Apr. 5, 1666

“Jewish House Ordinance, which all arriving Jews are to adhere to and obey” issued by the [City] Council of Riga [Present-day Latvia, Estonia, Sweden; Swedish Livonia/Swedish Empire]: “1. As per old custom, no Jew may enter and seek accommodation in any unloading berth/distribution port (‘Lastadie’) other than the house which he was assigned to so that he can report his merchandise properly, and so that all fraud can be prevented. 2) Jews, like all arriving Russians, shall have their brandy, which they carry in on their sleds or wagons during the summer and winter […] brought nowhere but into that house first [to pay the necessary taxes and levies] and not be allowed to leave the premises without a paper/permit from the inn-keeper which shows that the necessary levies (‘Accisszettuls’) have been submitted. […] 3) When a Jew remains in the city overnight, the inn-keeper is to report this immediately to the acting mayor. […]” [Researcher’s note: A similar ordinance was reissued on November 18, 1724.]
Buchholz, Anton: Geschichte der Juden in Riga bis zur Begründung der Rigischen Hebräergemeinde im J. 1842. Herausgegeben von der Gesellschaft für Geschichte und Altertumskunde der Ostseeprovinzen Russlands. (History of the Jews in Riga until the foundation of the Hebrew community of Riga in the year 1842. Published by the Society for History and Antiquity of the Baltic-See provinces of Russia.); (Riga; 1899); Researched and Translated by Ziba Shadjaani 4/28/2020 ADD PAGE #