Official Contract Regulating the Economic Status of the Jews of Alt Ofen (Hungary). 18th Century

Official Contract Regulating the Economic Status of the Jews of Alt Ofen (Hungary). 18th Century

Contract - A Legal Manuscript Concerning Inheritance Matters, Trade Agreements, and Religious Affairs Pertaining to the Jewish Community of Alt-Ofen (Hungary), December 20, 1798. The document is beautifully handwritten, with a wax seal attached by a thread binding the document (to prevent the addition of pages after it was signed). Written in German.

This document addresses the economic arrangements concerning the Jews of Alt-Ofen. It includes regulations regarding "Religions Zeremonien" (religious ceremonies), which outline what is permitted and forbidden for Jews under the new arrangements. The document serves as a comprehensive summary of contracts and regulations signed in the three months preceding the signing. The term "Provisorat Cassa" appears multiple times in the document, referring to financial benefits for the Jewish community.

In ancient times, the settlement of Jews was prohibited in the entire area known as Alt-Ofen (Óbuda in Hungarian). In 1712, Duchess Zichi invited the Jews to settle there, subject to an agreement of patronage, freedom of religion, settlement and trade conditions. To this end, in the first decades of the 18th century, official contracts were issued on behalf of the duchess to regulate the new status of the Jewish settlers. 

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 in a short time it had the largest Jewish community in Hungary! The rabbi of the community was Rabbi Moshe Mintz (died in 1831), who established a Beit Din Tzedek and a large yeshiva on the site, one of the grandest in European Jewish communities. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the community grew, and was finally destroyed in the holocaust of Hungarian Jews along with other Budapest communities. 

[12] pages. 36 cm. Good - very good condition.