Jewish and Christian Craftspeople Cooperating in Medieval Ashkenaz

When it comes to the professional activities of Jews in medieval Ashkenaz, scholarship to date has perceived overwhelming proof for moneylending. But crafts are far from absent. Jewish men and women were present in a broad range of crafts during the medieval period. My paper will present different forms of cooperation between Jews and Christians in the various medieval crafts of Ashkenaz. By doing so, I will examine potentials and conflicts that arose from such cooperation, both in the field of ritual and non-ritual daily life occupations. Which crafts did Jews carry out and which were “outsourced” to Christian craftspeople? How did both religious groups distinguish themselves and where did they share in the field of crafts? My papers aims to address these questions.