Change and adaptation. Jewish households in Lviv, Worms and Poznan in early modern times

Abstract

ABSTRACT The average early modern family of Ashkenazi Jews is often portrayed in literature in static terms as a nuclear household that is similar in many regards to the other European urban families of premodern Europe. The main goal of this study is to verify this image and to analyze the political and economic factors influencing the size and structure of Jewish households. This study uses three registers of Jewish communities – the 1578 register of Lviv, the 1610 register of Worms, and the 1619 register of Poznan – to conduct a comparative analysis of Ashkenazi Jewish households and their living conditions at the turn of 16th and 17th centuries. The study demonstrates that the existence of significantly different models of Jewish households and indicates a strong relation between the higher status and wealth of families and their larger size and more complex household structure. At the same time, the results also suggest that contextual factors played a significant role in the structure and living conditions of those households. In cities where the economic costs, and legal and political constraints of settling were smaller, there were significantly greater numbers of small households created by the poorer members of the community. On the other hand, in cities where living was associated with greater prestige, prosperity and security, but also required greater wealth and overcoming the difficulties posed by the Christian majority, households were often larger, multi-generational, and included servants and guests.