Geneva - A Jewish "thematic road" was inaugurated between two historic villages in northern Switzerland Thursday. The two villages, Endingen and Lengnau in the canton of Aargau, near the German border, were for many years until the mid-19th century the only places in Switzerland where Jews were allowed to live.
A Jewish cemetery is located between the villages, the Swiss ATS news service reported.
The themed road tries to tell the story of the Jews from the area, as well as their relationships with their neighbours. Among other things, houses in the area had two doors, one for Jews and one for Christians, researchers have discovered.
In 1874, constitutional changes in the Alpine confederation banned discrimination against people based on their religion, though some cantons had done so earlier.
Ruth Dreifuss, a prominent face of Swiss Jewish life and a former member of government, was present at the ceremony, which took place on the second day of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities' assembly.
There are believed to be slightly less than 20,000 Jews in Switzerland, mostly in the largest cities.
