#59Vor wie vielen Jahren gab es erstmals eine jüdische Gemeinde auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Deutschlands?
How many years ago was there a Jewish community for the first time on the territory of present-day Germany?
Quick Controls
The correct answer is:
about 1700 years ago
vor etwa 1700 Jahren
Independent study resource, not a BAMF website. Translations are study aids; the exam is in German.
Quick explanation
The first Jewish community on the territory of today’s Germany is about 1,700 years old.
Why is this correct?
A decree by the Roman emperor Constantine from the year 321 mentions Jews in Cologne.
Background
In 321, the Roman emperor Constantine issued a law allowing Jews in Cologne to be appointed to the city council. This is the oldest written evidence of Jewish life north of the Alps. That is why in 2021 the festival year “1700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany” was celebrated throughout the country. Jewish life has thus been part of the history of this country for almost two millennia – despite persecution in the Middle Ages and the genocide under National Socialism.
Why are the other answers wrong?
300, 700 and 1,150 years are too short. In the Middle Ages, for example, there were already important Jewish communities in Speyer, Worms and Mainz – but the first traces are much older and date back to Roman times.
Memory tip
321 AD, Cologne, Emperor Constantine → about 1,700 years.
Leben in Deutschland © 2026