History of Ashkenaz

We take a speculative look at ottonian kingship and the Jewish perception through Rav Shimon Ben Yitzchak

Sources-

1.

Pinchover, Yehuda (יהודה פינצ׳ובר). “מלך אביון, ואיך ימלוך?” עונג שבת (עונ״ש), September 3, 2021.

Read article⁠

2.

Schachter, Hannah Teddy. “When Rulers Came to Town: Jews, Christians and Urban Processions in Medieval France and the Holy Roman Empire.” The Medieval History Journal 27, no. 2 (2024): 353–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/09719458241273726.

Read article⁠

3.

Figurski, Paweł. “Liturgy, Iconography, and Sacramental Kingship in the Ottonian and Salian Monastery of St Emmeram: Case Studies of the (Politica) Theologia Prima.” In St. Emmeram: Liturgie und Musik vom Mittelalter bis zur Frühen Neuzeit, edited by Harald Buchinger, David Hiley, and Katelijne Schiltz, 69–104. Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner, 2023.

Read article (Academia.edu)⁠

4.

Hause, Melissa Thorson. “A Place in Sacred History: Coronation Ritual and Architecture in Ottonian Mainz.” Journal of Ritual Studies 6, no. 1 (1992): 133–157.

Read article (JSTOR)⁠

5.

Parkes, Henry. The Making of Liturgy in the Ottonian Church: Books, Music and Ritual in Mainz, 950–1050. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, Fourth Series 100. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316014752.

View book (Cambridge University Press)⁠

We explore an enigmatic figure and his great contributions

Looking at Mainz

Discussing the famous descendant of the founding Kalonymus and his immense achievements

We explore the appeal and allure of Mainz and the Jewish and gentile perception of the city

First prominent settlers come to Ashkenaz in a cloud of legends

Return from hiatus

we talk about the ultimate end of the Carolingians and the birth of a new dynasty- the ottonians

The mid 800s saw a lot of disasters for the Franks and an escalation in religious antisemitism- let's explore

Discuss aftermath of Charlemagne’s reforms and the status of Jews

Today we look at the pros and cons of Charlemagne's policy towards the Jews

Books used

"The Holy Roman Empire: Heart of Europe" by Peter H. Wilson

Medieval Europe by Chris Wickham

How the West became Antisemitic by Ivan Marcus

Carolingian Formation of a Persecuting Society by James B. Williams