Jewish Life in the Middle Ages

By Abrams, Israel
Jewish Publication Society, 1993, Paperback, 480 pp., ISBN: 827605420, $26.95

Abrahams describes in vivid detail customs, manners, and mores of medieval Jewish life, much of which was hidden from the inquisitive and not infrequently hostile gaze of Christian Europe.

The medieval Jewish community enjoyed stability, despite external upheaval; it derived that stability from the tradition, social institutions, cultural and family life, and educational systems that thrived in Christian Europe. Eventually these efforts to preserve Jewish culture spread throughout the European Diaspora. Medieval customs became part of the Jewish culture, leading to an increased interest in and creation of secular Jewish poetry, including troubadours and a chivalric tradition.