Located between Germany, Italy, and France. It had some Jewish inhabitants during the Middle Ages. At the time of the Black Death, Jews were viciously massacred, and 1622 the Swiss Diet expelled all Jews. There was a gradual return, beginning in the late 17th century. The federal constitution of 1874 finally abolished Jewish disabilities.

During World War II, Switzerland gave shelter to a limited number of refugees, some of whom have remained. In 2006 there were about 15,000 Jews in Switzerland of whom about 6,800 were in Zurich, 4,400 in Geneva and 2600 in Basle, with the rest scattered in other communities.