidden to reveal to a soul who that person was. This was done according to the bylaws of the congregation in order to ensure that people who were in possession of stolen goods would admit their culpability. These culprits would not be afraid to admit they had these goods in their possession if they knew that their identities would be kept secret.
When Reb Teomim related this to Governor Waldstein, the governor fumed. He warned Teomim and that he had better return the following day, Tuesday before noon, with the culprit or they would both be hung. He then commanded his underlings to quickly summon carpenters to create a brand new gallows to be ready for noon the following day. Jews, he claimed weren’t worthy enough to be hung on the regular gallows used to hang soldiers..
After much tense debate among the community’s leaders, it was decided that Teomim not bring the culprit but return the following day together with the Shamash, Chanoch ben Moshe Altschuler (the author of the Megillah). with the hope that perhaps the governor will have calmed down.
At the same time though, the Jewish community leaders wanted to have Joseph Thein, the purchaser of the curtains available in case Governor Waldstein was not satisfied with the Shamash and wanted to meet with the buyer of the curtains himself.
Teomim appeared before the governor with the Shamash. The governor then announced that Teomim had saved himself from death and hanging, He then asked whether the person that had accompanied Teomim, was the culprit. Teomim responded that the man accompanying him was not the purchaser of the curtains but, the beadle who was sworn to secrecy. The beadle Chanoch Altschuler was then threatened that if he did not reveal the name of the person who delivered the curtains to him, he would be hung the following day. Altschuler replied, “why are you so angry, During the days of the Emperor Rudulph, the emperor’s goblet was stolen and the purchaser of the goblet brought it to me. When I returned the goblet to the ruling emperor then, he did not request of me that I reveal the identity of the man who brought it to me.”
Waldstein was livid and Altschul realized that in order to save his life he had better reveal the Joseph Thein’s identity, which he did. Then the governor warned Teomim that if he did not bring Joseph within the hour, Altschuler would be hung. Waldstein then proceeded to have the prison guard brought to him. He asked the latter if the gallows were ready. Waldstein was told they were. He then commanded the man whose name was Parfam, to take Altschuler to the prison known as the Stockhaus and lock him up with heavy iron chains on his legs.
Altschuler was petrified when he heard the decree and begged and pleaded that he didn’t do anything wrong, He had obeyed the governor’s order to reveal the name of the purchaser of the curtains . Why was his master spilling innocent blood?
Waldstein was in a rage and swore to him, that both he and the one who purchased the curtains would be hung the next day. Altschuler was then taken in his iron chains and thrown into prison together with other inmates and he waited there, without the company of any other Jews.
He davened Minchah and Maariv and said viduy and lost hope that he would be saved; he was certain that he would soon be hung. He fervently hoped that he would find himself in the company of the Asarah Harugei Malchus in the next world.
While he was sitting deep in thought the prefect came to him and commanded him to follow him to the ruling regiment.. When Altschuler appeared there, he was to his utter disbelief, told he was free to go and leave for home in peace. He was to be accompanied home by several soldiers
Despite his own relief, Althschuler was not able to rest or be calm because he was still afraid and anxious of what would happen to Joseph Thein. The Jewish community at the time, men and women were all depressed about the good and honest Yosef who had by that time been imprisoned. It was decreed that by the following noon he would be hung by his legs with the accompaniment of two dogs. The entire community kept on testifying on his behalf what a wonderful person he was.
The following day, Jewish communal leaders approached the Jesuit Priests asking them to try to plead on Joseph’s behalf. The priest answered, “whatever you want us to do we would be glad to oblige, but in this matter, we can’t help you. One of the soldiers who was scheduled to be hung is a brother of one of the priests. We sent six priests to plead on his behalf. The governor responded,’ you better return to your church and not demand anything on his behalf because if you do, you will be hung together with the soldier. ‘ And the soldier was hung.”
Under tremendous stress the Jewish leaders than approached City Councillors and handed over to them many letters beseeching for leniency with regard to Joseph Thein. Finally one Councillor by the name of General Graff, who was second in command made a compromise that in return for 10,000 gold coins Joseph Thein would be released. .
Joseph who was incarcerated together with two dogs, with his hands tied had to sit in jail until the Jews could come up with the money. He was in jail all day and night on Wednesday and by Thursday evening, the Jewish leaders brought the money in Tapfegulden coins to the governor. The governor refused to accept these coins and chastised them.
“You miserable Jews, I don’t want the money in the gulden coins you have brought, I want them in gold coin denominations of 3 Kreuzer (known in Yiddish as Zalmer).. And I don’t want the coins wrapped in baskets and boxes as if I were accepting bribes with the money being hidden. I want them in ten pilesh each pile carried in a sack individually by ten different Jews who will be accompanied by ten soldiers parading through town. He admonished them that they make sure to pass the old bridge and whoever’s sack of money is not exposed for all to see, will be beaten. And so it was.
“You miserable Jews, I don’t want the money in the gulden coins you have brought, I want them in gold coin denominations of 3 Kreuzer (known in Yiddish as Zalmer).. And I don’t want the coins wrapped in baskets and boxes as if I were accepting bribes with the money being hidden. I want them in ten pilesh each pile carried in a sack individually by ten different Jews who will be accompanied by ten soldiers parading through town. He admonished them that they make sure to pass the old bridge and whoever’s sack of money is not exposed for all to see, will be beaten. And so it was.
And on Friday right before Shabbos, Joseph Thein was released from his dungeon and returned to his home in peace.
The date that the Altschuler family’s descendants have been commemorating Purim of the Curtains for several hundred years was the 22nd day of Teves, the day that Chanoch Ben Moshe was released.
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The life of Governor Waldstein ended on February 25, 1634 with his assassination when the Emperor Ferdinand suspected that Waldstein was planning a coup to take over the Holy Roman Empire.
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The story of the Purim of the Curtains is recounted in Hochdeitsch (old German) in a book entitled “Vorhang-Purim” Historische Erzahlun aus dem Prager Ghetto von Matthias Kisch. The book was published in Vienna in 1888 and is included with historical stories about the Jews in Prague.
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Pearl Herzog