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Jewish Life in the Middle Ages

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This is a tour of Jewish life in the Middle Ages (12th-18th century). It is themat so that is examines attitudes towards the Synagouge in one chapter and examines the attitude of Jews towards the Slave trade and other occupations in another area. It examines all facets of Jewish life from communal life to Rabbis, occupation, family life, marriage and clothing.

A fascinating view into the life of Jews in Europe in the Middle Ages that shows the incredible diversity and depth of the Jewish community and shows how much we can learn about their culture and how they coped in a world that was often unsteady and insecure.

Seth J. Frantzman

The most important thing to know about this book is that it was written at the end of the 19th century, before the Holocaust and before the spasm of hatred in the early 20th century that led to a mass exodus of Jews from Eastern Europe. Important, too, is where this book doesn't cover. There is almost no mention of Russia or the Baltic States, although Poland does come up several times. Also, as far as this book is concerned Scandinavia does not exist. Spain, France, Italy, England, Portugal, Germany, Palestine, Egypt and to some extent Morocco and Algiers are the regions of primary concern.

The author takes pains at the beginning to point out that while the Medieval period may have been something of a Dark Ages for Christendom, the Jewish communities of Europe (or "Israel", as he refers to it) were shielded from much of that until the end of the period when they became increasingly isolated, culminating in being sent to live in ghettos in many areas, or simply exiled. However, Jews were frequently the subject of specific legislation which both limited what industries they could enter- money-lending in many areas was the only form of activity left open to them- and taxed them exorbitantly. At one point, the Jewish communities in England provided one-twelfth of the royal revenue. That communities could thrive despite that is remarkable.

The topics covered here include religious life, social life, home life, marriage customs, love and courtship, games, clothing, trade, slavery and education, to name just a few. It discusses not only the laws governing a topic but the deviations by area as well as the ways in which restrictions were countered by different communities.

The amount of knowledge the common Jewish man in Spain was responsible to master- everything from Religion and Philosophy to Optics and "Indian" mathematics- was staggering. The author makes the case that the Renaissance was ushered in by the Jews, to a great extent those who brought Arabic and Indian learning with them from Spain. He notes that Italy, where there were the fewest restrictions on Jews, was where the Renaissance initially flowered. I would agree.

The book ends by exploring the relationships between Jews and Christians. That so many laws had to be issued so frequently to restrict social exchange between the two groups, the author argues, shows how deeply the communities were connected. The author cites many examples, famous and mundane, to show how often Jews and Christians worked and socialized together.

The author appears to apologize in the introduction- and in places throughout the book- for the character of his contemporary co-religionist. These are the hardest parts of the book to read, in part because he never makes clear what, specifically, is wrong with the Jewish character, and in part because it smacks of the ingrained self-effacing seen in so many oppressed minority groups. But this, in and of itself, is instructive too.

Recommended for any student of Jewish history.