A very rich man, owner of a big farm and wealth lived in the Town Dresden, Karl Werffer was his name, and one of the devoted Anti-semitic he was. At their annual congregation last year in that town, he took his part as leading of the group and preached to kill and destroy all the Jews, and always he was considered as a strong opponent to the Jewish race: "As a reward to the wolves hunters, as Egyptians worshiped their Gods and the mouse that swallow alligator eggs, and Indians that respects the heron which swallow velenuose snakes that bite for death, so we have to do in any method and manner, to demolish the Jews and to extract them from above this earth".
And not only in the occasion of the meetings he was spreading his hate against Jews, but also inside his own house, he repeated daily his mantra "Jews has to be burned in hell" and in every occasion day after day he was cursing and cursing the Jews till his family was avoiding his discussions totally. Helena, his wife, a clever woman she was, good hearted and polite, but his only daughter Amely , after listening repeatedly to her fathers mantra about this awful race, was afraid to look in Jewish eyes and recalling her father's words, she compared the Jew to a desert wolf or cruel alligator or dangerous snake.And Passover came, and the Weffer family was invited to a big ball done for the occasion of the feast for charity, and Werffer's wife decided to exhibit her only daughter to the gusts for the first time ever. And the young lady quickly discovered a hansom youngster to dance with him and to listen to his poetic phrases that made a big effect on the young lady. And her mother watched her and saw her glorious face reflected in the beauty of the young educated male which was her only daughter's choice among all, and she appear to like him too, admire her daughter's good taste.Young women, when they are for the first time finding themselves among boys, dancing and drinking with the rush of a party, and shadows of the candle lights are dancing with them, any obstacle of shame is falling down and their soul fly from joy up to the sky.Amely too, in her eighteen years of life above the earth, when she saw all the happiness around, she lost her soul for the young man who talk to her with polite words and radiate friendship and goodness.When the atmosphere calm down a bit he approached her mother and his lips spoke words of honey joy, and the woman asked for his name, and he respond: my name is Ignatz Kahan."Ignatz Kahan ! Oh my God, I never heard such a name given to a Christian " .All In a sudden Amely set down stroked by her heart and her face felt down, but her mother smiled to the young man and closed the argument.The second dance began, and the daughter of the devoted anti-Semitic man turned back to the dancing area leaded by the well-dressed Ignatz Kahan.At midnight Amely left together with her mother the house in which she left her peace of mind too " as the spirit of love started to flow in her body, love to the young man who concur her heart and her virgin soul was full of desire for him.From a time to time and Amely visited the house of dance, to meet the young man which became a very known and respectful merchant in Dresden, with the knowledge of her mother who did not prevent her of seeing the young man, knowing her love to him.Days past and the secret sneaked to the ears of Karl Werffer and he knew all what has been done, and his daughter did not deny it, as she loves truly the Jewish man Ignatz Kahan, and she spoke to her father's heart, but is heart was mute:"I will marry the man or the death" she repeated continuously, but her father yelled as a wounded lion "does the devil crossed her heart? Who my only daughter is about to sacrify? The wolf? The alligator? The snake?" "no, my father!" replied the young lady, do not compare any of those animals to a Jew, his lips provide kisses not bites,and his kisses are sweeter of any kind.
As pouring oil on top of a fire were those words to her father's ears, and without the protection of her mother he was about to kill her. Then he directed all the anger toward his wife and shouted loudly "No, I will kill you first " Oh, un loyal wife you are , shame on you, how you permitted such a man to approach our child?" and his wife replied to him "kill me, kill me now or kill yourself, as you provoked yourself to this hatred in your devoted madness , you sacrify your life to hate this people which I happen to know, and good people they are, kind and full of respect," and she continued "You man follow your flame of anger and think no of other cultures, what between you and Jews? What did to you this people? Open your eyes, shout at me as you want! Truth I talk and will not change a word: Jews are so called humans too, but this is their only fault, being born Jews, and they are more clever then you forever be"."Yes father", repeated after her mother Amely,"truth my mother talk, to your soul I speak and say that my heart belongs to Ignatz, my love" "Always you spoke bad of this people, and ears could not bear the words, and any Jew was described as a wild animal, and here it happened and I met Ignatz Kahan, what can I say to you father, he is a good man and dear to my heart, - No father, no snake he is, no scorpion or otherwise". "Cover your mouth with your palm woman" furesly spoke with his very loud voice, "don't you use your tongue anymore, as I put a death built in your corps-and then in myself" "weapon is not with you and fear is not known to me" replied the wife, and then continued: "let's try and he shall may covert his religion for the love of our daughter". "Oh woman, stupid wife, is not thousand times we spoke that not the religion that counts but the nature of the man, is the race that count, if he will thousand times drop holly water over his skin, is that will purify him? Is that will clean him from being belong to that disgraceful race? am I Karl Weffer will give away my only daughter to a Jew? And even he will convert his religion " I will allow flesh of my own flesh to him? "If so" said Amely, "I will not ask Ignatz to convert his religion, I shall become Jewish myself, as one soul we are, one religion shall be for both, and one hope too, you are right my father I shall give myself to this man and his follow his God".The man looked at his daughter with fear, she looked mad in him; but her beautiful eyes expressed wisdom and she seems to him pure and honest and precious, in a sudden all his father's merci feelings woken up in this anti-Semitic devoted man.Days past and the two women claimed victory over the man with his racism believes And a wonder became reality: Karl Weffer, Jews hater, one of the biggest anti-Semitic in Dresden, the one which preached to destroy and demolish any Jewish man woman and child, was forced to stay in a Jewish synagogue and see his daughter standing beside a Jewish young man wearing his ring on her finger entering in a marriage under the law of Moses and Israel!.
Karl Weffer never showed himself in the anti-Semitic congregations any more.But just as they were about to marry, and the man, standing in front of the Rabbi to establish the sum of money to be registered in the "ktuba" , and the man, as a good Christian thought he can avoid it, as he believe that after he is gone his daughter will inherited all his wealth, but Amely turned to her father saying:"father, Jewish I am, and their ways I follow, wrongly you Christians do when you avoid helping your children while you are alive, and by that provoke your children to wish your death, why not sharing with them while alive and get their appreciation? "Do my father as Jews are doing, open your heart and your pocket for me and you will live till 120 years." Strongly talked the young lady and her father adopted her plea and donated as Jews do, the sum of 300,000 Marks for the young couple in their wedding day.
(Translated unprofessionally by Uri Nachimson)