Imperial certificate of elevation to the hereditary peerage for Isaak Löw Hofmann von Hofmannsthal

The Edict of Tolerance guaranteed an extended right of residence to only a few Jews. Most, like Veitl Hecht from Pressburg [Bratislava], had to leave Vienna again within a few days. His residence permit was for fourteen days only. By contrast, prosperous Jews like the Arnsteins, Eskeles, Hönigsbergs, Lämels, Rothschilds, and Wertheimsteins could become ennobled. Among the ennobled Jews in 1835 was Isaak Löw Hofmann von Hofmannsthal, who grew up in impoverished circumstances in Bohemia. He not only became a successful silk merchant but also stood up for the Jewish community and helped build the City Temple. Like many of the descendants of ennobled Jewish families, his greatgrandson Hugo von Hofmannsthal was already Catholic.