Three Official Contracts concerning Housing Allocation for Jews and Regulating their Status and Fines in Alt-Ofen - one of the three cities that historically make up Budapest (today Óbuda), scribe's writing, ink on paper. 18th century. Germany.
In ancient times, Jewish settlement was forbidden throughout the area now known as Alt-Ofen (Óbuda in Hungarian). In 1712, Duchess Zichy invited Jews to settle there, subject to a protection agreement, religious freedom, settlement terms and trade conditions. To regulate the new status of Jewish settlers, official contracts were issued on behalf of the Duchess in the early decades of the 18th century. Before us is a rare official document outlining various employment restrictions versus the Christian community in the city, and the rights of Jews in Alt-Ofen.
The arrangements for the first Jewish settlers led to an immigration wave to Alt-Ofen. In 1737 a synagogue was established there, and within a short time it became the largest Jewish community in Hungary! The community's rabbi was Rabbi Moses Mintz (d. 1831), who established a rabbinical court and a great yeshiva, one of the most magnificent in European Jewish communities. Over the 19th an the 20th centuries the community grew, ultimately destroyed in the Holocaust of Hungarian Jewry along with the other Budapest communities.
[3] pages. 37x25 cm. Rosette paper seal and wax seal. Stains. Good condition.
