Jan. 1, 1585

Jew-Ordinance, issued by George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt [Present-day Germany]: “First, the Jews shall swear in the presence of Our officers and the local priest, that they will neither blaspheme Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the son of God and the Virgin Mary, nor his godly name, nor Our Christian religion, nor to burden the poor, simple-minded Jews with laws and teachings made up by men. Second, they shall not build any new synagogues, but quietly use the old ones. […] Fourth, while any [Christian] sermons are in progress, whether on workdays or on Sunday and holidays, they shall remain indoors and refrain from working.  […] Ninth, any Jew who rapes a Christian woman or virgin, or sleeps with her, shall be arrested by Our officers, and, with Our knowledge beforehand, suffer the death penalty. […] Twelfth, the Jews pay Us, annually, the appropriate protection tax, to Our local tax collector.”

Günther, Carl Friedrich. Bilder aus der Hessischen Vorzeit (Images from Ancient Hessian History). Jonghans: Darmstadt, 1853. Page 82. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 8/20/2020