The Jews of Europe around 1400. Disruption, Crisis, and Resilience

The period following the 'Black Death' of 1348-50, often labelled as an age of crisis and decline in Jewish history, is marked by repeated waves of persecution and expulsion both in the Ashkenazic lands of Central Europe (Germany, Bohemia) and in the Mediterranean world (Spain, Italy, and Crete). At the same time, however, the era was also characterized by dynamic efforts on the part of Jewish individuals and communities all over Europe to cope with outside disruption and internal tensions and to adapt to the changing circumstances. This collection of essays addresses these processes from various vantage points, investigating the analytical potential of the concept of 'resilience' for medieval studies. With contributions by Lukas Clemens and Christoph Cluse, Claude Denjean, Maurice Kriegel, Rena Lauer, Jörg R. Müller, Simon Neuberg, Lucia Raspe, Michael Schlachter, Juliette Sibon, Alessandra Veronese, Andreas Weber, and Milan Zonca.