Beyond the Elite Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe | Newsletter #2, Autumn 2018 We are pleased to present the second issue of our newsletter describing some of the highlights of our recent activities, publications, and achievements. Dr. Ido Noy, discusses his research concerning medieval jewelry “My research (supervised by Prof. Shalom Sabar, HUJI) explores the history and characteristic features of jewelry owned and used by Jewish men and women in medieval Ashkenaz, especially within conjugal and romantic relationships. Jewelry during this period played several roles. In addition to serving as a way of adorning and enhancing the wearer’s body, it was also believed to have the power to protect against evil spirits and demons, or to bless a marriage or romantic relationship. Jewelry was also used to convey visual messages, with the aim of reflecting and embedding central values that lay behind a couple’s relationship and the rituals this couple participated in, including, but not limited to, a wedding ceremony. These same items of jewelry, as well as additional items worn by every individual in medieval Ashkenazic society, contributed to social categorization and stratification. Another member of the team is Ariella Lehmann, an M.A. student, studying the preparations for Shabbat in medieval Ashkenaz “Shabbat is one of the central tenets of Jewish identity, and preparations for this weekly holy day, no less than the day itself, play a vital part in the creation of this identity. My research focuses on various acts of preparation for Shabbat, particularly Congratulations to our Beyond the Elite team members! ՘ ՘ ՘ ՘ ՘ Photo: Ido Noy Research those pertaining to the individual and the household, regardless of social standing or knowledge of Jewish law: preparing candles, one’s body, and food. All three of these activities helped create a holy domestic space for Shabbat rituals, yet their enactment required Jewish men and women to leave their homes and interact with their Christian surroundings in the streets, markets, ovens, or bathhouses. In this way, the preparations for Shabbat blurred the borders between holy and secular, domestic and public. Grants & Awards Lovers holding hands. Silver plate from the Weißenfels treasure. 1st quarter of 14th century. Moritzburg Gallery in Halle. Registration number: Mo_LMK-E-164. ՘ ՘ Prof. Elisheva Baumgarten spent the academic year 2017-2018 at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as the William Cottrell Jr. Member in the School of Historical Studies Dr. Tzafrir Barzilay was awarded a 20182019 Warburg Fellowship by the Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies (HUJI) Dr. Neta Bodner received the Rothschild Yad HaNadiv Postdoctoral Fellowship. She also was awarded the HUJI Postdoctoral Fellowship for outstanding female scholars for 20182019 Dr. Eyal Levinson and Dr. Ido Noy were awarded their Ph.Ds. Miri Fenton was awarded the Vattat Nathan Rotenstreich doctoral fellowship Nureet Dermer recieved the Gerstenfeld-Wolf Prize for her M.A. thesis Adi Namia Cohen was awarded the Berber Prize by the Dinur Center for Jewish History (HUJI) Guests With the aid of a grant from the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities and in collaboration with Prof. Bianca Kühnel (HUJI), Tel Aviv and Haifa Universities, Prof. Gerardo Boto Varela (Universitat de Girona) was invited to Israel this past March. Prof. Boto Varela specializes in Romanesque architecture, liturgy and urbanism, focusing on the symbolism of medieval ritual spaces and the connections between place and religious practice. He spent time with the ERC group, and together with Dr. Marta Serrano Coll (Universitat Rovira i Virgili), he taught us new methodologies for reconstructing urban development in medieval European cities, and led a tour of Jerusalem to examine historical maps in situ. Maps were also the starting point for a week-long workshop, held in April, with Dr. Rainer Barzen from Münster University. Dr. Barzen uses maps, digital reconstructions, and Latin and Hebrew primary sources to teach medieval German and Jewish-German history. Together we examined definitions of terms fundamental to our research such as “Ashkenaz,” “community,” and “city.” Beyond the Elite Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe |Newsletter #2, Autumn 2018 Group Trip to Germany | May, 2018 To gain an appreciation of the physical realities of the Jewish communities of medieval Ashkenaz, the ERC team traveled together to Germany, where, guided by outstanding local scholars, we walked the streets and breathed in the sights and sounds of some of the important centers of medieval German-Jewish life. Day 1 – Erfurt Guided by Dr. Karin Sczech (Thüringische Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie) and Ms. Sarah Laubenstein (UNESCO World Heritage, Erfurt), we explored the late 12th century synagogue and the Erfurt treasure, which consists of jewelry, tableware, coins, facsimiles of the Erfurt Bible and other manuscripts. We also saw the medieval mikveh and tombstones. We left highly impressed by the way in which Jewish history is presented as an organic part of Erfurt’s urban fabric. Day 2 – Trier In Trier, accompanied by the founder of the Arye Maimon-Institut für Geschichte der Juden (Trier University) Prof. Alfred Haverkamp, his wife Ida and Institute members, we explored the urban development of Trier from its Roman foundation to the Middle Ages (facilitated by Drs. Christoph Cluse and Jörg Müller) and the old city (guided by Dr. Jörn Christophersen). At the Maimon Institute we learned about their ambitious project to digitize archival documents pertaining to medieval Jewish life. Day 3 – Worms and Speyer We explored Worms’ Judengasse, the Cathedral, and the Jewish cemetery with Prof. Eva Haverkamp (LMU Munich). She explained the city’s intricate layout, highlighting points of connection between Jews and Christians. We then met Dr. Gerold Bönnen, the city archivist, who presented a range of documents and photographs spanning several centuries. Photo: Nureet Dermer In Speyer we visited the synagogue and mikveh complex, as well as the cathedral. Walking through these two cities, each with deep significance for medieval Ashkenazic culture, gave us an invaluable sense of the spatial realities of everyday life. featuring the Jewish quarter, scheduled to open in 2021. The entire day was led by Prof. Elisabeth Hollender (Goethe University, Frankfurt) who, through our visit to the medieval marketplace and the river, brought to life the spaces in which medieval Jews and Christians lived and suggested how interactions between them might have been experienced. Day 4 – Cologne Day 5 – Friedberg In Cologne we met Prof. Judith Schlanger (EPHE, Paris) and her students. We were introduced by Dr. Ulrich Berzbach to the city and visited the Jewish Quarter archeological site and offices, where Drs. Gary White and Katja Kliemann presented their archeological findings, including slates and stone sculptures from the medieval quarter. Dr. Christiane Twiehaus and the MiQua project staff then displayed the plans for a museum In Friedberg (built in the early 13th century), we observed the connection between the Jewish quarter and the main Christian communal institutions. The highlight of the day was a visit to the mikveh, the deepest of all known medieval mikvaot (25 meters). Interested in experiencing the power of liturgical use of this space, we studied aspects of ritual in medieval liturgical texts and prepared a short ceremony. With special permission to reach the water level, we entered the mikveh with no artificial lights, and descended in silence led by one member singing psalms. This enabled us to replicate the religious experience this space could have held for medieval Jews. Photo: Ido Noy Thank you to all of our colleagues who hosted us so brilliantly and with such generosity! For an expanded description of our trip, please visit our website: https://beyond-the-elite.huji.ac.il/book/ research-trip-germany This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 681507.