Assis, Yom Tov (1942-2013)

Personal: Born 1942, Aleppo (Syria); Ph.D. 1981, Hebrew Univ.; Lect. 1982; Sen. Lect. 1986; Assoc. Prof. 1992; Prof. 1996; Chairperson, Institute of Jewish Studies, since October 1997.

Research Interests:

The king and the Jews in the Crown of Aragon; economic history of the Jews in the Crown of Aragon and Navarre; scientific activities of Spanish Jews; Jewish society and family life in medieval Spain. Religious and cultural life of Spanish and Proven?al Jews and their contacts with Jewish scholars from Franco-Germany. The crown, the Church and Jews in medieval western Europe.

Research Projects:

1. Jewish community and society in the Crown of Aragon: economic history of the Jews in the Crown of Aragon.

2. Intellectual and religious life of the Jews in Spain and Provence.

Abstracts of Current Research:

The Jews in the Crown of Aragon (1213-1327) - community and society:

The thirteenth century was the "Golden Age" of the Jews in the Crown of Aragon. It was a period of great achievements in the political and cultural life of the Jews and far-reaching transformation in Jewish society and communal organization. The project offers a thorough description and evaluation of the social and communal changes on the basis of archival and Hebrew sources.

Economic history of Catalan and Aragonese Jewry:

The economic activities and financial strength of the Jewish communities in the Crown of Aragon determined to a large extent their status. A correct evaluation of their contribution to the country's economy necessitates a methodical examination of all sources available, including notarial acts and royal correspondence. The project is designed to cover major aspects of Jewish economic activities and their importance for the crown.

Intellectual and religious life of the Jews in Spain and Provence:

Spanish and Provencal Jewry was deeply affected by different and at times contradictory currents that caused both intense intellectual productivity and serious religious and cultural polemics. The impact of the Judeo-Arabic tradition, on the one hand, and the influence of Franco-German scholarship, on the other, are carefully examined in the context of the intellectual and religious life of Iberian and Provencal Jewry.

Key Words:
Medieval Spanish-Jewish history; Jews in the Crown of Aragon; religious life of Iberian and Provencal Jewry

Recent Publications:

Assis, Y. (1991) Los jud?os de Catalu?a: fuentes y posibilidades de estudio. In: Actes, Ier Colloqui d'hist?ria dels jueus a la Corona d'Arag?, L?rida, pp.139-155.

Assis, Y. and Magdalena, R. (1992) Aljamia romance en los documentos Hebraiconavarros (siglo XIV). Barcelona, Universidad de Barcelona, 280 pp.

Assis, Y. (1992) Synagogues in Medieval Spain. Jewish Art, 18: 7-29.

Assis, Y. (1992) The Jews in the Crown of Aragon and its dominions. In: The Sephardi Legacy, vol.1, ed. H. Beinart, Jerusalem, Magnes Press, pp.44-102.

Assis, Y. (1992) Welfare and mutual aid in the Spanish Jewish communities. In: The Sephardi Legacy, vol.1, ed. H. Beinart, Jerusalem, Magnes Press, pp.318-345.

Assis, Y. (1992) Les institutions sociales medi?vales: les logiques de la charit? collective et de l'association. In: La soci?t? juive ? travers l'histoire, vol.2, ed. S. Trigano, Paris, Librairie Fayard, pp.181-218.

Assis, Y. (1992) Les institutions ?conomiques d'avant la modernit?. In: La soci?t? juive ? travers l'histoire, vol.2, ed. S. Trigano, Paris, Librairie Fayard, pp.259-292.

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