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- Title
Jewish Life in Medieval Spain: A New History. By Jonathan Ray.: Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023. Pp. 343. $64.95. ISBN: 978-1-512-82383-7.
- Authors
Tartakoff, Paola
- Abstract
"Jewish Life in Medieval Spain: A New History" by Jonathan Ray is a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the Jews' experiences in medieval Spain. The book focuses on internal Jewish dynamics rather than interfaith relations, highlighting Jewish migrations, socioeconomic tensions, and intellectual rivalries. It challenges the traditional division of the period into contrasting Muslim and Christian epochs, instead emphasizing the diversity of Jewish experiences. The author also examines Jewish mobility, cultural diversity, and professional range, as well as the roles of women and intellectual trends. The book presents the complexities of relations between Jews and their Muslim and Christian neighbors, showing that vulnerability as a minority community depended on specific political, economic, and social factors. Despite challenges, Jews found ways to flourish and the expulsion of 1492 led to fresh cultural developments.
- Subjects
JEWISH Life in Medieval Spain: A New History (Book); JEWISH way of life; INTERFAITH relations; RELIGIOUS communities; FOURTEENTH century; JEWISH migrations; PERSECUTION of Jews; FAMINES
- Publication
Jewish History, 2024, Vol 37, Issue 3/4, p361
- ISSN
0334-701X
- Publication type
Book Review
- DOI
10.1007/s10835-023-09456-8