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Was Casanova an antisemite, a believer in Kabbalah — or both?

JL;DR SUMMARY Giacomo Casanova, the 18th-century adventurer and seducer, navigated a complex relationship with Jewish people and Kabbalistic practices. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryReligionJewish CustomsEuropean JewsStereotypesKabbalah18th CenturyNumerologyCasanova

Places mentioned

Vienna, Austria
"According to Margarethe Weissenstein, the Vienna-born Jewish author of The Power of the Charlatan, Casanova who was born 300 years ago in 1725 was an itinerant charlatan who manipulated credulous nobles and other moneyed clients through 18th century Europe with promises about numerology, supposedly derived from the Kabbalah."
Poland
"Casanova wrote to the daughter of Jacob Frank, the Polish Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi."
Venice, Veneto, Italy
"Casanova sometimes described a role reversal in which he adopts a certain Yiddishkeit. So on one occasion he acted as a pawnbroker to a Venetian Jew, lending him money in exchange for some books."
Ancona, Marche, Italy
"During a carriage trip to Ancona, Italy, Casanova at first protested that he wanted to share the space with no one, much less a Jew, trying to reject a Jewish traveler who asked the reason for his dislike."
The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands
"Later betraying Casanovas escape plans, Schalon was described by his cellmate as the accursed Jew. In the Hague, Casanova likewise mixed societal messages on Jews and Judaism."
Berlin, Germany
"At times, Casanova personally inflicted corporal punishment on Jews, like a Berlin tailor whom he considered insolent, and a Polish Jewish customs official."
Turin, Piedmont, Italy
"Casanovas notorious resolve in carnal matters was matched by a Jewish woman named Lia, daughter of a Turin horse dealer who was deemed as greedy as most Jews are."

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