The canton of Aargau is especially significant for the history of Jewish people in Switzerland. The communities of Endingen and Lengnau in Surbtal were the centre of Jewish life in the country for more than two hundred years. Jewish families had come to Surbtal after a decision by the Diet in the early 17th century restricted them to settling permanently only in Endingen and Lengnau. At times, a considerable proportion of the inhabitants of both places were Jewish, which is why they were also referred to as ‘Jewish villages’ at the time. This only changed in 1874, when the total revision of the Swiss Federal Constitution enshrined freedom of settlement and freedom of belief and conscience for all religious communities.
Today, the memory of this unique history, which is kept alive in many different ways, is part of the intangible cultural heritage of the canton of Aargau. The novel ‘Melnitz’ by Swiss author Charles Lewinsky, published in 2006, takes readers to the most important places in local Jewish history. Since 2009, the history of the Jews in the Surb has been retold on the ‘Jewish Culture Trail Endingen-Lengnau’. Various offers enable interested parties to visit synagogues and other historically interesting sites in Endingen and Lengnau that are important for Jewish culture. Work is currently underway on the ‘Doppeltür’ (Double Door) project to implement a comprehensive educational programme. And the two Jewish communities in Endingen and Baden remain active. In these communities, as well as in private circles, Jews in Switzerland practise a variety of traditions according to their personal and communal beliefs.
