Medieval Jewish History: Insights into German-Speaking Lands and Albanian Territories.

1. Project Description:

The project focused on lecturing the following topics:

1. Important aspects of Hebrew identity (Who are the Jews)

2. Holy Scriptures of the Jews, which served as formative elements of identity: a. Tanah: Torah, Nevi’im, Ketuvim; Targum, Septuagint b. Explanations on Halakha (The Way); c. Hebrew calendar, d. Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud and its parts (Mishnah and Gemara) and Talmudic Schools (Yeshiva).

3. After this introductory part, we specifically delved into the history of Jewish communities in German-speaking countries, always comparing the history of these communities with data on Jewish communities in Albanian territories.

4. Another point was also to clarify to the students regarding the types of communities in Europe: Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and their spread in Europe, focusing mainly on German-speaking countries and Albanian territories.

5. Furthermore, we discussed Ashkenazi and Sephardic culture and their impact on the countries where the Jews lived.

6. One of the topics discussed in the lecture was also the localities where the Jews lived, the so-called "Judengassen" or Jewish quarters, which were sometimes like cities within cities.

7. In the lecture, we also talked about the various professions preferred and practiced by Jews in the Middle Ages, such as doctors, veterinarians, scribes in offices, kosher butchers, winemakers, etc., but also merchants, and we discussed their impact on the life of a city.

   
   

Some important topics discussed in the lecture were also the persecution of Jews in the Middle Ages, the numerous pogroms, and the problems caused to the Jews either by different monarchs and feudal classes, or by the local population of various localities.

During the subsequent seminars held in the following weeks following the lecture, attendees delved into the reading and study of various brief texts concerning Jewish themes, with an emphasis on both reading comprehension and critical analysis, personal insight and reflections on the significance of the content.

For more information please read BLOG 4: Lesson Plan 2 - Jewish Communities in German-Speaking Regions under the Blog theme of Migration.