That Henrich Heine regretted his desertion of Judaism and conversion to Christianity is evident from newly discovered original letters written by the poet in the years 1825 and 1826.
In one of his letters Heine, writing of his contemporary, Professor Gans, a Jew who preached Christianity, he says: “If he does this through conviction, I doubt his cleverness; if he does it without conviction, he is a ‘lumpf'”!
In another letter dated January 9, 1826, Heine writes, “I very much regret my conversion. I do not see that my situation has improved in any way-Just the opposite-since then I meet with nothing but misfortune.” Both letters were addressed to Heine’s friend, Moses Mazer.
They were found by Dr. Abraham Schwadron, well-known collector of unique manuscripts. The Heine letters will be sent to the Jewish National Museum in Jerusalem.
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