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Written by WUJS Main
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Thursday, 12 October 2006 |
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Things to see in Switzerland Basel
Basel
Stadtcasino- 14 Steinberg. The building where the first Zionist congress was held in 1897.. Zuerich
Bahnhofstrasse (next to the railway station) - This famous pedestrian street offers the best in world-class shopping opportunities and is also home to some of the world's most important banks. Niederdoerfli (old town) -The Niederdoerfli is a narrow street with plenty of nice shops, bars and restaurants. Thank you Avital Gur for being our Zuerich tour guide. Why Jews are in Switzerland Jews settled in Switzerland during the 13th century. In 1213 Basel was one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. In 1348, the Swiss Jewish Community was threatened with extermination when Jews were blamed for spreading the Black Death through the country. In fact, a number of Jews were forced to confess to having caused the plague and were subsequently burnt at the stake. In 1622, all Jews, except for physicians, were expelled from Switzerland. After 1648 some Jews moved and established communities in the Northern Canton of Aargau but full freedom of religion was granted only in 1874. The First Zionist Congress was held in Basel in 1897. Prior to, and during the Second World War, Switzerland gave refuge to about 23 000 Jewish refugees. Today there are about 18 000 Jews in Switzerland, the majority of whom are Ashkenazi. The largest community is in Zurich. Reproduced with Permission from The Jewish Travellers Resource Guide, Jeff Seidel's Jewish Student Information Center. |
