September 18, 2013
Jews in the Renaissance & Reformation
1. The institution of the ghetto originated in Italy in the
16th century. Why did the Pope decree that the Jews of Rome should
be confined to a ghetto?
2. The first ghetto was actually established in Venice in
1516. Why did the Venetian government decide to establish it?
3. What is “raison d’état” and what impact did it have upon
the lives of Jews in Italy?
4. Despite the establishment of ghettos in many Italian
cities, Jews still participated in the Renaissance. Who were some of the
notable Jewish figures who took part in the Renaissance, and what did they do?
5. What is Christian humanism, and how did the Christian
humanists manifest a different relationship with the Jewish tradition than
earlier Christians?
6. Who was Martin Luther and what were his changing
attitudes towards the Jews? Why did his writings on the Jews display such
change?
September 20, 2013
Blog questions on Jews in eastern Europe
Reading: JAH 204-214
Questions:
1. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became a major center
of Ashkenazic Jewish life from the Middle Ages onward. What drew Jews into the
commonwealth during the period of expulsion of Jews from western Europe?
2. What economic functions did Jews play in the
Commonwealth, especially on the estates of nobles?
3. How was the Jewish community organized in
Poland-Lithuania? Who were the leaders of this community?
4. What were the effects of the Chmielnicki massacres in
1648 upon Jews in the Commonwealth?
5. What were the intellectual focuses of early modern
Ashkenazic culture? How did the education of boys and girls differ from each
other?
JAH 204-214
ReplyDelete1. A gorwing center of Jewish culture that had economic oppurtnities that icnraesed due to the expansion east of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as well as a legally tolerant environment.
2. They were agents and intermediaries that gave goods to village populations, administered vast estates, marketed agricultural produce and oversaw thousands of working peasants.