medieval

Pirates and plague loomed, and prized possessions sold for a pittance.

Medieval European Jewry repeatedly faced banishment for both economic and religious reasons.

Amsterdam became a haven for Jewish refugees from the Inquisition.

Medieval Jews found religious tolerance and economic opportunity in Poland

The accumulation of disasters in the Middle Ages--expulsions, crusades, and the Black Death, to name a few--inspired a steady stream of Jewish immigration to the Holy Land.

From the Muslim-Arab conquests of the 7th century to the appearance of modern ideas in the 1,000 years later.