By-laws

In August 1852, the authorities confirmed the status of a communal organisation and permitted this community to employ a religious teacher. On April 28th, 1857, St. Pölten’s Jews formally requested the foundation of an Israelite Religious Community (»IKG«). It was to cover the area of the district authorities of St. Pölten, Lilienfeld, Meld and Hietzing-surroundings. The confirmation by the Stadtholder was, however, only given in 1863.

As can be read in the by-laws dating from 1872, the Jewish Community St. Pölten was constituted as an »a-political association with the aim of maintaining and strengthening ritual life with all the required institutions«. All Israelites who requested membership and paid the admission tax of 25 fl. could become members; in addition, a quarterly fee was to be paid.

Only the so-called »Israelite Act« from 1890 generated the possibility to constitute officially acknowledged religious communities. According to this law, the membership to a religious community and thus the payment of religious taxes was obligatory. As a result of the Israelite Act, the years between 1890 and 1898 saw the foundation of new communities as well as the reallocation to already existing ones.  

In accordance with the new regulation, the IKG St. Pölten was comprised of the judicial districts Hainfeld, Herzogenburg, Kirchberg a. d. Pielach, Lilienfeld, Meld, St. Pölten, Neulengbach and Purkersdorf. Before March 1930, more than 800 people were organised as members of the community, therefore this number may have been slightly higher in the first two decades of the 20th century.