The Jewish Presence in Soufflenheim
THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN SOUFFLENHEIM By Robert Wideen : 2018 Soufflenheim Genealogy Research and History www.soufflenheimgenealogy.com Jews are first mentioned in Alsace in the 12th century. There were 522 families in 1689 and 3,910 families in 1784, including four families totaling 19 people in Soufflenheim. By 1790, the Jewish population in Alsace had grown to approximately 22,500, about 3% of the population. They maintained their own customs, spoke Yiddish, and followed Talmudic laws enforced by their Rabbis. There was a Jewish presence in Soufflenheim since the 15th century, and probably earlier. By the late 1700’s there was a Jewish street in the village, a Jewish lane on the outskirts, a district known as Juden Weeg, and a Jewish path in the Judenweg area of the Haguenau Forest leading to the Jewish Forest Road. Their influence on the local dialect is documented in Yiddish in the Speech of Soufflenheim. Jewish Communities of Alsace, Including those of the Middle Ages. Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971) CONTENTS The Jewish Presence in Soufflenheim .......................................................................................................... 1 Soufflenheim Jews ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Their History .................................................................................................................................................. 5 The Earliest Jews .....................................................................................................................................
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