Jews in Vyvland
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Religion: ca. 291,000 (1.0% of total) Ethnicity: ca. 537,000 (1.9% of total) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vlud, Lyksdal and their hinterlands; Lorence and the Syfdyr; Mafiy; Stiven | |
| Languages | |
| Vyvlander, Helish | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism, Irreligion |
Vyvlander Jews (Vyvlander: Iyden Vyvluds) are Vyvlanders with Jewish cultural, ancestral or religious connections. They are a people with a long history, with the first recorded Jewish presence in Vyvland in 805 AD. Today, Vyvland has one of the proportionally larger Jewish populations in Esquarium, with around 1% of Vyvlanders practising Judaism and a further 0.9% claiming Jewish ethnicity. Most Jews are concentrated in and around major urban areas, predominantly in the former North Vyvland; over half of all Jewish Vyvlanders live in Vlud or Lyksdal.
Jews have for many years played an important role in Vyvlander society, particularly in politics; four former Prime Ministers have been Jewish (Levi Ringermaan, Mafjas Tupper, Enrig Jeger and, most recently, Abram Zymeker). Other areas where Jewish Vyvlanders have been notably prominent include in business and the arts.
History
The first recorded Jewish presence in Vyvland is in 805 AD, when a group of merchants in Lyborg were described as Jewish in a town record-book. It is likely that Jews had settled in Vyvland prior to this, but due to sporadic written records, this cannot be verified. By the late ninth century, Jews could be encountered in most major ports in Vyvland and in the capital, Pegerms. They had become very widespread by the beginning of the second millenium, benefitting from many Vyvlander kingdoms' tolerance of their habitation and a disorganised and fragmented government structure following the eruption of the Fijral Volcano in 1037.
However, in 1283, Ardmud, Duke of Stanmer officially ousted the Jews from Stanmer - then the largest kingdom - and its fiefdoms. The remaining kingdoms had also been flooded by a wave of antisemitism, and many imposed quotas on Jewish habitation. Following Eylav fi Paavyl's conquering of all Vyvland in 1352, Jews could no longer live on the island; most fled to continental Western Esquarium. This ban was lifted in 1480, although Jews still faced discrimination. However, antisemitism had decreased by the coming of the first elements of democracy in the mid-eighteenth century, and thus many Jewish expellees from abroad fled to Vyvland, primarily to Vlud. The Jewish business community in the city was particularly significant, with companies such as Kohsen & Sohns (now part of Vludbank) and Ampels-Jakovic coming to dominate their fields.
South Vyvland condemned the Jewish faith, although it took few significant steps to eliminate or silence Jews; antisemitism was a low-key but still widespread belief in the country. In contrast, Jews in North Vyvland became very successful in many fields, experiencing little discrimination; two of North Vyvland's twelve Prime Ministers were Jewish, while one (Gunfre Smef-Hoyg) was Jewish only on his father's side. Since reunification, Jews have maintained their integrated status. In addition, antisemitism has decreased, even from its previously low levels, although a dislike of Jews is still not uncommon among older southerners in rural areas.