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Jews in the Middle Ages

Jews in the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages 500-1000 CE Primitive living conditions Wars Most people uneducated Jews the exception. The Renaissance 1420-1550 CE Learning and art flourished. The Early Middle Ages 496-1550 CE.

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Jews in the Middle Ages

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  1. Jews in the Middle Ages

  2. The Dark Ages 500-1000 CE Primitive living conditions Wars Most people uneducated Jews the exception The Renaissance 1420-1550 CE Learning and art flourished The Early Middle Ages 496-1550 CE For Jews the Middle Ages last until 1791 and the Emancipation by Napoleon of Jews in France

  3. Jews as Merchants • Jews thrived as merchants • Spoke common language with other Jews • Had connections to Jews throughout Europe • Served as middlemen between Christians and Muslims • Could read and write • Often invited by Christian leaders to join their communities

  4. Jewish Scholars • Rabbi Gershom-10th and 11th century • Jewish scholar and teacher, collected students from all over Europe • Focused on women’s rights • Monogamy • Divorce only with wife’s consent • Rashi-11th century • Famous Jewish scholar and teacher • Wrote commentary on the Torah and Talmud • He explained difficult passages in easy to understand terms • He also wrote many midrashim

  5. Power of the Church • The church was a powerful force in Medieval Europe • Popes led armies into battle • Political as well as religious leaders • Popes ruled a large part of Italy • Could influence other rulers with threats of excommunication

  6. The Crusades • In 1095 Pope Urban II called for a crusade to free the Holy Land from Muslims • Many Christians answered his call • Decided to kill Jews along the way • Turned public opinion against the Jews • There would be a number of crusades over the following 200 years.

  7. Anti-Jewish Laws • The church and other leaders passed a variety of anti-Jewish laws • Jews must wear a badge • Jews must wear certain clothing • Jews barred from many jobs • Jews and Christians could not live together

  8. Jew as Moneylender • Jews forced to become moneylenders; one of the few jobs open to them • Usury • Lending money at a high rate of interest • Christians were not allowed to charge interest for lending money to Christians • Jews could and did • Became known as greedy, untrustworthy • The stereotype of the greedy Jew was born

  9. Jewish Persecution • Blood libel • Jews were accused of using the blood of Christian children to bake matzos. • Black Plague • Jews were accused of spreading the plague, poisoning wells • Desecrating the host(communion wafer) • Jews were accused of kidnapping and torturing the host

  10. Still More Persecution • Jews had to defend their religion in public debates or disputations with leading Christians • If Jews won the debates, they were punished, possibly expelled or killed • If they lost the debates, they were often forced to convert • Jews had to live in ghettos, separated from Christian society • Jewish religious books were burned

  11. Expulsions • Jews were expelled from countries throughout Europe, including France, Germany, England, Portugal, and Spain • Where they remained they were isolated into ghettos and shtetls where they had their own communities apart from the Christians but were still at their mercy

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