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13th century
The first documentation of the existence of a Jewish community within Leipzig came from a collection of responsa between 1250 and 1285 that was compiled by Rabbi Yitshak ben Moshe of Vienna. In one particular responsum, Rabbi Yitshak acts as an arbitrator in a dispute between his son-in-law from Leipzig and a Jew from another town. The documentation of his answer to the dispute indicated that the Jews of Leipzig already had a synagogue at this time, and their main source of income appeared to come from finance. Jews in Leipzig at this time were generally respected at this time, largely due to their success in commercial trade. In 1248, Duke Heinrich the Enlightened published a document thanking Leipzig's Jews for their contributions to the commercial development of Leipzig. The Leipzig fair regulations of 1268 reflected this as well, as Jewish merchants were granted right equal to the rights enjoyed by Christian merchants, and the market day was changed from Saturday to Friday in respect for the Jewish Sabbath. The relatively relaxed merchant regulations made the Leipzig fairs very popular across Europe.

14th century
As far back as 1349, the Jews of Leipzig began to face discrimination. In February 1349, Margrave Frederick “the Earnest” exterminated Leipzig’s entire Jewish population by burning. Their residences and other belongings were confiscated. After the mass expulsions in the aftermath of the Black Death (1348-1349), eventually Jews were permitted to return to Leipzig. For a short while, Jews experienced many rights and privileges they had before 1349. By 1352, a synagogue had been established in Leipzig. In 1359, records mention a Judengasse (Jewish Street) and a Judenburg (Jewish Town). Jews were relatively safe in Leipzig at this time, and they did have some protections, but anti-Jewish regulations grew in prevalence and severity over time.

15th century
By the beginning of the 15th century, Jews were faced with harsh regulations aimed to discriminate against their culture. Starting with a ban on public prayers within synagogues, the regulations reached a radical peak in 1430, when the Jews of Leipzig were expelled from Saxony, and their property was also confiscated. The Jews were still valued as merchants, however, as they continued to be admitted to Leipzig for the fair, but with many restrictions. They were not allowed to stay in Leipzig any time outside of fair days, every Jew who came to the Leipzig fair was required to pay protection many and present documentation issued by authorities, and they were forbidden from selling on the main streets or during Sundays and Christian holidays.

16th, 17th, & 18th century
As Jews were, for the most part, only allowed short stays in the city between the 16th and 18th century, a permanent Jewish community was non-existent. The Jewish presence in Leipzig was mainly comprised of traders and merchants that remained only for the duration of Leipzig's Trade Fair. Between 1668 and 1764, 82,000 Jews attended these fairs, and played a major role in the development of Leipzig as a center for trade.

In 1713, Gerd Levi of Hamburg, a mintmaster and purveyor, was the first Jew to be granted citizenship in Leipzig since the event of February 1349. This was the first of what is considered the "privileged" Jewish households that were allowed residence in Leipzig. By the middle of the 18th century, the number of permanent Jewish settlements grew to seven, and by the end of the century there were roughly 50 Jewish merchants living in Leipzig.

19th century
The beginning of the 19th century marked a revival of the Leipzig Jewish community. Starting in 1810, Polish Jews who came to Leipzig to trade were allowed to stay. From there, the Jewish community expanded. Jews were once again allowed to hold public prayer services, and in 1815 the municipal council agreed to open Leipzig's first Jewish cemetery. On May 18, 1837 Leipzig’s growing Jewish community received permission to form a religious community, though their permission to build a synagogue was not granted. On August 16, 1838 they were granted civil rights, with the exception of municipal and political rights. However, it was nearly impossible for Ostenjuden, foreign Jews, to obtain Saxon citizenship. In order to do so, Ostenjuden had to be born in Leipzig and 21 years of age, or a resident of Saxony for at least thirty years. The Jewish community as an officially state-recognized organisation was established only in 1847 and only by then were Jews allowed to settle in Leipzig without any restrictions. Reform movements of the mid-19th century eventually led to the opening of a synagogue in 1855, nearly two decades after Rabbi Zechariah Frankel attempted to found a Synagogue in Leipzig in 1837 and was rejected.

Early 20th century
One Rabbi in particular that was especially prominent in liberal Jewish activism within Germany, Rabbi Dr. Felix Goldmann, assumed the role of Chief Rabbi in 1917. Rabbi Goldmann helped found the Jewish Agency for Palestine and Keren Hayesod, and he was also praised for his scientific work and works discussing Antisemitism. The Jewish community continued to grow steadily during this time. By the beginning of the 20th century there were approximately 6,000 Jewish inhabitants in Leipzig. In 1910, that number grew to 9,728, and by 1925 Leipzig officially held the largest Jewish community in Saxony with 13,047 Jews.