Exceptional Times for Women in Late Medieval Ashkenaz

Jewish communities in Ashkenaz in the 15^th century were exposed to several experiences of crisis and serious disruptions of community life. Expulsions and allegations of host desecration and ritual murder increased in frequency, especially in the southern part of the German Empire. This paper will determine the impact of these exceptional situations on Jewish women and families. It aims to examine changes in the visibility of women in the sources as well as temporary shifts in the roles of women in public and within their families at the time.

For this purpose, the ritual murder accusation against the Jewish community of Regensburg in 1476 will be featured as a case study. The city council’s allegations led to the imprisonment of 17 men of the community. After four years, the council was forced to release them and to refrain from former plans to expel the community.

Did the women’s realm of action change in this exceptional situation? To what extent did they take on responsibilities of the absent male head of the household? I will suggest that some women were seen as contact persons by the city government, while others were threatened or even included in the accusations. Besides the public role of women, this paper will also evaluate the women’s position within their families following the disruption of families due to the accusation. In a broader perspective, the role of families and women will be discussed within Jewish strategies of resilience against the threats of the city government.