Jan. 13, 1617

Jew Ordinance, issued by Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, King of Germany, for the City of Frankfurt [Present-day Germany]: “At night, on Sundays, and on Christian holy days, Jews shall remain in the Jew-Alley [‘Judengasse,’ a street designated to be the Jewish quarter], and they shall not be found within the city; to that end, the great gates at the beginning and end of the Jew-Alley shall be locked; and the Jews shall neither buy nor sell anything on Sundays and holidays. The Jews shall not be allowed to operate, without special dispensation, any market stalls or retail stores within the city, although they may sell merchandise while walking the city streets, carrying their wares. If a foreign Jew or Jewess should marry the son or daughter of a Frankfurt Jew, and is subsequently granted residence in the city, the fee for this grant is now increased from twelve guilders to twenty-five guilders in gold. Moreover, in the future, the number of Jewish households shall not exceed five hundred. Moreover, among the Jews born in the city, no more than twelve couples shall be allowed to marry in any given year.”
Herzig, Arno. Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland [Jewish Life in Germany]. Center for Political Education: Bonn, 2010. Page 26. Researched by Dominik Jacobs 7/30/2020