Jews in Syrmia during the 19th Century first half. A forming of the community

Abstract

During the nineteenth century, the struggle of Jews for equality and civil liberties continued. During the 18th century, except in Zemun and Petrovaradin, Jews appeared in Syrmia (Srem) only sporadically as temporary merchants. The Patent of Tolerance of Emperor Joseph II from 1782 is the first in a series of legal measures that extended civil rights to Jews. All these measures, although they did not allow permanent settlement of Jews in Syrmia, in many ways enabled their trade and temporary residence. It was precisely this trade and the benefits that the government derived from them that would play a key role in more permanent settlement. It was not until the 1840s that Jews were allowed to acquire real estate in the civilian part of Syrmia, and three decades later in the territory of the former Military Border. Jewish families who immigrated to Syrmia during the first half of the 19th century formed the basis of a community that would only flourish from the end of the 19th and during the first decades of the 20th century. The Hungarian National Archives preserve censuses of Jews in Syrmia during the first half of the 19th century. These censuses are of immense importance for the history of the Jewish community, both for studying their economic strength and role in society, and for studying their origins, migration waves, and family genealogies.