In the Duchy of Jülich-Berg, the decrees and ordinances that determined the situation of the Jews changed according to the respective ruler. Since 1514, they were required to wear a yellow ring on their chest as an identification mark. While in 1525, John III punished usury, especially among the Jews, but tolerated their presence, his […]
The „Amsterdam Machsor“
Today, it is known as the “Amsterdam Machzor”: In the mid-thirteenth century, a French scribe created this very special manuscript for the Jewish community in Cologne, which is also one of the oldest Hebrew manuscripts from the Middle Ages in the German-speaking world. A machzor (Hebrew for “cycle”) is a prayer book for the Jewish […]
First Jewish settlement within the city walls of Halle
In 1184, a Jewish settlement within the city walls of Halle is mentioned for the first time in a document regarding a donation by Archbishop Wichmann (before 1116–1192) to the Seeburg monastery of two marks per year, which had to be raised by Halle’s Jews. With this sum, which was high by the standards of […]
The decree of Emperor Constantine
In the early 4th century AD, Cologne, the capital of the Low Germanic province of the Roman Empire, attracted the attention of Rome and the Emperor. The members of the city council of the Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium turned to the Emperor in an administrative matter, who probably took care of this matter immediately. For […]