History of the Jews in Leipzig

Leipzig, a city in the German state of Saxony, has historically been a center for Jews. Jewish communities in Leipzig existed as early as the 13th century. Discrimination against the Jews of Leipzig was recorded as early as 1349 and perpetuated under Nazi influence. Despite mass Jewish deportations and emigration forced by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s, Leipzig's Jewish community began to grow again in 1945 and continues to grow today.
The first documentation of the existence of a Jewish community within Leipzig came from a collection of responsa between 1250 and 1285 that was compiled by Rabbi Yitshak ben Moshe of Vienna, the famous Isaac Or Zarua or Riaz. In one particular responsum, Rabbi Yitshak acts as an arbitrator in a dispute between his son-in-law from Leipzig and a Jew from another town. The documentation of his answer to the dispute indicated that the Jews of Leipzig already had a synagogue at this time, and their main source of income appeared to come from finance. Jews in Leipzig were generally respected at this time, largely due to their success in commercial trade. In 1248, Duke Heinrich the Enlightened published a document thanking Leipzig's Jews for their contributions to the commercial development of Leipzig. Leipzig's central location attracted Jewish traders from all over Europe to the Leipzig Trade Fair, an important fair that cultivated foreign relations among European nations and served as a meeting place for politicians. The Trade Fair regulations of 1268 reflected this as well, as Jewish merchants were granted rights equal to the rights enjoyed by Christian merchants, and the market day was changed from Saturday to Friday in respect for the Jewish Sabbath. The relatively relaxed merchant regulations made the Leipzig fairs very popular across Europe.

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