Aaron Isaac

Aaron Isaac (also known as Aron Isak; ; 16 September 1730 – 21 October 1816) was a Jewish seal engraver and merchant in haberdashery. He came from Swedish Pomerania, a German-speaking area then part of the Swedish Empire, during the reign of Gustav III, and was persuaded to come to Sweden where there were no seal engravers at the time. He did this on the condition that he could bring with him at least ten Jews, in order to have a minyan (quorum) for prayer. His native language was Yiddish.

Background It was the age of the Enlightenment, led by philosophers whose works revolutionized the social structure of Europe. Some liberally minded monarchs, like Gustav III, eased restrictions on Jewish settlement. "In 1781, opposed by the Swedish clergy, he pushed through the first law guaranteeing certain religious freedoms. This law gave foreigners the right to practise their religion but it forbade them to proselytize and to encourage Lutherans to leave their faith.". Gustav III, in a letter to his mother, the dowager queen Lovisa Ulrika, wrote, "...It is certain, that it would be highly beneficial to the country, if such a hardworking people as the Jews were to settle here..."

Biography

The son of a merchant in Treuenbrietzen, Brandenburg, Isaac first made his living as a peddler, but at a young age he apprenticed as a seal engraver and settled in the university town of Bützow in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He worked there as an assistant to a seal engraver and on the side sold haberdashery goods. In 1750, he married Sara Hendel Levin, daughter of schoolmaster Levin Samuel and Margarethe Lösern. He came into contact with Swedish officers and received many commissions to engrave seals from them, and was told that there was a shortage of people with his skills in Sweden. The officers in turn put him in contact with Carl Sparre, the governor of Stockholm. In 1774, Isaac received permission and moved to Stockholm. However, his fellow believers thought he was mad to venture into such dangers. For as long as the ship on which he traveled across from Stralsund was in sight, they stood on the shore and read blessings over him.

Baron Liljencrantz also entered into negotiations with Isaac, who was soon given the task of acquiring silver for Swedish coins over a period of three years, amounting to no less than eleven million riksdaler specie of silver metal at a rate four percent higher than that paid in Hamburg. In addition, the silver would be transported for free by peasants on behalf of the state (kronoskjuts). In connection with this agreement, Isaac was also commissioned to attempt to sell a large consignment of 100,000 ship pounds of copper that was stored at the Riksbank without interest. He was promised a commission of one riksdaler per pound. The deal was not completed, however, as Isaac's brother and partner were hesitant about the venture. Isaac exerted considerable influence on the authorities in drafting the . His knowledge of the Jews' circumstances was considered to be of great value.