TADELLOS
SEHR FRISCHER SCHÖNER BRIEF
C2 TYPE 9 LU MIT SELTENER RETOUSCHE DES DRUCKBILDES (siehe Eichele Attest)
AUS DER JÜDISCHEN ZWANGSGEMEINDE LENGNAU AARGAU
VF CONDITION ON SMALL FRESH COVER FROM LENGNAU AARGAU = A VILLAGE WITH A VERY INTERESTING JEWISH HISTORY:
In accordance with the 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 living in only Endingen and Lengnau. This immigration 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. The Jewish and Christian families are often under one roof.[4]
Beginning in 1603, the deceased Jews of the Surbtal communities were buried on a small Rhein river island, the so-called Judenäule ("Jew's island") which was leased by the Jewish community. As the island was repeatedly flooded and devastated, in 1750 the Surbtal Jewsasked the Tagsatzung to establish a cemetery in the vicinity of their communities in the Surb valley.[5][6]
The Jewish population was fairly well tolerated (except for the Zwetschgenkrieg or "plum war" riots in 1802), self-managed and maintained its own school.[7]
However, the Jewish resident were only allowed to enter a few professions, such as trade. Houses were built with two separate entrances, one for Jews and one for Christians.[4] They were under the high and low courts of the Baden bailiff and had to buy "protection and safety" letters from the authorities.[7] It wasn't until 1876 that Jews were granted full equality in civil rights and allowed to travel. By 1920, most Jews had left the community. The members of the Jewish citizen's corporation were not included in the local citizen's corporation of Lengnau, but by a decree in 1879 they were formed into the local citizen's corporation of Neu-Lengnau. This was merged in 1983 with the local citizen's corporation of Lengnau and all common property was transferred into the merged citizen's corporation. In 1903 the Swiss Israelite retirement home of Lengnau opened.
PLUM WAR: In 1798, the
French under
Napoleon I invaded Switzerland and set up the
Helvetic Republic. The Republic attempted to modernize and centralize the Swiss Confederation. As part of this new, liberal state, Swiss reformers attempted to enforce the emancipation of the Jews in the new central Swiss Parliament in
Aarau. When that failed, they attempted to get the French to force this change on the new Swiss government. The changes of the Republic were not embraced by many of the Swiss and the issue of emancipation for the Jews became another contentious issue between the old order and the new government. Finally in 1802 the population revolted and turned against the Jews. The mob looted the Jewish villages of
Endingen and Lengnau. At the same time other revolts, such as the
Stecklikrieg, stretched the French Army too far. Napoleon lacked the troops to bring peace to Switzerland, and also he needed the Swiss regiments for his campaigns. Seeking a peaceful resolution to the uprising, in 1803 he issued the
Act of Mediation. The Act of Mediation was a compromise between the
Ancien Regime and a Republic. One of the compromises in the Act was that no further rights were granted to the Jews.
