History of the Jews in Seketan

Seketese Jews

Jeyws secéteça (Seketese) יהודי סאקאטן (Hebrew)
Total population
Seketan 53,775 (as of 2021)
Regions with significant populations
Gjenor	23,442
Bynan	14,235
Wilskland	3,057
Languages
Seketese · Wilsk (in Wilskland) · Hebrew (as a liturgical language, some as mother tongue) · Nelvojish (by some as mother tongue but mostly liturgical) · French (mostly amoungst Ashkenazi Jews) · Yiddish (in some small communities)
Religion
Mostly Judaism and Jewish secularism
Related ethnic groups
Alquiyan Jews, Trjebian Jews, New Svealander Jews

The history of the Jews in Seketan primarily begins in the 10th century, after the expulsion of jews from Alquiya to Seketan. There is evidence of Jews living along the Martinn Coast area, though these were thought to be mostly traders who would only stay temporarily. The King of Seketan, partially on the advice of the church, forbade them from living in the area around Lake Seketan, thus making the oldest Jewish communities in Seketan centred in the farmlands of Bynan. The first synagogue opened in 1044 in Zynybec, and the population remained very small for the next few hundred years. During the 1920s and 30s, many French Jews immigrated to Seketan to flee the rising Nazi Germany, growing the Jewish population to around 30,000 and making Conelibek the new centre of Judaism in Seketan.

Today, Seketese Jews are split into the Nelvojish or Nelbec Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews who immigrated from France and Eastern Europe. Nelvojish are predominantly in Bynan, around the cities of Zynybec, Joghen, and Fevilla, with Zynybec being considered the centre of the community. Ashkenazi Seketese are more prominent in Seketans largest cities, like Conelibek, Fyedor, and Porta.

Demographics

Breakdown of Jewish background in Seketan

  Ashkenazi (60.3%)

  Nelvojish (36.5%)

  Sephardic (2.2%)

  Other (1.4%)

For most of Seketese Jewish history, Nelvojish Jews were the only group allowed to be in Seketan, and where almost entirely confined to the province of Bynan. These communities were concentrated in cities as farmland was not granted to them on the basis of their background, and thus inland towns like Zynybec and Joghen contained some of the first Jewish communities. The population didn't grow much during the next 700 years until the proclamation of the Nelbec Empire and the start of industrialization in Seketan. The new Empire allowed Jews to finally live around Lake Seketan, and many were pushed out of their small communities to make way for Seketese workers in the new factories and started the Nelvojish communities in cities like Fevilla and Loria. Today These two provinces, plus an incredibly small community in Giorgi Alesk, are considered the homeland of the Nelvojish.

In the 1930s, the looming Nazi government in Germany caused many Jews in France and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Europe to move to Seketan. Without any restrictions as to where they could move to in Seketan, most immigrants settled in large cities like Conelibek and Porta. Most of these new immigrants spoke French, contributing to the already ongoing Francophilia in major cities like Conelibek. Today, Ashkenazi Jews in Seketan are most concentrated in Gjenor and Ellinesa.

Province	Total Jewish Pop.	Ashkenazi		Nelvojish		Other
		Pop.	#	Pop.	#	Pop.	#
	Gjenor	23,442	18,067	77.1%	4,764	20.3%	611	2.6%
	Bynan	14,235	1,604	11.3%	12,384	87.0%	247	1.7%
	Ellinesa	8,674	2,043	92.1%	344	4.0%	338	3.9%
	Wilskland	3,054	2,043	66.9%	801	26.2%	210	6.9%
File:Flag of Fjeska.svg	Fjeska	2,218	1,103	49.7%	904	40.8%	211	9.5%
	Nelderjen	2,053	1,375	66.0%	466	22.7%	233	11.3%
	Giorgi-Alesk	99	41	41.4%	57	57.6%	1	1.0%
Total		53,676	32,163	59.9%	19,720	36.7%	1,851	3.4%

Anti-Semetism in Seketan

While historically more tolerant than their Alquiyan neighbours to the south, Seketese governments and people have historically persecuted and disenfranchised Jews living in the country. When Alquiyan Jews were initially expelled in the 11th century, Seketese monarchs forbade them from living within the Lake Seketan region. King Fjedor II stated in 1435 that they would "wickedly corrupt our people". Unlike many other Christian kingdoms at the time, Jews were forbidden from running banks or any other company that could rise them up the social hierarchy.

With the unification of Seketan and Alquiya into the Nelbec Empire in 1884 and the rise of industrialization, a new royal decree allowed Jews to move to Lake Seketan. In practice, however, most found themselves forcibly moved to Fevilla and Loria to make room for new Seketese workers. Jewish tenants were evicted from their homes and therefore had to move to these new cities. In these new towns, many Jewish families started up small shops and banking operations, leading to some rising up the social ladder and gaining rights previously withheld from them due to class and money. Given that the monarchy was now centralized in the more anti-Semetic Alquiya, laws explicitly denying Jewish voting rights, restricting business ownership, and public practicing of religion were instituted in 1902, ending the little progress made.

Societe Conelibek conspiracy

See also: Société Conelibek

Most contemporary historians give partial credit to French Jews immigrating to Seketan for the rise of Francophilia during the 1920s, which led to the establishment of many secret societies and organizations like the Société Conelibek. Over time, the Société gained major power within Conelibek, and therefore Seketese, politics, even for a brief time controlling the city during the Seketese Civil War. This gave rise to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that these new Jewish immigrants created Société Conelibek to control Seketese politics from the background. Société Conelibek used French as its working language and used french symbols like the Fleur-de-lis, which supporters of this theory used as evidence that French Jews controlled it.

Evidence against this conspiracy however is that the Société required members to be of "good Christian morals" until 1957 and that during the height of their informal control of Conelibek municipal politics from 1940-1965, the Société blacklisted many prominent Jewish reformists in their collaboration with the authoritarian Kjedorate Party.