Don't We Have Any of Those?! Crime and Delinquency in Medieval Jewish Society

Were there really no criminals among Jews in the Middle Ages? This series will explore a complex and charged subject, steeped in prejudice and apologetics. Throughout the ages, Jews were often portrayed as criminals motivated by greed—accusations that were generally baseless. Nevertheless, as in every society, there were also Jews who engaged in criminal activity. Through textual archaeology, we will uncover Jewish discourse on crime and criminals. We will read rabbinic sources, literary works, and archival documents, and use this wealth of sources to paint a broad picture of Jewish involvement in crime in medieval Europe.

Throughout the series, we will trace the stories of Jewish women and men who became involved in the world of crime. We will examine the challenges involved in locating Jewish criminals in the sources, both in intra-Jewish discourse and in Christian sources, and read the earliest documented account of one Jew murdering another in medieval Europe. Through a variety of case studies, we will discuss theft and economic crime, violent crime and murder, prostitution and sexual offenses; the ways Jewish communities dealt with criminals; and the questions of repentance and atonement.

Prof. Efraim (Efi) Shoham-Steiner teaches medieval European Jewish history in the Department of Jewish History at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His book, Crime in Jewish Society in Medieval Europe, was published this year by Magnes Press.