Israelitischer Friedhof Unterer Friesenberg

Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (ICZ)

ICZ building and library in Zürich-Enge
Total population
about 2,500
Regions with significant populations
City of Zürich
Religions
Judaism
Languages
Swiss German, Yiddish, Hebrew
Official website (German)

Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich (literally: Israelite Cultus Community Zürich), commonly shortened to ICZ, is a Jewish community organized as an unified parish in the Swiss city of Zürich. Consisting of about 2,500 members, ICZ is the largest Jewish community in Switzerland. The community provides the Synagoge Löwenstrasse in Zürich-City, a community center and the largest Jewish library at its seat in Zürich-Enge, and two cemeteries (Unterer and Oberer Friesenberg).

A Jewish community in Zürich was first mentioned in 1273, but during the 1349 pogrom the Jewish citizens were banned from Zürich, and the synagogue was repealed. On 25 February 1352 Jewish citizens were allowed to live again within the medieval town walls. In 1363 the so-called "Judenschuol", a medieval term in Zürich for the Synagogue situated at the Neumarkt (Zürich) was mentioned. On 2 November 1383 the Jewish citizens of Zürich were allowed by Heinrich, Bishop of Konstanz, on request of the city council of Zürich to renew the Synagogue and the cemetery, under the reserve that exclusively Jews may be buried who resided (namely Burgrecht) in Zürich. At the location of the former synagogue, a plaque was mounted towards Synagogengasse and Grimmenturm.

The surviving Jewish citizens of the 1349 pogrom, were expelled indefinitely from the city in 1423. Thereafter, the property probably was used from 1455 as an accommodation building, and the Jewish citizens were forbidden to live in the city and in the canton Zürich to 1850, even in the whole area of the today's Switzerland; excluded the two communities in Endingen and Lengnau in the Surb Valley. Among others, Jewish citizens from Endingen and Lengnau, 80 Jewish women, children and men in all, were allowed by the authorities to settle in the whole territory of the Canton of Zurich in 1850, and in 1862 only 175 people, including 100 in the Zürich district. After the repeal of the majoritiy legal restrictions on Jewish citizens, on 29 March 1862 the Israelitische Kultusverein (literal: Israelite Cultus Society) was founded by 12 members. In 1880 its name was changed in the present Israelitische Cultusgemeinde Zürich. As early as in August 1877, the community tried to be accepted as a religious community in the canton of Zürich – the request was denied as "otherwise, other sects might apply for a state contribution." Not as before 2007, the ICZ community got the cantonal acceptance by introducing the accordingly cantonal law on 1 January 2008. As of today, the unified Jewish community of Zürich is the largest Jewish community in Switzerland. Sigi Feigel, Mordechai Piron and Daniel Jositsch are among of the most prominent members of the community.