Education of the Greek People and Its Influence on Civilization Book

This book seeks to ascertain how Jews (especially children) were educated in the Ashkenazic world of northern France and Germany in the Middle Ages. The book concludes that there was no public or community-run elementary system; instead, a motivated parent would hire a tutor for his children. (It is unclear to what extent children with poorer or less motivated parents were educated). This conclusion is based on rabbinic responsa, which mention tutors but generally do not mention community schools.

Similarly, public support for scholarship was weaker in Ashkenaz than in Spain, for reasons that are not quite clear. The author speculates that (1) the Jewish community in Ashkenaz was more focused on producing a few outstanding scholars than on raising the educational level of nonscholars and/or (2) there may have been more Talmudic scholarship in Ashkenaz, thus making subsidies less necessary.

The last essay discusses the German pietists, a movement that sought to correct some of the perceived defects in Ashkenazic education. While the general trend was to focus on Talmud, pietists wanted more focus on biblical study, and on educating the less accomplished student.