The beginnings of Jewish life on the Lauter river

At the beginning of the Jewish-Christian history of Buttenhausen is a legal document by the German baron Philipp Friederich von Liebenstein of 7 July 1787: the "Judenschutzbrief" (letter guaranteeing protection of the Jews). For reasons of religion, legal status and methods of trade, the Jews had a special position throughout the western world. As a minority group they required the government's protection and were nonetheless frequently pursued. After a wave of pogroms (Russian, meaning "devastations") in the late Middle Ages, many cities and larger territories prohibited Jews from taking up residence. This was also the case in the dukedom of Wuerttemberg, where Count Eberhard im Bart (1445-1496) established an anti-Semitic system of politics, which remained in effect well into the 19th century.

In some cases Jewish families were permitted to settle in smaller, "reichsunmittelbar" regions (self-governing rules under the Kaiser), of which there was a large number in south-west Germany prior to 1805. Economic considerations were the core of many of these decisions, however the influence of the Enlightenment and its appeal for religious tolerance became noticeable in the 18th century.

The settlement of the Jews was made possible by the fact that they were protected by the government. In addition, a document, the "Judenschutzbrief" (letter guaranteeing protection of Jews), was issued. A similar document had already been enacted by Philipp Friederich von Liebenstein in his position in Jebenhausen in 1777. The clearly positive experiences encouraged additional Jews to settle in Buttenhausen, a town which had recently been included in his region: In a decree to his subjects in May 1787 he emphasized these positive experiences in Jebenhausen. Prohibiting Jews from purchasing Christian land created an obviously wide-spread fear that "wherever Jews live, Christians are impoverished".

The "Judenschutzbrief" (letter guaranteeing protection of Jews)

In 21 articles the "Judenschutzbrief", which no longer exists in its original form, but has been preserved by way of two contemporary copies, regulates life in the Jewish community down to the finest detail. Here it is documented that 25 Jewish families have the right to live in Buttenhausen. Families provided the so-called "Judenschutz" (protection of the Jews), which amounted to twelve guilders a year for every adult Jew. The Jews had the right of self-administration and were free to practise their own religion. They were also given permission to conduct all authorized "Commercia" (trade). Because Jews were prohibited from purchasing "Christian" houses and land, the Jewish settlement was restricted to terrain belonging to Buttenhausen's nobility for the time being. As a result of this, a Jewish settlement separated from the old village by the Lauter developed on today's Muehlsteige.

The beginning of Jewish life

The first "Seelentabellen" (recorded lists of citizens) from 1788 provide information about the beginnings of this Jewish settlement. In this year there were only three families with a total of 14 persons living in Buttenhausen. The first settlers were housed in an oil mill by the Lauter river. In later years Jewish houses were built above the right bank of the Lauter, where the synagogue was also built in 1795. Other Jewish buildings also originate from this period. A ritual bath ("Mikwe") also received its place by the Lauter. This was renovated in 1804 and 1805, as it had already become too small for the Jewish community, which was expanding quickly. A Jewish inn, "Zum Koenig David", was also built by the Lauter river.