Chapter 13 - Economic Activities

Summary

This essay begins by noting and dismissing the standard perception of Jewish economic activity as limited to banking and moneylending, including the perception that Jews have somehow or other been inherently limited to such economic activities and incapable of pursuing a more normal distribution of economic pursuits. The essay then addresses a range of Jewish economic activities, beginning with agricultural activity stimulated by Jewish ritual needs. The essay continues by amassing evidence of Jewish craftsmen and Jewish physicians, and Jews in trade. There is full consideration of the field of Jewish moneylending. This consideration begins with evidence of the efflorescence of Jewish moneylending during the twelfth century. The essay notes the range of Christian borrowers from Jewish lenders, emphasizing the differences between the wealthy class of borrowers who used the funds for profit and the poorer class of borrower who used the funds for subsistence. The essay also notes the role of governments in supporting the Jewish lending activities and the ambivalent stance of the Church.