Jewish Woman in the Late Middle Ages

For centuries in medieval European history Jewish women were marginalized in a double way: The traditional research of history had a male, christian and often clerical approach and hardly no interest for Jews, women, and, consequently, Jewish women. The historians of the "Wissenschaft des Judentums" at the beginning of the 19th century also marginalized women as objects of male power and acting persons. Only the feminist movement in the 1970ies gave an impact on new questions concerning the history of women and gender in relationship and comparison. In the last fifteen years a few interesting books and articles were published in the USA. German speaking research is not yet really into this topic, perhaps because it inquires the ability to read and interpret medieval Hebrew sources. Out of many subjects of female conditions of life I chose business life and the attached topics, particularly in Austria and the neighboring German, Hungarian, Bohemian and Moravian cities. From the middle of the 13th century onwards, business activities of women increased and in consequence their legal situation improved. In reaction to this - this is my thesis - the Rabbis and the male society tried to edge them out of the Synagogue, the services and the rites. It is to prove if this development also applies for Christian women. According to records, around one quarter of Jewish lending businesses in medieval Vienna were run by women, who demonstrated extraordinary mobility and skill in this work. With a few notable exceptions, the amounts handled by these women were a good third less than those managed by their male colleagues. Even servants, who made up by far the largest working group, earned small amounts on the side through money-lending. This led to contacts with all classes of Christian society, from noblemen to prostitutes. Business activity required the ability to possess own money and property and to take legal responsibility.The Rabbis, and the Christian authorities as well, had to react on this activity and allow the women to got to a court as plaintiff and witness, and to swear an oath. In reaction to the increased liberty , from the middle of the 13th century onwards women were more and more edged out of synagogue activities and public rites, like circumcision and holiday ceremonies. Although women were generally excluded from education and erudition, we find some medieval women - mostly daughters of Rabbis - who had an extraordinary knowledge of ritual law. Most of the moneylending women knew to read and write German and to a certain amount also Hebrew. The comparision with developments in the Christian society will show the interreligious influences, which were normally not noticed by the contemporaries; a process which is called nowadays "inward-acculturation".