Jews of Alsace and the Rhine regions

The Jewish communities of Alsace and the Rhineland are among the oldest in Northern Europe. The Rhine valley was home in the Middle Ages to major centers of learning, notably in the cities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz, cradles of Ashkenazic scholarship, while Rashi taught in Troyes, in neighboring Champagne. These communities were severely affected by the violence of the Crusades, particularly in 1096, which left a lasting mark on collective Memory. In Alsace, Jews lived until the French Revolution under a regime of restrictions, dispersed in rural towns and subject to specific taxes. The emancipation granted by the Revolution transformed their status and accelerated their integration. This History interweaves learned traditions, persecutions, and adaptation to a specific rural and urban environment.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗