Collection of 18 paper items, including handwritten contracts, documents and envelopes, related to the sale and inheritance of seats in the Ashkenazi synagogue in Amsterdam. Amsterdam, 1688-1808.
The collection includes:
• Nine documents written from 1688-1733, regarding the transfer of ownership of seats in the synagogue through sale or inheritance. Two specific seats recur in eight of these documents, and one can follow the succession of owners over the course of a half a century. The documents are signed by the owners of the seat - the sellers and buyers, as well as by the leaders and trustees of the Ashkenazi community in Amsterdam.
• Three documents recording the ownership of seats in the synagogue, dated 1779, 1783 and 1784. The first is a printed document completed by hand.
• Six envelopes of ownership documents of seats in the Amsterdam synagogue (without the documents), from ca. 1801-1808. The envelopes are inscribed with the names of the owners and various details.
The Ashkenazi community in Amsterdam was founded in the 17th century. The first Ashkenazi Jews to settle in Amsterdam were mostly refugees from the 30 Years' War (1618-1648), mostly escaping from the Rhine area. In 1648, after the Khmelnytsky Uprising, many Jewish refugees from Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine arrived and established their own community.
18 items. Size varies. Overall good-fair condition. Stains, wear and tears. Folding marks. Some documents with cuts, to render them invalid.