History of the Jews in Switzerland
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The history of the Jews in Switzerland extends back at least a thousand years. Jews and Judaism have been present in the territory of what is now Switzerland since before the emergence of the medieval Old Swiss Confederacy in the 13th century (the first communities settling in Basel in 1214).
Switzerland has Europe's tenth-largest Jewish community, with about 20,000 Jews,[1] roughly 0.4% of the population. The majority of the Jewish communities are domiciled in the largest cities of the country, i.e. in Zürich, Geneva and Basel.
The first
History
Early history
A ring with a
Early Modern period
Jews were banished from the Swiss Cantons in the 1620s. From 1776 they were allowed to reside exclusively in two villages, Lengnau and Oberendingen, in what is now the canton of Aargau. At the close of the 18th century, the 553 Jews in these villages represented almost the entire Jewish population in Switzerland. An important source for the situation of Swiss Jews in the 18th century is the 1768 Sammlung Jüdischer Geschichten by Johann Caspar Ulrich.
Beginning in 1603, the deceased Jews of the
In accordance with a resolution of the Tagsatzung in 1678, Jews were allowed to settle in the communities of the Surb valley. After 1776, they were further restricted to residing in Endingen or Lengnau. Migration of Jews to these villages from elsewhere in Switzerland slowly but steadily changed the appearance of the communities. The village of Endingen never built a Christian church, only a Jewish synagogue. The local Christians traveled to neighboring villages for church services. Jewish and Christian families often lived under one roof.
Jewish residents were restricted as to the professions they could practise. Houses were built with two separate entrances, one for Jews and one for Christians.[9] They were under the jurisdiction of the high and low courts of the Baden bailiff and had to buy "protection and safety" letters patent from the authorities.[10] Furthermore, regulations in the 18th century decreed that Jews were allowed to buy and sell their livestock only in open markets and not directly from the farmer. Christians had no such regulations.[11][12]
Napoleonic era
In 1798, the
In 1802 a portion of the population revolted and turned against the Jews. The mob looted the Jewish villages of Endingen and Lengnau in the so-called Zwetschgenkrieg ("Plum war"). At the same time other revolts, such as the
Modern Switzerland
By the mid-19th century the village of Endingen had about 2,000 inhabitants, about half Jews and half Christians. By comparison, the town of Baden had about 1,500 people at the same time.[9]
The Jewish population was fairly well tolerated, self-managed and maintained its own school. In 1862 the Jewish community of Zürich, the
The right to settle freely was not restored to Jews with the
In 1876, the Jews were granted full equality in civil rights and allowed to travel. By 1920, most Jews had left the Surb Valley. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Jews from Alsace, Germany and Eastern Europe joined this core group. In 1920, the Jewish population had reached its peak at 21,000 people (0.5% of the total population), a figure that has remained almost constant ever since.
In 1999 Ruth Dreifuss became the first Jewish president of the Swiss Federal Council.
Language
Jews living in the
Demographics
According to the 2000 census, the Jewish
Year | Jewish population | % |
---|---|---|
1850 | 3,145 | 0.1 |
1860 | 4,216 | 0.2 |
1870 | 6,996 | 0.3 |
1880 | 7,373 | 0.3 |
1888 | 8,069 | 0.3 |
1900 | 12,264 | 0.4 |
1910 | 18,462 | 0.5 |
1920 | 20,979 | 0.5 |
1930 | 17,973 | 0.4 |
1941 | 19,429 | 0.4 |
1950 | 19,048 | 0.4 |
1960 | 19,984 | 0.4 |
1970 | 20,744 | 0.3 |
1980 | 18,330 | 0.3 |
1990 | 17,577 | 0.2 |
2000 | 17,914 | 0.2 |
2010 | 20,991 | 0.4 |
Places with a Jewish community
- Baden[17]
- Basel (→ Main article: History of the Jews in Basel)
- Bern (→ Main article: History of the Jews in Bern)
- Jüdische Gemeinde Bern[21]
- Biel/Bienne[21]
- Bremgarten
- La Chaux-de-Fonds[22]
- Endingen AG[23]
- Freiburg
- Israelitische Gemeinde Tafers
- Geneva (→ Main article: History of the Jews in Geneva)
- Communauté Israélite de Genève[24]
- Communauté Israélite Libérale de Genève[25]
- Synagogue Sépharade Hekhal Haness
- Kreuzlingen
- Lausanne[26]
- Lengnau AG
- Lugano
- Lucerne[27]
- St. Gallen[28]
- Vevey and Montreux
- Winterthur[29]
- History of the Jews in Zurich)
- Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ)[30]
- Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich (IRGZ)[31]
- Jewish community Agudas Achim Zürich[32]
- Jewish liberal community Or Chadasch Zürich (the first liberal community in German-speaking Europe after 1945)[33]
The communities of Porrentruy, Yverdon, Avenches, Davos and Delemont dissolved due to a lack of members.
Antisemitism in Switzerland
Expulsion and Emancipation
In 1622, most of the Jews except for physicians were expelled from all of Switzerland except for two villages in the canton of Aargau. Those allowed to stay were discriminated against in financial matters (School budgets) and family rights (Marriage). Emancipation managed to make a slight positive change for the Jews in Switzerland. Countries such as Great Britain, France and the U.S pressured Switzerland to grant equal rights to all citizens, which was officially granted by a modification of the constitution in 1874.[34]
The Struggle for Sh'chitah
Despite granting Swiss Jews full legal equality in 1874, ritual slaughter (shchitah kshera) was prohibited. In 1886, organizations against cruelty to animals demanded the government forbid kosher slaughter. In 1893 their campaign was successful and Kosher Shechita was forbidden in Switzerland. This prohibition has not been lifted to the present day.[34] The issue of kosher slaughter has remained politically relevant and Jewish communities have campaigned for a change in the law. In 2002, the Swiss government allowed Jews to import kosher meat, however members of Switzerland's Jewish community were not satisfied.
The Holocaust
Approximately 23,000 Jews found refuge in Switzerland, yet the government decided to stay neutral and to only be a country of transit for Jewish refugees. Jewish refugees were treated differently from refugees of other religions with regards to the financial support they received. The Swiss government persuaded
Help networks did exist, the most notable being the Ładoś Group (also known as the Bern Group), which gained greater public attention in Switzerland following an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Basel. Centred around the Polish embassy in Bern, a network of diplomats and other supporters worked to provide between 7000 and 10,000 endangered Jews with Latin American travel documents and identity papers. Many recipients nevertheless did not survive the Holocaust.[36]
Post-World War II
Switzerland has in general been supportive toward Israel, while maintaining its neutrality in the wider Israel-Palestine conflict. This support was strengthened when in 1969 an Arab terrorist attack was committed against an El Al plane in Zürich and when an act of sabotage was committed against a Swissair plane bound for Israel in 1970. However, like other European countries, anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments have increased since 2000 according to the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism.[34]
In 1998, according to the
A survey from 2014 has exposed that more than one in four Swiss residents are anti-Semitic, making Switzerland's population one of the most anti-Jewish in
In February 2024, Swiss police investigated a ski shop in Davos for banning Jewish customers, but the shop quickly reversed its decision following public backlash. The incident sparked criticism and condemnation from anti-racism groups and the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities.[45] In March 2024, a 50-year-old Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed and critically injured in Zurich. The attack was allegedly carried out by a 15-year-old Swiss national of Tunisian descent who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and called for a “battle against the Jews".[46] Swiss President Viola Amherd expressed shock over the attack and emphasized that "antisemitism has no place in Switzerland".[47]
Cinema and television
- Das Boot ist voll, a 1981 Swiss film
- Grüningers Fall, a 1997 Swiss documentary film
- Akte Grüninger, a 2013 Swiss-Austrian film
- Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey Into the Arms of a Shiksa, a 2018 Swiss film
See also
- History of the Jews in Basel
- History of the Jews in Bern
- History of the Jews in Geneva
- History of the Jews in Zürich
- Surbtaler Juden
- Religion in Switzerland
- Switzerland during the World Wars
- Ruth Dreifuss, first Swiss Federal Councillor of Jewish origin
References
- ^ a b Hein, Avi. "The Virtual Jewish World — Switzerland". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ Augusta Raurica (2005)
- ^ "Auf den Spuren der mittelalterlichen Synagoge von Zürich: Archäologische Untersuchungen im Haus Froschaugasse 4" (in German). Stadt Zürich. 2002-08-08. Archived from the original on 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
- ^ "The Jewish Community of Basel". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "The Jewish Community of Zurich". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Denzel, Ralph (17 September 2018). "Wie 1401 ein Gerücht allen Juden in Schaffhausen das Leben kostete". Schaffhauser Nachrichten. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Andreas Steigmeier (2008-02-04). "Judenäule" (in German). HDS. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ "Jüdischer Friedhof Endingen / Lengau (Kanton Aargau / CH)" (in German). alemannia-judaica.de. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
- ^ a b Endingen municipal website - History (in German) accessed 16 June 2010
- ^ a b Endingen in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ OCLC 1015350203.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Kaufmann, Uri (1988). Jüdische und christliche Viehhändler in der Schweiz 1780–1930. Chronos.
- ^ Swiss Jews website (in German) accessed 16 June 2010
- ^ "Die Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ) und ihre Synagoge in der Löwenstrasse" (in German). alemannia-judaica.de. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ Haller, Ernst. "Die rechtliche Stellung der Juden im Kanton Aargau (1900)". Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office - Ständige Wohnbevölkerung ab 15 Jahren 1) nach Religionszugehörigkeit und Kantonen, 2015 (in German) accessed 20 October 2017
- ^ "Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Baden".
- ^ "Israelitische Gemeinde Basel".
- ^ "Jüdische Organisationen und Gemeinden in Basel".
- ^ "Migwan".
- ^ a b "Jüdische Gemeinde Bern".
- ^ "Communeauté Israélite".
- ^ "Jüdische Gemeinden".
- ^ "Communeauté Israélite de Genève".
- ^ "Communauté Israélite Libérale de Genève".
- ^ "Communauté Israélite de Lausanne".
- ^ "The Jewish Community Lucerne".
- ^ "rel.info".
- ^ "Israelitische Gemeinde Winterthur".
- ^ "Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich".
- ^ "Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich".
- ^ "rel.info".
- ^ "Or Chadasch".
- ^ a b c d e "Switzerland Virtual Jewish History Tour".
- ^ a b c "Real, Imaginary, and Symbolic Roles of Jews in Swiss Society".
- ISBN 978-3907262092.
- OCLC 1030337455.
- ^ Olson, Elizabeth (6 November 1998). "Anti-Semitism Rising in Switzerland, Study Finds". The New York Times.
- ^ "Yearlong Inquiry Discovers Growing Anti-Semitism in Switzerland".
- ^ "Survey claims one in four Swiss 'anti-Semitic' - The Local". Archived from the original on 2014-05-16.
- ^ a b "CFCA - Increase in the number of antisemitic incidents in Switzerland". antisemitism.org.il. Archived from the original on 2014-11-30.
- ^ "Huge increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Switzerland". Archived from the original on 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ^ "Anti-Semitism | OSCE - ODIHR". Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
- ^ "Orthodox Jew wounded in allegedly anti-Semitic attack in Switzerland". Haaretz.
- ^ "Swiss antisemitism shock at Davos shop sign saying no skis for Jews". BBC. 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ "Teen suspect in stabbing of Jewish man in Zurich expressed solidarity with Islamic State group". AP News. 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
- ^ "Swiss president says 'antisemitism has no place' in country after Jewish man stabbed". The Times of Israel.