The plague came to Europe in 1347 , but did not reach Basel until June 1349 . The guilds , asserting that the Jews were responsible — several had been tortured and confessed — demanded they be executed , which the Council did in January 1349 , except for a few who escaped to Alsace . During the Basel massacre , 600 Jews were murdered . They were shackled inside a wooden barn on an island in the Rhine , which was set afire . The few survivors - young orphans - were forcibly converted to Christianity . The council then forbade Jews in Basel for 200 years , except that their money was helpful in rebuilding after the Basel earthquake of 1356 which destroyed much of the city along with a number of castles in the vicinity . The city offered courts to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles , in exchange for the nobles ' military protection of the city
Basel earthquake of 1356
1356 Basel earthquake
Basel