Ashkenazi Settlement in Rhineland and its Movement Eastwards Yiddish as the vernacular language of Ashkenazi Jews

Hamito - Semitic Languages Berber Spoken in parts of Morocco, Algeria, etc. Semitic Arabic Hebrew Arameic – the language of Talmud; a language spoken in entire Middle East 2000 years ago

Languages in Europe Indoeuropean Roman German Slavic Baltic Celtic Ural Ugrofinnic

Slavic Languages Western Slavic Languages: Polish, Slovak, Czech, Sorbian (Lusatian Serbian) Eastern Slavic L.: Russian, Belarussian, Ukrainian Southern Slavic: Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian

Languages in Europe Indoeuropean Roman German: English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, Faroese, Yiddish Slavic Baltic Celtic Ural Ugrofinnic

Yiddish spoken by 4 million people Independent litterature in yiddish mainly since the 19th C Western Germanic language, shaped before 1150

Origins of Yiddish Laaz/ Loetz – N – based on French (Cerfati) – S – based on Italian Knaan – Lishon Knaan – based on old Czech – Western Slavic language – Extinct due to the expansion of yiddish – last traced in the 16th c. – Used in the Czech lands, Poland and Lusatia – Slavic influences in yiddish through Knaanic

Yiddish Do you speak yiddish? What yiddish words do you use? What yiddish words do you know?

Yiddish Do you speak yiddish? What yiddish words do you know? – Cholent (Tsholnt) – Northern Loez (Laaz) - from the Latin calentem (kept warm) Spelled CLNT in the 13th c. by a Jew from Knaan

Yiddish Do you speak yiddish? What yiddish words do you know? – Cholent (Tsholnt) – Northern Loez (Laaz) - from the Latin calentem (kept warm) – Jarmulka – from the Arameic yira malkhah – fear of the king

Yiddish Do you speak yiddish? What yiddish words do you know? – Cholent – from the Latin calentem (kept warm) – developed from the Mediterranean cassoulet – Jarmulka – from the Arameic yira malkhah – fear of the king – Pamelech – slowly – from Knaanic (Slavic) pomalu Diminutive suffixes – from Slavic langugages : – Shtetl – Städt („town“ in German) – Shtetl - Shtetle

Geography Zarfat/ Carfat – N France Loter/ Ashkenaz - Germany Knaan – Slavic Lands Rus - Eastern Slavic Lands – Hypothetical Khazar Empire – 8th- 12th c. – between Black and Caspian Sea

Ashkenazi Jews Rhineland – 9th and 10th C. Oldest communities – Trier – Aachen – Cologne – שום Speyer Worms Mainz

Ashkenazi Jews Mainz (Rhineland) – the oldest Jewish settlement, since 903 – On a crossroad of important trade routes – Jews expulsed in 1084 but were alowed to come back – the oldest synagogue documented in 1093 Speyer (Rhineland) – Preserved parts of a medieval synagogue from 1104 – the oldest on the north of the Alps – Preserved romanesque mikvah from 1128 – Medieval cemetery with 45 tumbs from 12th -15th C

Ashkenazi Jews Worms (Rhineland) – A synagogue documented in 1034, renewed in 1174 Model for the synagogues in Regensburg and in Prague – The oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe – 60 tumbs from 11th and 12th centuries – Mikvah – 1185 – Rashi from Troyes studied here in

11th (since 1095) and 12th c. – crusades to free God´s tumb from muslims – on the way massacred Jews  bloody pogroms (Worms, Mainz, Speyer) 13th c. – Jews became dependent on the royal power and were gradually isolated from their neighbourhood – „servi camerae regiae“

– Jews have to wear a distinctive garb – Consistent separation of Jews and Christians – Jews are not allowed to own or rent any land – Limited in crafts – Merchants, money lenders - medieval antisemitism often inspired by economy reasons 1215 – IV. Lateran Council

Ashkenazi Jews Since the 13th c. Jews expulsed from England (1290), since the 14th c. From France (1306) and from Germany (1348 – bulbonic plague – practically only the community in Worms renewed)  moved Eastward Ashkenazi culture is less varied than the Sefardi one – on constant escape they focused rather on Torah = Law than on poetry or philosophy