Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Children and Childhood in Early Modern Ashkenaz
The history of children and childhood has been a subject of major interest among historians of all periods and cultures ever since the publication of Philippe Aries’ controversial book «Centuries of Childhood» in 1960. Aries’ thesis situated the development of the notion of childhood and found a new awareness to children that appeared in the early modern era. Using a wide range of sources, Aries has shown that in the middle ages, the idea of childhood did not exist, and that children were virtually treated as adults from a very young age. Aries’ claims concerning parental neglect and indifference, among other claims, evoked countless scholarly debates. Some 45 years after the book first appeared, this is still one of the most fascinating, innovative and fruitful fields of research.
While childhood in the dominant Christian society was widely researched, the same cannot be said about the Jewish society, and especially in the time and place this project is concerned: Early Modern Ashkenaz. The goal of this research is to draw a comprehensive picture of the social and cultural place of children and childhood in the Jewish communities in central Europebetween 1600 and 1850. This issue will be treated on two levels: the first will be to examine the notion of childhood: how was childhood perceived? What attributions did the noun «childhood» have? How was the childhood of biblical characters perceived? This part will enable us to understand the cultural place of childhood in the society. The other level will focus on the actual lives of children. This part will deal with their education – both formal and informal, the way they spent their leisure time, their role in family and community, parental treatment and other aspects of children’s lives. This part will also deal with ceremonies of initiation, either religious or secular, and the end of childhood, being marriage, puberty, or economical independence. This research will draw of a wide range of sources, being responsa literature, didactic and moral books, ego documents – diaries, memoirs, wills and letters, paintings and biblical and talmudicexegesis, enabling us to reach the most broad picture available of children and childhood in early modern Ashkenazic communities.