Fact-A-Day

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#11) Though numerous Jewish manu-
scripts exist from Medieval times, and
show everything from daily life (like tak-
ing meals) to preparing for the holiest
days of the year, not a single one depicts
a Jewish divorce.

#17) A favorite source of fun for Jews
and gentiles alike during this period was
dancing. For Jews, this is especially true
on Purim. Adults as well as children
dressed in costume for the holiday and
danced the night away.

,\. #12) Jews in the
„N, Middle Ages,
especially those
in France and
Germany, often
spent their free time playing games. The
most popular were chess, cards and espe-
cially dice, though the latter were played
with three dice, rather than the two used
today. Apparently, there was little debate
about establishing any casinos in the
Jewish community: Rabbis quickly
stepped forward to condemn dice games
played for money.

#18) As with Jews today, Jews in
Medieval times knew
and loved the story
of the creation of the
world. It told of the
heavens and the
waters and the trees
and all the animals,
too, including one
whose existence was
acknowledged by
Jews and gentiles alike of the day: drag-
ons.

:s..:•\-kkk •

#13) Throughout the Middle Ages,
Christians i s sued directives about what
Jews would be allowed to wear.
One example was in 1413, when the
Jews of Majorca were told they could not
wear a particular mantle favored by the
wealthy. In 1404 in Cologne, Germany,
rulers went so far as to issue a list of
exactly what a Jew could wear, including
how many jewels and how long each
sleeve had to be.

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#14) When they were not telling Jews
how they had to dress, kings and
Christian leaders were busy designing,,
particular badges that everyone in the
Jewish community had to wear.
The wearing of badges began in France
in the 13th century and included such
features as a large, round insignia or a
distinctive hat.
Ironically, only one country rejected
the idea of making Jews publicly identify
themselves this way and refused to do so
(rejecting the Church's.directive) until
the 15th century: Germany.

#19) In Medieval days, the shofar blower
did not simply stand on a bimah:
Instead, he took a particular position:
his right foot was placed on a stool, usu-
ally with three legs, while his left
remained on the ground. Scholars believe
this was done to keep away the evil eye,
which liked to come up out of the
ground and, for reasons unknown, could
be stopped by a three-legged stool.

#20) Private tutors were popular among
wealthier Jewish families in the Middle
Ag es. While most education focused on
Jewish subjects, children also had some
secular training, especially in math.

#21) On happy occasions, it was popular
to call in a troupe of musicians, story-
tellers or acrobats. While such troupes
could comprise both Jews and gentiles,
there are records of groups that per-
formed a specifically Jewish repertoire.
One manuscript from the period shows a
group of Jewish musicians, including
pipers, a man playing a lute and another
with a tambourine.

#15) Ah, how romantic! One custom
among Jews of Italy during Medieval
times was for the bride to ride atop a
horse on her way to her wedding.

#22) Some of the leading mapmakers in
the Middle Ages were Jewish. These
include Isaac Nafuci of Majorca, who
worked for Popes Peter IV and John I.

#16) Although some may scoff at the
idea of equality among the sexes long
ago, scholars today say that Jewish homes
in the Middle Ages were decidedly so.
Yes, men went to work and women
usually stayed at home, where they were
expected to care for the children and the
household. But there is nothing to sug-
gest anywhere that women were consid-
ered subservient to their husbands, or
that their work was regarded in low
esteem, or that they were treated with
anything less than honor and respect.

#23) After washing to eat bread, and as
he passed bites to each person at the din-
ner table, a Jewish father of the Middle
Ages often read from the Torah or other-
wise used the time to teach.

#24) Popular foods of the day in Jewish
homes included bread, fish (fresh, dried
and salted), dried fruit, pastry and poul-
try — along with pigeon.

#25) The first known picture showing a
ner tamid (eternal light) is from the early

