Documents on Jewish History in Medieval Austria

The still existing source material on the history of the Jews in Austria in the Middle Ages is unique in Europe. The huge number of sources give information on the economic, legal and personal situation of the Jews as well as on the relationship between Christians and Jews. Therefore, it is really regrettable that the medieval sources of the history of the Jews throughout today`s Austria have not been collected so far. For a number of years the Institute for the History of the Jews in Austria has already engaged in preparatory work in order to publish this extensive source material. In the course of the project "Summary and Comments on Documents concerning the History of the Jews in Austria in the Middle Ages" the first volume of this source material, which reaches from the beginnings until 1340, shall now be finished and published and the work on the second volume shall be intensified. According to the selection criteria, which include a reference to Jews and Austria, documents as well as historiography and literary sources are being collected and processed according to scientific criteria; the material contains a number of texts which have not been published at all or treated with regard to the Jewish aspect yet. The publication consists of a chronological series of document summaries; additionally, by means of detailed comments, which are added to the relevant document, as well as an extensive index the source text shall be made accessible to the reader. Parallel to the completion of the first volume systematic research work for the second volume will start. Some of the sources for this volume have already been studied due to overlaps from the preparatory work of the first volume. By means of intensive archival and literature studies an extensive material collection is to be made in the course of this project. On the one hand, this work will make possible a chronological limitation of the second volume and will permit to draw up a detailed plan for further work on the other. This will be the basis for a publication series making accessible for the first time the unique source material on the history of the Jews in Austria in the Middle Ages in a compiled way.