Official contract for granting residential area to the Jews of Alt-Ofen (Hungary). 1771.
An official contract granting the Jews a residential area in the city of Alt-Ofen - one of the three cities forming historic Budapest (today Óbuda), written by a scribe, ink on paper. 18th century. German.
In ancient times Jews were prohibited from settling in the entire area called Alt-Ofen (Óbuda in Hungarian). In 1712, Duchess Zichy invited the Jews to settle there, subject to a charter of protection, religious freedom, settlement and trade conditions. For this purpose, in the early decades of the 18th century, official contracts were issued by the duchess to regulate the new status of the Jewish settlers. Before us is a rare official document that sets various employment restrictions when dealing with the Christian community in the city, and the rights of the Jews of Alt-Ofen.
The arrangements with the first Jewish settlers led to a wave of immigration to Alt-Ofen, and in 1737 a synagogue was established there, and soon it was the largest Jewish community in Hungary! The community's rabbi was Rabbi Moses Mintz (died 1831), who established there a rabbinical court and one of the most magnificent yeshivas in European Jewish communities. During the 19th and 20th centuries the community grew, and eventually was destroyed in the Holocaust of Hungarian Jewry along with the other communities of Budapest.
[2] pages 38 cm. Written by a scribe, rosette paper seal, and hand signature of government representative. Stains. Good condition.
