Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry Vol. 10

In early modern Poland, Jews numbered 750,000 and comprised half the urban population. Jewish society consequently flourished without being insular, and the core essays in this volume reflect this. They show that this affected Jews' knowledge of languages, marriage patterns, and synagogue architecture, but also increased Christian ritual murder accusations. Jewish polygamy was banned, and kabbalistic influences affected both synagogue structure and women's prayers. Legends about the founder of hasidism are also discussed. A New Views section, book reviews, and a bibliography of Polish-Jewish studies for 1994 complete the volume.