Jews in the Walls, Jews on the Walls, Jews at the Gate - the Relationship of the Jewish Population in the Czech Lands with Town Fortifications in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
Abstract
The article describes the relationship of the Jewish population in the Czech Lands with town walls based on the testimony of Jewish and Christian written sources as well as material sources, or their toponyms. Connections between Jews and town walls are found as early as the High Middle Ages, when the king imposed the obligation on the relevant Jewish communities to financially contribute to the construction and maintenance of town walls.
However, permission to use Jewish tombstones as wall reinforcements can be regarded as unusual. Although Jews were barred from carrying weapons and could not serve in the military, they were required to secure guard services on the walls, both financially and physically.
During sieges, Jews performed fortification work. The walls also demarcated the internal urban space for life and for business.
The issue of locating the Jewish quarter up against the town walls could raise fears among the Christian population of the safety of the walls. The walls also had a symbolic function, representing a social dividing line in towns from which Jews had been expelled and their entry into the "area beyond the walls" was forbidden.
Also related to this situation is the occurrence of the toponym "Jewish gate" (e.g., Brno, Olomouc, Hustopeče, Holešov, Kroměříž, Boskovice), which could have meant a gate in the town fortifications as an entrance space into the town or also into the ghetto.