Unbounded Jews

In eighteenth-century Denmark, a world filled with adventurers, merchants, and diplomats emerged, breaking national boundaries. When King Frederik V invested economically and militarily in trade with isolated Morocco, Denmark became the first European country to sign a trade and peace treaty with the sultan, who dreamed of wealth and commerce with European powers.

Unbounded Jews tells this story through two Jewish families, Sumbel and Buzaglo, who originated from Morocco but settled in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Altona. They managed not only to overcome borders but also ghetto walls, prejudices, and laws targeting Jews.

Based on previously unknown Danish and international sources, the author recreates the lives, motives, and achievements of these traveling Jews. At the same time, he describes the significant changes and upheavals in eighteenth-century Jewish and Christian societies, where religious authorities were challenged, and a new Enlightenment movement emerged.