booknetsaWebster-secretSocietiesAndSubversiveMovements

Podolia, known as Ba'al Shem Tob, or by the initial letters of this name, Besht, who founded his sect of
Hasidim in 1740.
Besht, whilst opposing bigoted Rabbinism and claiming the Zohar as his inspiration, did not, however,
adhere strictly to the doctrine of the Cabala that the universe was an emanation of God, but evolved a form
of Pantheism, declaring that the whole universe was God, that even evil exists in God since evil is not bad in
itself but only in its relation to Man; sin therefore has no positive existence.[16] As a result the followers
of Besht, calling themselves the " New Saints," and at his death numbering no less than 40,000, threw aside
not only the precepts of the Talmud, but all the restraints of morality and even decency.[17]
Another Ba'al Shem of the same period was Heilprin, alias Joel Ben Uri of Satanov, who, like Israel of
Podolia, professed to perform miracles by the use of the Divine Name and collected around him many pupils,
who, on the death of their master, " formed a band of charlatans and shamelessly exploited the credulity
of their contemporaries."[18]
But the most important of these Cabalistic groups was that of the Frankists, who were sometimes known
as the Zoharists or the Illuminated,[19] from their adherence to the Zohar or book of Light, or in their birthplace
Podolia as the Shabbethan Zebists, from their allegiance to the false Messiah of the preceding centurya
heresy that had been " kept alive in secret circles which had something akin to a masonic
organization."[20] The founder of this sect was Jacob Frank, a brandy distiller profoundly versed in the
doctrines of the Cabala, who in 1755 collected around him a large following in Podolia and lived in a style
of oriental magnificence, maintained by vast wealth of which no one ever discovered the source. The persecution
to which he was subjected by the Rabbis led the Catholic clergy to champion his cause, whereupon
Frank threw himself on the mercy of the Bishop of Kaminick, and publicly burnt the Talmud, declaring that
he recognized only the Zohar, which, he alleged, admitted the doctrine of the Trinity. Thus the Zoharists "
claimed that they regarded the Messiah-Deliverer as one of the three divinities, but failed to state that by the
Messiah they meant Shabbethai Zebi."[21] The Bishop was apparently deceived by this manoeuvre, and in
1759 the Zoharites declared themselves converted to Christianity, and were baptized, including Frank himself,
who took the name of Joseph. " The insincerity of the Frankists soon became apparent, however, for
they continued to inter-marry only among themselves and held Frank in reverence, calling him 'The Holy
Master.' "[22] It soon became evident that, whilst openly embracing the Catholic faith, they had in reality
retained their secret Judaism.[23] Moreover, it was discovered that Frank endeavoured to pass as a Mohammedan
in Turkey; " he was therefore arrested in Warsaw and delivered to the Church tribunal on the
charge of feigned conversion to Christianity and the spreading of a pernicious heresy."[24] Unlike his predecessor
in apostasy, Shabbethai Zebi, Frank, however, came to no untimely end, but after his release from
prison continued to prey on the credulity of Christians and frequently travelled to Vienna with his daughter,
Eve, who succeeded in duping the pious Maria Theresa. But here also " the sectarian plans of Frank were
found out,"[25] and he was obliged to leave Austria. Finally he settled at Offenbach and supported by liberal
subsidies from the other Jews, he resumed his former splendour[26] with a retinue of several hundred
beautiful Jewish youth of both sexes; carts containing treasure were reported to be perpetually brought in to
him, chiefly from Poland-he went out daily in great state to perform his devotions in the open field-he rode
in a chariot drawn by noble horses; ten or twelve Hulans in red or green uniform, glittering with gold, by his
side, with pikes in their hands and crests on their caps, eagles, or stags, or the sun and moon.... His followers
believed him immortal, but in 1791 he died; his burial was as splendid as his mode of living-800 persons
followed him to the grave.[27]
Now, it is impossible to study the careers of these magicians in Poland and Germany without being reminded
of their counterparts in France. The family likeness between the " Baron von Offenbach," the "
Comte de Saint-Germain " and the " Comte de Cagliostro " is at once apparent. All claimed to perform miracles,
all lived with extraordinary magnificence on wealth derived from an unknown source, one was certainly
a Jew, the other two were believed to be Jews, and all were known to be Cabalists. Moreover, all
three spent many years in Germany, and it was whilst Frank was living as Baron von Offenbach close to
Frankfurt that Cagliostro was received into the Order of the Stricte Observance in a subterranean chamber a
few miles from that city. Earlier in his career he was known to have visited Poland, whence Frank derived.
Are we to believe that all these men, so strangely alike in their careers, living at the same time and in the
same places, were totally unconnected? It is a mere coincidence that this group of Jewish Cabalist miracleworkers
should have existed in Germany and Poland at the precise moment that the Cabalist magicians
sprang up in France? Is it again a coincidence that Martines Pasqually founded his " Kabbalistic sect " of Illumines
in 1754 and Jacob Frank his sect of Zoharites (or Illuminated) in 1755?
Moreover, when we know from purely Jewish sources that the Ba'al Shem Heilprin had many pupils "
Nesta H. Webster — Secret Societies and Subversive Movements — Part I
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