Beyond 1190: The bigger story of York's Jewish communities Dr Louise Hampson, The Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, University of York
Event details
Merchant Adventurers Arts Discovery Event
The current Jewish history narrative within Judaism and around York is dominated by the appalling events of 1190, and the resulting dissemination of the widely held (but unsubstantiated) belief that York is a ‘prohibited city’ in which Jews may neither sleep nor reside. But the research from the ‘StreetLife’ project showed that there was not only a thriving Jewish community re-established in York from the 1210s until the mass expulsion of 1290, but that an Orthodox community was established in York in the 1870s sufficient to support a synagogue on Aldwark which was active until 1975. Research has also uncovered much more about the location of the community pre-1190, in particular the presence of the noted Tosafist scholar and rabbi, YomTov who came to York from Joigny and whose work is still celebrated in Jewish law and liturgy today. The uncovering of YomTov’s likely residence and the city that he knew, as well as the location of the pre- and post-1190 synagogues is of enormous spiritual significance to sectors of the Orthodox community and the project has been exploring with them how this history might be both commemorated and marked. It is time to bring this significant strand of York's history out of the shadows and give the role of the Jewish communities their rightful place in York's story.
About the speaker
Dr Louise Hampson is a Research fellow Head of Heritage Research and Partnerships for The Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, University of York. She works on medieval and early modern culture and stained glass, and has a growing interest in Jewish history. She completed a PhD in History of Art at the University of York in 2016 on the post-medieval reception and care of the stained glass of York Minster. She has published on the Minster, and on Thomas Becket and has a book based on her thesis in preparation with Brill’s Art and Material Culture in Medieval and Renaissance Europe series.