Letter Signed, by Rabbi Hirsch of Mergentheim.

(GERMANY).

21st June

Mergentheim

1754

Addressed to the lawyer Dr. Manz and the syndicus of the abbey of Schönthal regarding a financial transaction of the Jew Loew and his wife Sara in Mergentheim.

Jews were recorded in Mergentheim as early as 1292. In 1495 the Teutonic Order assumed responsibility for the small Jewish community, which only began to develop during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) when a new charter permitted Jews to trade in farm produce while imposing residence restrictions and continuing the ban on moneylending. Mergentheim became the headquarters of the Teutonic Order and served as the center of the order's southern German territories. In the 18th century some Jews of Mergentheim gained great importance for the Teutonic Order as bankers and merchants. In 1799 the city had 90 Jewish inhabitants (about 20 families); the highest number was reached around 1895 with 280 persons.