Background
Isaac was born in Germany in 1730.
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Aaron Isaac
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He began to earn his living as a peddler but taught himself seal-engraving, at which he proved talented and successful. During the Seven Years' War he learned from Swedish soldiers that no one in their country was practicing the craft and after the war, when his own business took a turn for the worse, he decided to try his luck in Sweden. No Jew had ever lived in the country and it took courage to go to a hostile environment as a pioneer.
Isak received letters of recommendation to the king of Sweden and a passport to visit the country and arrived in Stockholm in 1774. He first visited the lord mayor of Stockholm, to whom he had an introduction and who told him. “This is an extremely difficult matter. A Jew has never lived in Sweden. My friends recommend you highly but it is not in my power to grant your wish.” He advised him, nonetheless, to persevere and promised that he would personally deliver Isak’s petition tor right of residence to the king. The king in turn forwarded the application to his council who replied, “We cannot permit you to practice your religion in this country, much less to engage in business.”
The lord mayor then suggested that Isak appeal and he was summoned to the town hall by the magistrates. Isak describes the scene in his memoirs (which he wrote in Yiddish): One of the magistrates addressed me in German saying “My dear Herr Aron, you have petitioned the king for the right to live here. We have all seen your recommendations. You have been praised as a man of character and an excellent craftsman. The king himself favors your remain-ing, especially as there is no other seal engraver in the kingdom. But your adherence to the Jewish religion is an insurmountable obstacle. Let me quote from our laws: ‘If a Jew comes to our shores on a ship that requires repairs, that ship shall have precedence over all the others so that the Jew may leave as soon as possible. If a Jew becomes ill w hile the ship he is traveling on is in port, a doctor shall be sent to cure him as quickly as possible so that he can leave the realm quickly. A Jew may neither buy nor sell in our kingdom.' No Jew has lived in our kingdom since the beginning of time. But as it is the king’s wish, we have decided to allow you to remain here. You cannot do this as a Jew because that would be against our laws; but if you accept Christianity you will have immediate citizenship and exemption from taxes for ten years. Think this over and let us have your decision within a week.” Isak replied immediately, “I do not need to think that over. I would not change my religion for all the gold in the world. I did not come here to trade in religion. How could I deny a faith through which I hope to gain salvation?”
The magistrate remarked. “We know nothing of the Jewish religion and its doctrine of salvation."
Isak responded, “I am not a learned man and this is not the place to expound religious doctrine. But I can tell you that the fundamental doctrine of Judaism is to fear God and love one’s neighbors — and this I will do as long as I live.”
The magistrates’ decision was negative and Isak was on the verge of returning to Germany. He paid a last visit to the lord mayor, who was also chairman of the magistrates. The lord mayor told him that they had had no alternative in making their decision but added, “Why don’t you institute a suit against me?" He directed Aron on how to make a legal protest to the king, who subsequently overruled the ban. When Isak at last received permission to live in Sweden from the king he hurried to thank the lord mayor whose reaction was, “I’ve done the Devil's work and prefer not to hear of it.”
Isak brought his brother and partner to Stockholm and their business flourished. Following this precedent, other Jew's began to settle in Stockholm and Isak headed its community for many years.
